Wine & Grape Grower 6.13

GROWER

Wine & Grape

Your connection to the wine and grape industry June/July 2013

www.wineandgrapegrower.com

Volume 2 Number 4

In this issue

Fenn Valley shares knowledge and serves up fun ~ Page 3

Linganore Winecellars offers wines for all tastes See also: Drought a boon for Oklahoma grape growers Like a phoenix, Stone Hill Winery reclaims former glory Study: Warming could make Montana wine region

Wine industry tees up 13th Annual Wine Cup速

PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID UTICA, NY PERMIT #55

Sustainability resonates with wine consumers

Follow Us On www.facebook.com/wineandgrapegrower

Get updates and information between issues!

Page 2 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

The Official supplier of Verallia wine bottles in the Eastern US & Canada!

The Art of Fine Packaging Servicing ALL of the US & Canada as the largest stocking distributor on the East Coast!

Wide selection of Domestic & Imported Glass Browse Online or Showroom Stelvin Caps and Polylams, Corks & a variety of other options Over 30 colors of PVC’s in a range of sizes State of the art Repacking Center and most importantly, courteous, individualized customer service!

Waterloo Container WaterlooContainer.com • Toll Free 1.888.539.3922

Fenn Valley serves up knowledge and fun

by Sally Colby eople who visit wineries may arrive for a taste of wine, but guests at Fenn Valley Vineyards get a lot more: a combination of education along with a true vineyard experience that the owners of the Michigan vineyard have been fine-tuning since 1973.

Education for wine tasters starts with the basics of growing grapes for wine, including the influence of appellation.

Brian Lesperance, marketing director at Fenn Valley, says there are four appellations in Michigan, and that the vineyard is in the Fennville appellation; a subset of the Lake Michigan Shore appellation.

“Within the Lake Michigan Shore appellation, most of the wineries are further south; in the heart of the old Welch’s

P

grape juice growing country,” said Lesperance. “We were one of the first to come further north — we’re about 45 minutes north of most southwest Michigan wineries.”

The entire 230-acre farm is licensed as a tasting room, which allows Fenn Valley to conduct tasting tours throughout the 70 acres of vineyards.

“We’ll head out to the vineyard and do three to five stops depending on what’s out there to look at,” said Lesperance. “Each time we stop, the guide will bring out a couple of bottles of wine that we’ll use to illustrate the points that are being made. We begin with white wines, starting with white wine 101 — we want to orient people so they understand what we’re talking about.”

Starting in June, guests on the vineyard tour board custom-designed wagons, starting the two-hour tour

Vineyard tours on Fenn Valley’s custom-designed wagons include stops throughout the vineyard for presentations about grape growing along with wine tasting.

Photos courtesy of Fenn Valley Vineyards

After Fenn Valley guests spend time in the vineyard learning about the intricacies of growing wine grapes, they develop more appreciation for wine.

drinkers we have.”

This year, new tours will focus on food and wine pairings; something Lesperance says customers have asked for. “We see two camps of people coming through,” he said.

“Some people are really into the culinary experience and how wine fits into it, and some just really love to learn about wine.

We’ve served the food and wine crowd at different periods throughout the year, and now we’re going to try to serve them the whole year with food and wine tours.” Tables on the wagons will allow hosts to serve food and wine as the tours wind through the vineyards.

For guests who aren’t interested in a tour, Fenn Valley’s tasting room includes an observation deck that overlooks the vineyards and a glimpse into the cellar. “We look at the tasting room as sort of a launch pad for a lot of expanded experiences,” said Lesperance. “The tasting room sets the stage for the experience, and hopefully it ties back to the wine.”

To meet customers’ desires, Fenn Valley will be offering more tasting room options that allow people to expand their experience, including small plates of food for purchase as they’re sampling wines.

“We can sell wine by the glass in the tasting room,” said Lesperance. “We have a lot of great places they

can sit and enjoy wine.

We’re looking into working with a local deli so that people can order a boxed lunch that they can take out into the vineyard to enjoy.”

Lesperance says that because people vote with their wallets, tasting rooms are a great opportunity for market research.

“They may try different wines for a variety of reasons, but you have to look at what they’re buying,” he said. “We sell everything from bone-dry red wines to sweet reds to semi-dry in both categories, and specialty products. We try to cater to a lot of different folks without spreading ourselves too thin. We like to keep the wines in the $8-$12 range, and within that range we typically have more than 30 wines available.”

As he explained how Fenn Valley has evolved to meet customer needs, Lesperance referenced Michigan State University research that examined reasons people visit tasting rooms. “The number one reason is for entertainment,” he said. “People want to relax and experience the winery. They’re serious about buying wine, but they may not always want two hours of interactive education and entertainment.”

Numerous special events throughout the year draw people to Fenn Valley. Lesperance says at first, these events were a

means to bring people to the winery, but now the vineyard is a destination and events are a cornerstone of keeping the brand alive.

In addition to monthly food and wine pairings, Fenn Valley holds a wildly popular chili cookoff. “It started with about 12 people and now it’s at 500 plus,” said Lesperance.

“This year we had about 100 chili entries. People like it a lot — it’s January, and people are looking for something to do.”

Lesperance says Fenn Valley is constantly adapting based on customer feedback. “We learn so much about our marketplace and our customers — what they like and don’t like — because we’re out there directly interacting with them on these tours.”

Fenn Valley visitors can make tour reservations online, which makes scheduling easy for both the winery and guests.

Lesperance says the tours, which are offered at $8/person, are a marketing opportunity. “We give back five of those eight dollars if you buy four or more bottles of wine,” he said. “We’re grateful for people wanting to come out and learn about wine.

We know that if we can create more ambassadors around the idea of Michigan wine, and our wine, it’ll pay long-term dividends.”

Visit Fenn Valley on line at www.fennvalley.com.

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 3

Fenn Valley owner and winemaker Doug Welsh offers a visitor a wine sample straight from the barrel.

in the vineyard and finishing in the cellar. “We explain how the appellation affects what they’re tasting in the glass, and how viticulture practices affect wine,” said Lesperance, adding that tasting is going on throughout the tour. “We’ll talk about the plants, why they’re on trellises, how they’re pruned and tied the way they are. We talk about how the fruit is developing, the impact of pruning throughout the season, and how the land and geography impacts the wine. Then we switch to red wine and talk about tannins and aging, and how the cool climate affects tannins and ageability of wine.”

