The grape variety is a complex interspecific new breeding between Minnesota 78 (Beta x Witt) x Seibel 11803 (Rubilande). Synonyms or breeding numbers are Elmer Swenson 439 and ES 439. It contains genes from Vitis aestivalis, Vitis cinerea, Vitis labrusca, Vitis lincecumii, Vitis riparia, Vitis rupestris, and Vitis vinifera. The crossing of the hybrid took place in 1962 at the University of Minnesota by the grape breeder Elmer Swenson (1913-2004). The variety protection was granted in 1978. It was a crossing partner for many other new breeds, including Chisago. The medium ripening vine is susceptible to both types of mildew and Botrytis, but is resistant to frost down to minus 35 °C. A peculiarity is the varying ripeness of the berries from green to blue on a grape, depending on the weather. It produces wines with a light Foxton. Mainly, it is used as a table grape and for the production of grape juice. The variety is cultivated in the US states of Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon, and Wisconsin (10 ha), as well as in Canada. In 2016, a total of 10 hectares of vineyard area were reported in the USA (Kym Anderson). Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)