Fragrant White Grapes with Floral Flavor

‘Traminette’ is a vigorous, productive grapevine with classic lobed green leaves, curling tendrils, and clusters of pale green to golden-white grapes that ripen into a beautifully aromatic harvest. The berries carry the floral, spicy character associated with their ‘Gewürztraminer’ parent, with notes often reminiscent of lychee, tropical fruit, and fragrant flowers. The vines are well suited to trellises, arbors, and other sturdy supports, where their lush growth creates an attractive edible landscape.

Developed through Cornell’s grape breeding program in New York, ‘Traminette’ was bred to combine the distinctive flavor of ‘Gewürztraminer’ with the productivity, disease resistance, and cold hardiness of American and French-American hybrid grapes. Released in 1996, it has become especially valued as a cool-climate wine grape, but its vigorous growth and fragrant fruit also make it an intriguing choice for home vineyards and edible gardens.

Cultural & Culinary Significance

‘Traminette’ has a distinctly American viticultural story, born from a cross made in 1965 and later developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York. Its aromatic fruit was originally bred with the goal of capturing the celebrated flavor of ‘Gewürztraminer’ while improving adaptability for shorter growing seasons and colder climates. Today, ‘Traminette’ is particularly associated with American wine regions across the Midwest and Northeast and has become the signature white wine grape of Indiana. Its intensely aromatic wines are commonly made in a semi-dry to off-dry style and are prized for floral, spicy, and fruit-forward character.

Why Grow Traminette Grape?

• Produces highly aromatic white grapes with floral, spicy, and tropical notes.
• Makes an excellent wine grape, particularly prized for distinctive varietal wines with strong Gewürztraminer-like character.
• Provides good yields and vigorous growth once established.
• Offers greater cold hardiness than its Gewürztraminer parent, making it useful in cooler growing regions.
• Provides partial resistance to several fungal diseases, giving it an advantage in humid and disease-prone conditions.