In fall, when grapes are ready for harvest, visitors can sample the grapes as they sample wine made from those grapes. Winter tours are held in the wine cellar and focus on the winemaking process.

Lesperance noted that some people come several times a year in order to experience and learn all of the aspects of grape growing and winemaking.

Although the tours are structured, hosts allow the conversation to be driven by questions guests ask; from basic information to highly technical chemistry questions. “We look at it as their tour — we’re just there to facilitate it,” said Lesperance. “We also offer private tours, which are definitely customized. If it’s a private tour, I can pretty quickly gauge what kind of wine

Page 4 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

Pioneer of Missouri’s wine renaissance reclaims former glory

by Karl H. Kazaks HERMANN, MO — It’s one thing for a winery to win medals and awards at international competitions. It’s quite another for a winery to have a pedigree of international acclaim dating back 140 years.

Yet that’s precisely the case at Stone Hill Winery, which prior to Prohibition was recognized for its wines at eight world’s fairs, including at Vienna in 1873 and at Philadelphia in 1876.

Established in 1847, Stone Hill was at one point the nation’s second largest winery.

By 1900 it was making and

selling over one million gallons of wine per year.

“There’s a reason Stone Hill was so successful in the 1800s,” said Thomas Held, who is part of the family which owns and operates Stone Hill today. “We’re working to make it just as successful now as it was then.”

By all accounts the Helds are well on their way to meeting that benchmark. Stone Hill is Missouri’s second largest winery, producing about 115,000 cases of wine a year. They have three locations in Missouri — the historic home winery in Hermann where most of their more than 20 wines are made,

a location in New Florence where they make sparkling wine (a Blanc de Blancs and a Brut Rosé), and a winery in Branson where they make spumante.

Stone Hill has won seven Missouri Governor’s Cups since 1994 and regularly brings home awards from competitions around the world — just like it did during the Grant administration.

The task of restoring Stone Hill to its former glory has been long one. When Jim and Betty Held bought the property in 1965 its vineyards had long since been abandoned. The winery’s stunning under-

Most of Stone Hill’s vineyards are in the Hermann appellation, at the northern foothills of the Ozarks. There, vines are typically planted on hilltops to help reduce the risk of frost damage.

ground cellars — mostly constructed pre-Civil War, and today still the nation’s largest series of arched underground cellars — were being used to grow mushrooms.

For a while, the winery was a small farm operation. The Helds lived in the historic winery building, sharing a phone number for business and personal use.

In 1979, the family opened a restaurant — Vintage, in a restored carriage house — which helped position Stone Hill as a destination as well as a winery.

Hermann is situated on the south bank of the Missouri River, about 20 minutes south of Interstate 70 (the main thoroughfare between St. Louis and Kansas City). By the early 1980s, the home winery was becoming established as a destination, but the Helds were looking to expand their reach in the Missouri market.

Their first expansion was, in part, driven by feedback they were getting from customers.

“We heard it all the time,” Thomas Held said. “Our customers who travelled I-70 would say, ‘We wanted to get down there but didn’t have the time.’” So the Helds decided to bring their wines to their customers, a marketing philosophy they continue to follow today.

In 1986 Stone Hill opened its third location, in Branson.

That was before Branson became a tourist destination — replete with the countless shows and attractions as well as many dining and shopping opportunities that exist there today. The new location’s first

decade coincided with Branson’s transformation into an internationally known entertainment spot.

“I watched it grow tremendously,” Held said. “We were increasing our production, but Branson was able to consume most or all of it. There were years we didn’t have a whole lot of distribution growth. I remodeled the place five times in the first 10 years,” Held recalled.

“I started squeezing tasting counters in whenever I could,” to the point where today the winery has six tasting counters.

The last renovation doubled the winery’s square footage to 12,000 square feet.

Though Stone Hill has been selling its wine through distributors for many decades, much of its growth in the past decade has been due to its increased partnership with wholesalers.

Ten years ago, the winery was selling about 60 percent of its wines from its wineries.

Today, it sells about 60 percent of its wines through distributors.

“Once you expose people to your wine,” by showcasing it to them when they visit your winery, Held said, “then you need to get it to them” in the stores they regularly visit. That means using wholesalers to get Stone Hill wines into grocery stores that customers visit every week.

The Helds are active proponents of Missouri wines, serving on industry advisory boards and marketing committees.

Stone Hill keeps visitors

Pioneer page 6

Destination tourism — all things around you 433,000 jobs are directly related to the tourism industry where in past years over $44 million annually was spent on state tourism promotions. Viriginia recently reported that visitors generated $20.4 billion in revenue from tourism in 2011, an 8 percent increase over 2010.

Agribusinesses, agritourism venues, farmers’ markets, specialty food shops, farm wineries, petting zoos and other farm-related marketing operations have benefitted from destination tourism promotions such as wine trails, cultural heritage routes and other regional promotional campaigns. The New England Agricultural Statistics Service reported that income from agri-tourism on Vermont farms in 2002 totaled $19.5 million. Cultural heritage tourism is reported as one of the most

By: Melissa Piper Nelson Farm News Service

lucrative parts of the nation’s entire tourism industry with some segments of the country seeing a 10:1 return on investment.

Describing the advantages of a wine trail experience the Pennsylvania Winery Association has noted, “Wine trails are designed to give visitors a broader, more diverse experience…you may be able to experience three or four wineries in a single day. The real benefit of a wine trail lies in varied experiences the trail provides.”

Linking into this broader experience may prove beneficial to emerging and expanding agri-related businesses seeking more visibility and customers. Also, it provides farmers and producers with the opportunity to promote local food, beverage, fiber and gift ventures and to acquaint visitors with

Tanks for Wine, Inc.

News and views on agricultural marketing techniques. how farms and farm families produce quality products.

Destination tourism promotions are generally funded through hotel and other business-related taxes, a portion of which goes to local or regional tourism campaigns. Public-private partnerships, foundations and private donations also help support these efforts, which can be costly in terms of materials produced, advertising, staffing and venue maintenance.

