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 at least four crosses with
enough promise to warrant commercial testing. 

 

The four varieties from the George Girouard Hybrid Collection that are being grown by Girouard Vines bud

late, ripen late, are cold hardy, heat tolerant and have very open clusters thus making them more fungus

resistant. Additionally, 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, the four crosses from the George Girouard

Hybrid Collection have a very high acid content when ripe, making them well suited for blending with the

traditional wine grapes — a particularly promising characteristic. 

 

 

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