George Girouard Hybrids

The story of Girouard Vines began nearly 50 years ago when George Girouard, Chris’ father, began growing wine grapes in Oklahoma. George, a Tulsa native, discovered after several years that many of the traditional wine grape varietals (i.e., of the vinifera species) were difficult to consistently grow in Oklahoma due to their propensity to contract disease (fungicides available today were not yet invented in the 1960’s). In the early 1970’s, he began to create his own hybrid grapevines in his backyard by cross-pollinating traditional premium wine-grape vines (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc.) with indigenous grapevines that he and other grape-breeders in the area found growing in the wild.

 

Thirty-five years and tens of thousands of seedlings later, George Girouard had four crosses with enough promise to warrant commercial testing. 

 

Due to Oklahoma’s hot and humid summers, by the time traditional wine grape varietals are ripe, they often have a very low acid content. By contrast, George Girouard hybrids have a very high acid content when ripe, making them well suited for blending with the traditional wine grapes — a particularly promising characteristic. The wines produced from these blends of grapes will be a medium- to full-bodied, fruit-forward, dry red wine in the Rhone-style.

 

To download an in-depth report on George Girouard Hybrids, click here.