To understand the opportunities in your own area, talk with your local and regional tourism groups. These programs are often linked to local governments and economic development groups, state-sponsored heritage promotion programs, multi-state themed cultural offices

Our Newest Location 1135 Plymouth St., Allentown, PA 18109

With 20 years in business and multiple locations across the US, Tanks for Wine is the wine industry’s source for storage tanks, parts and accessories.

Flextank Fermentation & Maturation Tanks “We love them. We get the micro oxygenation passively. We have no topping off issues. We get great fruit retention.”

Winemaker Harold Osborne, Salisbury Vineyards “I do not use anything but Flextanks now! Ease of handling, economics, improved sanitation, ease of sampling and testing. To say nothing about the best features - Micro Oxygenation and oak control on my terms are much more in my control.”

Winemaker Sandra Mubarek, Old Coach Vineyards

RMX Portable Wine Tanks -

RACKING & Bottling Short Term Storage Bulk Wine Transportation Stack up to 3 high when full 2” bottom drain valve 6” lid, with 2” bung on top

Tanks for Wine offers the best selection of industrial grade vessels which can help reduce costs and time spent making high quality wine. Browse our products page to discover how you can save time & money while yielding the best quality wine possible.

Save time, space and money by switching out of your Oak Barrels!

Phone (916) 730-5485 info@tanksforwine.com

www.tanksforwine.com

Napa Valley, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Allentown, Atlanta, Chicago & Portland

and even national heritage sites. Also, talk with other businesses in your area and find out what types of broad promotional programs they are involved in and consider valuable in terms of visibility and visitations. Industry trade associations also use local, regional and statewide promotional programs to garner support for individual agricultural commodities and events. Visit your local heritage, downtown shopping and outdoor recreation communities to promote your own business within the context of larger tourism programs.

One of the most important factors in successfully joining and benefitting from regional promotion programs is to fully discover and understand all the tourism destination venues around you. Spend some

time traveling in a fiftymile radius around your farm or business and catalog the restaurants, shops, visitor sites, recreational and natural resource opportunities, parks and special programs indigenous to your area. Linking with these sources in overall destination programs provides a unique opportunity to create new customer opportunities.

To locate state tourism programs review sites such as www.netstate.com or www.usa.gov/Citizen/To p i c s / T r a v e l Tourism/StateTourism.shtml or contact your local tourism promotional organization.

The above information is provided for educational purposes only and should not be substituted for business or legal professional counseling.

Wine industry tees up 13th Annual Wine Cup® CASHMERE, WA — The Washington Wine Industry Foundation (WWIF) tees up its 13th Annual Wine Cup® Monday, July 15 at Meadow Springs Country Club in Richland.

This year, the Shotgun Scramble will begin at 9 a.m. for a cooler climate than previous years.

Wine industry supporters, golf fanatics, wine connoisseurs, and anyone who just wants to have fun are invited to get their foursome together for a rare opportunity on one of Washington’s top rated private courses.

During the day, golfers will enjoy 18 holes on the site of numerous, prestigious tournaments, including eleven years as a PGA tour site. Contests of the day include putting, closest to the pin, and the infamous cork

chipping. Following the contests will be a wine reception, awards lunch, goody bag-giveaway, and awarding of prizes, including a 5day cruise for two for each member of the Low Gross winning team.

Team and individual registrations are available. Register prior to June 15 to take advantage of early bird rates ($150 per person). Other opportunities to get involved include sponsorships and prize donations. Current sponsors with teams include Bleyhl Farm Service, Gamache Vintners, Royal Organic Products, and Northwest Farm Credit Services. To register a team, sponsor or donate prizes visit www.washingtonwinefoundation.org or contactinfo@ washingtonwinefoundation.org or 509-782-1108.

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 5

by Melissa Piper Nelson Several years ago, promoting the many places, events and themes of a region kick-started — or at least revived — the idea of destination tourism. This type of promotion encourages visitors to enjoy all the sites of interest in a particular location as well as frequenting surrounding shops, restaurants, wineries, microbreweries, hotels, and other adjacent businesses. The strategy comes from tourism studies which indicate the longer a visitor stays in an area, the more dollars he or she will likely spend, which in turn boosts the local economy and stimulates business growth.

The New York Times recently noted that visitors to New York state spent $14 billion a year supporting 650,000 tourism jobs. In neighboring Pennsylvania,

Today’s Marketing Objectives

In this Issue Destination tourism — all things around you.................................5

by Melissa Piper Nelson Agriculture and Politics: Child labor laws.......................................7

by Emily Enger Using Pinterest to market your busines.........................................9

by Katie Navarra WINE TASTING SECTION......................................................12-15 Linganore Wincellars offers wines for all tastes...........................14

by Sally Colby Traminette delivers quality............................................................16

by Karl H. Kazaks

Cover photo courtesy of Fenn Valley Vineyards

Page 6 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

Fenn Valley’s popular chili cook off draws more than 500 visitors who enjoy sampling both chili and wine.

The Bi-Monthly Newspaper for all segments for the Wine and Grape industry www.wineandgrapegrower.com (518) 673-3237 • Fax # (518) 673-2381 Wine & Grape Grower is published monthly by Lee Publications, P.O. Box 121, 6113 St. Hwy. 5, Palatine Bridge, NY 13428.

Periodical postage paid at Palatine Bridge, NY 13428.

Subscription Price: $12 per year. Digital Subscription: $12 for 2 years. Canada $55 per year.

POSTMASTER: Send address change to Wine & Grape Grower, P.O. Box 121, Subscription Dept., Palatine Bridge, NY 13428-0121.

