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["Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

That's a sport of Pinot Meunier.  It wouldn't be hardy to much better than -5 or -10.  On the other hand, it's so small you could grow it in a pot with no trouble.
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The Grape Grower, at http://www.bunchgrapes.com  Winner of the Garden Writers Association "Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003.
On Dec 21, 2006, at 1:21 PM, mIEKAL aND wrote:

Anyone growing this? Will it make it in Zone 4 WI?

Begin forwarded message:

> From: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
> Date: December 21, 2006 6:03:33 AM CST
> To: ARS News subscriber <memexikon@mwt.net>
> Subject: Tiny Grape Has Big Role in Science
> Reply-To: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
>
> STORY LEAD:
> New Dwarf Type May Be a Giant of Grape Research
> ___________________________________________
>
> ARS News Service
> Agricultural Research Service, USDA
> Luis Pons, (301) 504-1628, luis.pons@ars.usda.gov
> December 21, 2006
> --View this report online, plus any included photos or other  
> images, at www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr
> ___________________________________________
>
> Really big things may come from Pixie, a very small grape recently  
> released by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
>
> The seeded black fruit of this grape line is not meant for eating.  
> Instead, the variety's novel traits make it ideal for genetics,  
> genomics, breeding and other research that can lead to new breeding  
> lines or cultivars that grape consumers will love.
>
> Pixie fits well into its classification as a dwarf variety.  
> According to Peter Cousins--the geneticist in the ARS Grape  
> Genetics Research Unit at Geneva, N.Y., who helped develop it-- 
> mature clusters of Pixie typically measure slightly less than four  
> inches long. He said that a Pixie grapevine can be grown in a  
> coffee cup and still produce some grapes.
>
> This characteristic reduces by about 50-fold the amount of space  
> needed for grapevine experimentation, as Pixie vines can be grown  
> in the greenhouse to maturity without ever needing to be planted in  
> a vineyard.
>
> But what really makes the new grape line special is its ability to  
> initiate fruit year round. In fact, according to Cousins, it's  
> typical to observe flower buds, blooms, immature fruit, and ripe  
> fruit--all on the same vine.
>
> While this trait would not be useful for the consumer-grape  
> industry--grape producers prefer to pick their crop just once--it  
> does accelerate research, allowing for year-round studies on  
> flowers and berries at all stages of development.
>
> Cousins and University of California-Davis scientist David Tricoli  
> developed Pixie by regenerating whole plants from embryogenic cells  
> of the Pinot Meunier variety of grapes.
>
> The concept of developing such dwarf grape plants was first  
> demonstrated and published by Australian scientists Paul K. Boss,  
> Mark R. Thomas, K.G. M. Skene and Martin Barlass.
>
> Intellectual property protection will not be sought for Pixie,  
> according to Cousins.
>
> To inquire about the availability of this new variety, write to  
> Peter Cousins, USDA-ARS, Grape Genetics Research Unit, 630 W. North  
> St., Geneva, NY 14456.
>
> ARS is U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research  
> agency.
> ___________________________________________
>
> * This is one of the news reports that ARS Information distributes  
> to subscribers on weekdays.
> * Start, stop or change an e-mail subscription at www.ars.usda.gov/ 
> is/pr/subscribe.htm
> * NewsService@ars.usda.gov | www.ars.usda.gov/news
> * Phone (301) 504-1638 | fax (301) 504-1486

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