Publisher, President........................................Frederick W. Lee Vice-President Production ..........................Mark W. Lee, ext. 132..........................mlee@leepub.com Vice-President & General Manager ..........Bruce Button, ext. 104 .....................bbutton@leepub.com Comptroller ................................................Robert Moyer, ext. 148.....................bmoyer@leepub.com Production Coordinator ............................Jessica Mackay, ext. 137..................jmackay@leepub.com Editor ......................................................Joan Kark-Wren, ext. 141...............jkarkwren@leepub.com Page Composition ..................................Michelle Gressler, ext. 138 .................aswartz@leepub.com Classified Ad Manager ..............................Peggy Patrei, ext. 111 ..................classified@leepub.com Shop Foreman ..........................................Harry Delong, ext. 154 ....................hdelong@leepub.com

Palatine Bridge, Main Office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518-673-3237 Accounting/Billing Office . . . . . . . . 518-673-2269. . . . . . . . . . . amoyer@leepub.com Subscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518-673-2448 . . . . . subscriptions@leepub.com Website: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.leepub.com Send all correspondence to: PO Box 121, Palatine Bridge, NY 13428 Fax (518) 673-2699 Editorial Email: jkarkwren@leepub.com Advertising Email: jmackay@leepub.com AD SALES REPRESENTATIVES Bruce Button, Ad Sales Manager . . . . bbutton@leepub.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-218-5586, ext. 104 Dan Wren, Grower Sales Manager . . . dwren@leepub.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-218-5586, ext. 117 Jan Andrews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jandrews@leepub.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-218-5586, ext 110 Richard Barrett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .rbarrett@leepub.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-218-5586, ext 118 Dave Dornburgh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ddornburgh@leepub.com . . . . . . . . 800-218-5586, ext. 109 Steve Heiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sheiser@leepub.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-218-5586, ext. 119 Ian Hitchener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ihitchener@leepub.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518-210-2066 Tina Krieger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . tkrieger@leepub.com . . . . . . . . . . . . 800-218-5586, ext. 108 Kegley Baumgardner / Virginia . . . . . . . . kegleyb@va.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540-255-9112 Wanda Luck / North Carolina. . . . . . . . . .wwluck5@gmail.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336-416-6198 (cell) Kathy LaScala . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . katelascala@gmail.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .913-486-7184 Sue Thomas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . suethomas1@cox.net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 949-599-6800 Lee Publications 6113 State Hwy. 5, PO Box 121, Palatine Bridge, NY 13428 We cannot GUARANTEE the return of photographs. Publisher not responsible for typographical errors. Size, style of type and locations of advertisements are left to the discretion of the publisher.

The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. We will not knowingly accept or publish advertising which is fraudulent or misleading in nature. The publisher reserves the sole right to edit, revise or reject any and all advertising with or without cause being assigned which in his judgement is unwholesome or contrary to the interest of this publication. We assume no financial responsibility for typographical errors in advertisement, but if at fault, will reprint

Pioneer from 4 coming to its Hermann winery with regular events. Nine times a year, the winery has a Grapes to Glass VIP tour (cost: $25) which takes visitors into parts of the winery operation that aren’t part of the normal winery tour, such as the press house, a vineyard, and the tank building. The special tour — which is limited to 40 people — covers the whole process of winemaking (hence the name Grapes to Glass) and includes barrel tasting.

In the warmer months, Stone Hill has music every Saturday at its Hermann location. “That brings out more people,” said Held.

Stone Hill also has an annual dinner at Vintage at which it pours back vintages of its highly acclaimed Norton wine.

In addition to Norton, Stone Hill makes Chambourcin, several red blends, and Concord, of which it produces more wine than any other. It uses Traminette, Vidal blanc, Chardonel, and Vignole for single-varietal wines and as components for several white blends.

It also makes rosés, a port, sherry, and a late harvest Vignole (which

was served one year at The White House Holiday Dinner). The winery also makes non-alcoholic still and sparkling grape juice.

Stone Hill has almost 200 acres under vine.

Estate fruit supplies about two-thirds of their annual grape needs. The remainder they buy from other Missouri growers.

“The reason we make so many different wines

is we try to appeal to everybody’s taste buds,” said Held. “Whether you like white wine or red wine, dry wine or sweet wine — port, sherry — we’ve got it all.”

Reminiscent of the earlier iteration of Stone Hill Winery, some twenty-six presidencies ago: producer of wines of a number styles, all at high quality — with awards and commercial success as proof.

Stone Hill’s head winemaker Dave Johnson takes a barrel sample in the winery’s 19th century cellars.

Photos courtesy of Stone Hill Winery

A history of wine at Stone Hill Winery When German immigrants moved to the Missouri River Valley in the mid-1800s, the terrain and climate reminded many of the Rhine Valley.

So it was natural for them to plant vineyards.

The wine produced in the area then — evidenced by the many international awards won by Stone Hill Winery — was well-received. By the 1880s Missouri was the largest wineproducing state in the U.S. Historic catalogs reveal that in its earlier incarnation, Stone Hill Winery made a variety of wines including Virginia Seedling (as Norton was once known), Ives’ Seedling, and Delaware.

It also made wines called Ozark Queen, White Pearl, and Black Pearl.

“They sold wine by the case, by your own gallon, by the barrel, halfbarrel, keg, and jug,” said Thomas Held.

Today the Helds use the name of one of the wines from the first Stone Hill Winery, Hermannsberger, for a dry, lighter-bodied red blend.

Stone Hill also used to make

brandies and cognacs. In the early part of the twentieth century, Thomas Held reports, as California wines were displacing Missouri wines in the marketplace, Stone Hill expanded its distillery business.

They started making whiskey, including rye. “They even opened offices in St. Louis and Bardstown, KY,” said Held.

Since Stone Hill Winery reopened in 1965, a robust wine and tourism industry has developed around Hermann. Here, where the Missouri River skirts the northern fringe of the Ozark Mountains, vineyards are often sited on hilltops to provide protection from frost.

Today the region is home to several wineries and over 100 BnBs. The Katy Trail, a hiking and biking trail on a former railroad right-of-way, also bring visitors to the region.

Lately, the area has also become popular for weddings. Stone Hill, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is a popular choice for nuptials.

Agriculture & Politics: Is your operation in compliance with child labor laws? young man about to go to college until his mower slipped off the creek bed and trapped him under the water.

Nation-wide farm accidents are decreasing, according to data provided by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and demonstrated on their graphs shown here, but there remains concern that the rate of decrease in accidents is not matching the industry’s population decrease. Child Labor/Young Worker Specialist Mary E. Miller, RN MN, with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, wrote a comprehensive study and call for action in the Journal of Agromedicine titled “Historical Background of the Child Labor Regulations: Strengths and Limitations of the Agricultural Hazardous Occupations Orders.” In it, she cited the 2011 “Injury Facts” research put out by the National Safety Council, which claims that agriculture is the number

one most dangerous industry in the United States and has a fatality rate more than twice that of mining, the number-two most dangerous industry.

National child labor laws began in 1938 in an effort to get children out of factories and mines. Within those regulations were exemptions for agriculture. Today, federal U.S. laws do include restrictions on youth labor in agriculture, their introduction largely due to the onslaught of farm-related accidents.

However, these laws apply to a hired workforce and contain parental exemptions. No restrictions currently exist for youth working on their own family farms or hired youth at or above the age of 16.

Hours The hours anyone under age 16 can work must follow the local public school calendar.

This must be followed even if the hired youth does not attend the local school. If he or she attends private school,

The provided NIOSH research tables, as well as many other resources, were provided by Scott Heiberger with the National Farm Medicine Center, www3.marshfieldclinic.org/NFMC/.

is homeschooled, or has finished educational requirements, the hours and days this employee works must still follow the local school calendar. Farmers are allowed to hire children younger than 16 for after school labor, but written parental permission is needed to employ anyone 13 or younger. There are no limits on the number of hours these youth may work per day or week or any restrictions on how long of a season they can put in.

Tasks Federal law forbids children under 16 from performing tasks declared hazardous by the Secretary of Labor.

Some of the most common machines that fall into this category: tractors of over 20 PTO horsepower, fork lifts, grain combines, corn or cotton pickers, auger conveyers, and chain saws. Working with logging equipment, applying toxic chemicals or using blasting agents contain many restrictions, as well. To ensure your young employee is performing legal tasks, read up on the Hazardous Occupations Orders for Agricultural Employment, which is the full, comprehensive list of forbidden tasks.

This list is on page four of the following document: www.dol.gov /whd/regs/compliance/childlabor102.pdf.

Definition of “Agriculture” Miller notes some misunderstandings she’s come across while

working for Washington State’s department of labor: namely, what constitutes “agriculture?”

The “Child Labor Requirements in Agriculture Occupation Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (Child Labor Bulletin 102),” which sets the policy for youth working in agriculture, defines their regulatory coverage as employees who: • cultivate the soil or grow or harvest crops • raise livestock, bees, fur-bearing animals, or poultry • perform work which is incidental to the farming operations of that farm (such as threshing grain grown on that farm) • work off the farm as employees of the farmer performing work which is incidental to the farming operations of that farm (such as delivering produce to market by truck) Work that goes beyond this scope is no longer defined as agriculture.

Miller gives a common example: “Places that do packaging where they are packing another grower’s product is no longer agriculture; it’s commercial.” When farmers work with their own product, it is considered agriculture.

When farmers work on another grower’s product, it becomes commercial. And a commercial enterprise must follow nonagriculture child labor laws, which are more protective.

This is not just for

large packing operations. Miller emphasizes that even if a grower is packaging for only one other business, that is still considered a commercial enterprise and cannot be performed by youth under 16.

Penalties Employers caught violating child labor laws can be fined up to $11,000 for each minor who was subjected to illegal work activity, according to the Child Labor Bulletin 102. These penalties are set by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. The employer has 15 days from receiving the citation to formally file an exception, at which time a court date will be set where the employer will have to prove he or she did not violate the law. The finer details of penalties are dependent upon the case. In certain situations, there may be other violations applied in addition to the child labor violation, including those completely separate from child labor laws (such as safety codes, minimum wage requirements, or more.)

This has the potential to add up to higher fines as well as jail time.

The Conversation Youth labor laws have long been a controversial one in agriculture, concern about overregulation as much a focal point as the discussion of safety. The last time any changes to child

Ag & Politics 8

www. wineandgrapegrower .com

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 7

by Emily Enger If your childhood memories include watching a sunset through the settling fog of grain dust or kissing your High School Sweetheart behind the bins on the back 40, then you are one of the increasingly-fewer Americans who can call yourself a “farm kid.”

Growing up on a farm, you probably heard all sorts of sentimental stories: your grandfather who walked uphill to school both ways, ancestors who made it through the Great Depression by transforming their acres into the first form of agritainment, communities lending helping hands during difficult harvests. But there are the other stories you know too, as familiar to rural youths as the paved trail to their buddy’s place: the five year old who lost his arms in the PTO; the tomboy trying to outshine her older brother who was never quite “normal” after that ATV crash; the

Estimates of Agricultural-Related Injuries to Youth Under 20 Years of Age On Farms United States: 2001, 2004, 2006, and 2009 WORKING AND NON-WORKING YOUTH In-business f a r m s1

T otal y outh 2

Year 2001 2004 2006

(number) 2,157,780 2,112,280 2,089,790

(number) 37,148,468 31,226,560 30,747,431

2009

2,200,010

27,646,594

Total youth per farm

(number) 8.3 14.8 14.7

T o t a l i n j u r i e s3

Injuries per 1,000 youth

(number) 29,227 27,591 22,894

12.6

Injuries per 1,000 farms

(number) 0.8 0.9 0.7

15,876

0.6

(number) 13.5 13.1 11.0 7.2

WORKING YOUTH W orking y o u t h4

W orking y outh per f arm

W ork i njuries

W ork i njuries per 1 ,000 w orking y outh

W orking i njuries p er 1 ,000 f arms

Page 8 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

Year (number) (number) (number) (number) (number) 2001 1,150,324 0.5 8,588 7.5 4.0 2004 1,036,084 0.5 6,965 6.7 3.3 2006 897,231 0.4 4,964 5.5 2.4 2009 748,938 0.3 3,191 4.3 1.5 1 Estimated number of farms still in business based on the farm operator youth farm injury study 2 Total youth population on farms, including hired youth, visitors and relatives, whether working or non-working 3 Includes work-related and non-work-related injuries 4 Hired youth and working household youth

Ag & Politics from 7 labor laws in the industry were proposed was 2011by then-Secretary of Labor Hilda S. Solis.

The ensuing battle resulted in the Obama Administration pulling the proposal off the table, claiming in a press release that their decision was “in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small familyowned farms.

“To be clear,” the press release continues, “this regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration.” Thus far, that remains the case. Miller knows of no new proposals currently in the works. This means that federal laws regulating youth farm labor are more than 40 years old, as the original proposals have not been changed since their adoption in 1970. “They need to be modernized and updated,” Miller claims.

On a broad scale, Miller would like to

make sure the laws are written in clear, plain language and do away with rules that are no longer relevent due to shifts in the industry.

More specifically, she’d like to see agriculture closer aligned to nonagriculture youth labor laws. “There is no scientific or developmental basis that these industries be regulated differently, particularly when agriculture remains one of the most hazardous industry sectors for adults and youth alike,” says her article “Historical Background of the Child Labor Regulations: Strengths and Limitations of the Agricultural Hazardous Occupations Orders.”

Aligning agriculture with nonagricultural youth labor laws would dramatically alter what hired youth are legally permitted to do on farms. The 2011 debate showed how unpopular restrictions can be for rural populations, who cite the decrease in farm accidents as proof

that their own measures and programs (safety mechanisms added to machinery and local education programs such as FFA, 4-H, and Cooperative Extension) are, in fact, working.

That focus on education seems to be the hallowed place of common ground in this debate. When the Obama administration rescinded the 2011 proposal, the press release claimed that the depart-

ments of both Labor and Agirculture would “work with rural stakeholders to develop an educational program to reduce accidents to young workers.” Miller concurs, as well. “It isn’t just about regulations,” she assures. “It’s about injury prevention.

It requires outreach and education...you can’t just hand people a list of dos and don’ts. It has to be an integrated approach.”

It is important to note

that the above rules are federal laws and your state may have more stringent laws that apply as well. The Department of Labor has provided a resource for state-by-state laws at www.dol.gov/whd/stat e/agriemp2.htm.

If you are concerned about farm safety on your operation, the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety (NCCRAHS) recently

WILDLIFE CONTROL Bird Netting, Deterrents Fruit Zone Side Netting Deer Fence TRELLIS SUPPLIES Notched Metal Post, Wood Post Post Driver Rental/Sales Wire, Anchors, Fasteners TRAINING & TYING SUPPLIES Fiberglass Vine Stakes Trunk-Fix, AgLok Twist Ties, REMA Products

FINGER LAKES TRELLIS SUPPLY 315-904-4007 4041A Railroad Ave., Williamson, NY 14589 info@fingerlakestrellissupply.com E-Store www.fingerlakestrellissupply.com

launched a new initiative where parents and employers can find recommendations and suggestions for incorporating farm safety with farm work: http://cultivatesafety.org/.

Comments?

Questions?

Concerns?

The writer would love to hear from you: eenger@leepub.com

The Danville Edger allows chemicals to be applied precisely around vineyard plants with no drifting onto plants.

Roller is 6" tall with dense paint roller material attached to it.

Tank capacity 5 quarts Interchangeable rollers: 4" 6" 12" and 18"

From $199.90 0 to o $205.90 Price includes freight

Danvillee Industriess 124 West Main Harper, KS 67058 800-662-4212 / 620-896-7126 www.danvillenodrift.com MC/Visa/Discover/Check

Using Pinterest to market your business $170. Consumers who saw a product on Facebook spent $90 and only $70 after hearing about a product on Twitter.

The site is an interest based site that is similar to window shopping.

Pinterest works similar to an old fashioned bulletin or cork board. Images that relate to a particular theme are “pinned” to a board for viewing.

On Pinterest, users virtually “pin” images to specifically themed boards. The Pinterest boards are tailored to specific interests such as crafts, do-it-yourself projects, menus and more. A user can save and revisit their own pins or share pins with others. “The site is only three years old and at this point is still ad free,” Connie Hancock with University of Nebraska Extension said.

Is Pinterest right for your business?

When using any social media site, Pinterest included, it is important to remember that first and foremost these sites are designed for social networking.

Users are looking for tips, advice and general information.

Before establishing an account on Pinterest, decide if your target audience is using the site. From a business standpoint, Pinterest may be helpful if your target audience is a consumer rather than another business, female, ages 25-54 with an income of $50,000 or more.

“Statistics from March 2012 indicate that 72 percent of Pinterest users are women and 79 percent are between the ages of 2554,” Hancock said.

Depending upon the report you reference, the list of Top 10 Pinterest Interests vary.

Hancock shared a list that she has seen recently. Top 10 interests include: Fashion designers and collection Music, art and memorabilia Vineyards and wine tourism Utah Crafts Public Relations SEO and Marketing Venture Capital

Iowa Graphic designs Using Pinterest Getting started with Pinterest is relatively simple and at this time free.

Prior to November 2012, Pinterest only allowed users to create personal boards. Since then, the site has since allowed the creation of business boards. Individuals are able to maintain a personal and a business Pinterest account, but it may become overwhelming to keep pace with two accounts. It is important to know that individuals who want to maintain a personal and a business account will be required to use two different e-mail addresses to establish an account.

“Business accounts offer features that personal accounts don’t, like widgets,” Tara Gross, owner of Country Drawers said. Unlike Facebook, users are not required to have a personal account to create a business account.

Pinterest is designed for images and videos.

Using high-quality, striking images that are clear and easy to view are critical. “The pinable image should be easy to pin and easily identifiable,” Gross added. Any image can be pinned to the site, but if it is unclear, low resolution or small in size users will be less likely to repin or return to the image.

Creating an account is simple.

Visit http://business.pinterst.com. A step-by-step tutorial will guide you through the process of establishing an account.

Once an account has been established, one or more boards can be created. Each board should include images that focus on one particular theme. “People only see the first 10 boards, but if you have more than 10 you will have the ability to edit and change the layout so you can control what people see first,” Gross said.

Businesses that are not interested in maintaining a Pinterest account, can still tap into the ever expanding user network. “Even if you

don’t have a Pinterest account, have ‘pinable images’ on your website,” Gross suggested, “try to have a “pin-it” button under each item to make it easy for people to pin.”

Benefits of Pinterest Using Pinterest is one more tool in a businesses’ social media tool kit to reach a broader audience. “When I pin something it not only goes to Pinterest, but I also have the option to Tweet it as well, which I have found helpful to spread the word because not all of our clientele is on one location,” Hancock said.

The marketing concept behind using Pinterest is similar to Facebook, Twitter and other social media. “It’s an online social network, you don’t want to advertise just your own business,” Gross noted. Instead it should be used to develop a network and share information that followers can use. Within the information that is shared, such as ideas for decoration or gifts, your products can be integrated as appropriate.

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 9

by Katie Navarra Tell your story. Build a community. Send traffic to your website.

Social media of all types helps businesses spread the word about the products and services offered. Using social media sites to promote farm products, farmers markets and onsite events can be a cost effective way to increase sales.

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are by far the most frequently social media sites mentioned, but Pinterest is becoming an equally important outlet.

Why Pinterest?

Pinterest is the fastest growing social media site. The site is growing at a rate of 25 million users per month.

There are 11,716,000 unique users in the United States alone.

At this point, Pinterest is attracting users who are more likely to spend money on products seen on the site compared to other social media sites. For example, shoppers who saw a product on Pinterest spent on average

Craft Brewers Conference reaches monumental heights

Page 10 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

6,400 brewing professionals assembled in the nation’s capital The Brewers Association (BA) — the not-forprofit trade group representing America’s small and independent craft brewers — concluded the 30th edition of the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) & BrewExpo America® March 26-29 in Washington, D.C. As the largest industry gathering, CBC brought together some 6,400 brewing professionals and approximately 440 exhibitors in the nation’s capital for conversation and collaboration about America’s ever-growing craft beer culture.

2013 Achievement Awards Three members of the brewing community were recognized and awarded for their dedication and service during the opening session.

• Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing: Peter Bouckaert of New Belgium

Brewing Co. was honored with the Russell Schehrer Award for implementing the biggest barrel ageing operation in the country. Brewmaster for the past 10 years, Bouckaert makes all kinds of experimental beers, many of which are released under New Belgium’s “Lips of Faith” series. The award is given annually to honor Schehrer’s contributions to the brewing industry.

Schehrer was a founding partner and original head brewer at Colorado’s first brewpub, Wynkoop Brewing Co. • Brewers Association Recognition Award: Art Larrance of Cascade Brewing/Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub received the Brewers Association Recognition Award for his innovative and award-winning beers. Larrance has been in the industry since the early 1980s and opened Cascade

Brewing in 1998. Each year, BA members nominate candidates for this award and the BA Board of Directors votes to determine the most deserving brewer.

• F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award: David Katleski, president of the New York State Craft Brewers Guild and owner of the Empire Brewing Co.,received the F.X. Matt Award for his tireless efforts to make regulatory reform possible and change legislation.

Katleski operates a small brewpub in Syracuse and is constantly working to help the local craft market. This past year, he had five major pieces of reform legislation passed in New York. The award is given in honor of a champion of small brewers, F.X. Matt, president of the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, New York from 1980-1989 and chair-

man from 1989-2001.

Previous year’s BA awards winners are available on the Brewers Association website.

Other notable takeaways from this year’s CBC include: • Craft Brewers Hill Climb: A record 233 small and independent American brewery owners and brewers, representing 215 craft breweries and 46 states, climbed the steps of the United States Capitol.

They met with Congressional staff to tell their success stories and discuss legislative issues of concern to the craft brewing industry.

• Kim Jordan Keynote: New Belgium Brewing co-founder and CEO Kim Jordan welcomed attendees as this year’s keynote speaker. Jordan presented the keynote at CBC in New Orleans in 2003, where she famously called for craft brewers to aspire to reach 10 percent of all

Great New York State Fair wine competitions and tastings to provide showcase for a growing New York industry State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine recently announced a number of initiatives taking place at the 2013 Great New York State Fair to promote the state’s growing wine industry. The annual competition for New York’s amateur and professional wine makers, along with free public wine tastings in the International Building, highlights an exciting effort to display the vitality of one of New York’s signature industries.

“There is no better place to market New York State agricultural products than the 12day Great New York State Fair,” said Comm i s s i o n e r Aubertine.“Where else but the fair can New York State businesses mass market their

products to a million people? This is an exciting time to be in the wine business and the fair is proud of its role in helping this growing New York industry market itself as a world class enterprise for fairgoers.”

New York’s wineries provide both quantity and quality. The state is the third largest producer of wine and grape juices. At the same time, New York wines are winning more fans and more gold medals at competitions around the world.

The fair’s effort to promote New York wines is visible in the twin annual competitions for professional wineries and amateur winemakers. Commercial wines will be judged on July 13 and amateur wines on July 16. Wines

must be received by July 5 for the commercial wine competition and by July 10 for the amateur competition.

In 2012, 61 professional wineries submitted 365 bottles of their best creations for judging. Harvey Reissig, the Cornell University scientist and wine expert who chairs the professional competition says that the number of entries was an all-time high last year. Judges also awarded a record

number of gold medals and double gold medals at the event. “This indicates that the quality of New York wines is exceedingly high,” he said.

In the amateur competition, 144 exhibitors turned in bottles of 494 wines in various categories.

For full details on how to enter both competitions, please visit the following link: www.nysfair.org/competitions/how-to-enter

U.S. beer sales. A decade later, Jordan returned to discuss issues ranging from technical brewing considerations to the industry’s collective spirit and future.

• Leadership Recognition Awards: The Honorable Peter DeFazio (D-OR) was presented the Brewers Association Achievement Award in appreciation of his five years of leadership in the House Small Brewers Caucus. DeFazio was recognized for his evergreen commitment to supporting America’s small and independent brewers and for his personal passion and enthusiasm for craft beer and homebrewing.

• Sustainability Manuals: With increasing numbers of craft brewers prioritizing sustainability issues, the BA officially unveiled three new manuals for craft brewers: BA Water and Wastewater: Treatment/Volume Reduction Manual; BA Solid Waste Reduction Manual; and BA Energy Usage, GHG Reduction, Efficiency and Load Management Manual.

Each contains multiple levels of solutions for different size breweries and a toolbox including guidance, checklists and Excel-based tools.

• New Records in Craft Beer Growth in the U.S. and Abroad: CBC also saw the BA release a full, extensive analysis of 2012 data on U.S. craft brewing growth. In a year when the total U.S. beer market grew by one percent, craft brewers saw a 15 percent rise in volume and a 17 percent increase in dollar growth, representing a total barrelage increase of almost 1.8 million. The BA also recently reported that the American craft brewing industry set new records for exports in 2012. Craft beer export volume increased by an astounding 72 percent compared to 2011, with a value estimated at $49.1 million.

Next year’s conference will be held in Denver, CO from April 8-11, 2014, in conjunction with the 2014 World Beer Cup®.

See photos on page 11

Cold Storage Specialist • 35 Years Warehouse Experience • Exclusive Custom • Control Packages • Utilize Latest Technology • Low Electrical Energy Cost • High Relative Humidity • Low Mainteance Cost • Extended Warranty Protection • Customer Satisfaction • Serving Western New York

585-586-6780 24 Hour Emergency Service A-1 Country Club Road East Rochester, NY 14445 vanernst@frontiernet.net

Craft Brewers Conference March 26-29 • Washington, D.C.

As the largest industry gathering, the Craft Brewers Conference brought together some 6,400 brewing professionals and approximately 440 exhibitors in the nation’s capital for conversation and collaboration about America’s ever-growing craft beer culture.

Left: Sean Stanford, Adam Wiese and Tom MaMahon of QuadGraphics displayed a sampling of their printing capabilities.

Photos by Joan Kark-Wren

In addition to the numerous workshops held throughout the event, there were talks held on the tradeshow floor.

The vacuum tube lifter JumboFlex from Schmalz allows workers to lift up to 180 pounds easily and efficently.

Members of the American Organic Hop Grower Association were available to discuss their different hop varieties and availability to attendees.

L-R - Drew Gaskell, Patrick Smith and Jason Perrault.

Above: Big Foot was in attendance at the HiCone booth promoting the ‘leave no trace’ organization (www.lnt.org). Hi-Cone’s multipacks are designed to conserve the enviroment throughout their lifecycle.

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 11

Micro Matic had a large selection of beer dispensing systems on display, and also (below) their Wine on Tap dispensing equipment.

Page 12 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

Wine-Tapa a hot item at wineries across the country One of the newest items being offered in tasting rooms across the country is the WineTapa®, an accessory that simply sits atop the user’s glass to protect it from outside invasion by gnats, fruit flies, bees, mosquitoes, etc. Its inventor, Ben Singleton, describes it as “attractive, subtle and effective.” It’s actually a four-inch round disk made of hard plastic, but its center is comprised of a dense stainless steel mesh.

This allows the wine to continue to aerate, while still being protected from outside invasion. Its underside features an inch-wide soft closed-cell odorless foam gasket, which contacts the rim of the glass and forms a secure seal. This also allows the wine-tapa® to fit all glasses with rims from two-inches to four -inches in diameter. The wine-tapa® is available in eight colors — graphite, merlot, terra cotta, olive, navy, lavender, blush and chocolate.

While wine-tapa’s are available in a “stock” design, many wineries are customizing winetapa’s® with their logos to sell from the tasting rooms as a useful and commemorative item.

They are especially attractive for wineries with outside seating areas, special musical acts and other special outdoor events. Julie Engleman, merchandise manager at Grape Creek Vineyards in Fredericksburg, TX says, “We began selling Wine-Tapa’s customized with our logo in June of 2012. Almost immediately they became one of the most

popular items sold in our tasting room.

They’re very handy for our customers who choose to enjoy our wines on our spacious patio.” Fess Parker Winery in Los Olivos, CA has been selling customized winetapa’s® since September of 2011. Tara Ross is their merchandising manager and says, “We are constantly reordering the Wine Tapas! All the colors have been big sellers for us.”

WINE IN A CRACKER 2 oz. Box or 4.05 oz. Bag

Perfect for your tasting room & consumers who entertain & love wine.

Each culinary creation, made in small batches, includes Wine or Beer as the main ingredient.

American Vintage Wine & Beer Crackers Wine-Tapas will protect your wine from outside invasion by gnats, fruit flies, bees, mosquitoes, etc.

Photo courtesy of Wine-Tapa

(718) 361-1003 info@americanvintage.com www.americanvintage.com

Introducingg Thee Wine-Tapa

®

----

Yourr tastingg room’ss newestt andd mostt popularr winee accessory!

• Keepss bugss andd debriss outt off yourr glass • Allowss yourr winee too continuee too aerate • Fitss anyy glasss rimss 2-inchess too 4-inchess inn diameter • Availablee inn eightt beautifull colors • Customizablee withh yourr logo • Individuallyy packagedd forr ideall purchases “...one of the most popular items sold in our tasting room. They’re very handy for customers who choose to enjoy our wines on our spacious patio.” - Julie Engleman, Merchandise Mgr, Grape Creek Vineyards, Fredericksburg, TX “We are constantly reordering the Wine Tapas! All the colors have been big sellers for us.” - Tara Ross, Merchandise Mgr, Fess Parker Winery, Los Olivos, CA

(888) 646-0598

Call or Email winetapa123@gmail.com

www.winetapa.com

The innovative wine serving systems from By the Glass allows you to raise the quality, selection, turnover and profits of your total wine sales a completely sealed system with no potential gas leakage.

5. Ease of use for cleaning and maintenance — no daily cleaning and maintenance routine to undertake.

6. Flexible partitions — you can change the number of reds/whites from 3, 4 or 6 depending on what you desire and are not stuck with 4 and 4 (even more flexibility with bigger BTG systems.)

7. Easy programming — three programmable pour volumes that are ridiculously easy to program.

8. Reliability — it just works and with simple ‘plug and play’ design.

Any refrigeration company could service it.

9. The only system on the market with the ability to fully integrate with a POS system.

They range from 6 to 20 btl systems, have dual climate zones for red and white and a patented moveable partition that gives you flexibility in the number of reds or

whites you have on. You are also buying systems in multiples of two and are only paying for the compressor and bulk of the system once. Great value when getting above eight bottles.

The Fingerlakes and upstate New

York distributor is Lansing Sales in Penfield. Phone is 585-377-3990 and email is info@lansingsales.com. You may also contact By The Glass at 510502-7928 or info@bytheglassusa.com.

Your Wine and Your Tasting Room Customers Deserve The Best ~ Selection ~ Quality ~ Presentation

Wine By The Glass makes it simple The By The Glass® wine dispenser features: The By The Glass® wine dispenser has three main features and two optional features: 1. Climate control: thanks to the two climate zones, each wine type is always at the perfect serving temperature.

Lansing Sales & Service, Inc. 401 Penbrooke Drive, Building 3 Suite G, Penfield, NY 14526 585-377-3990 www.lansingsales.com

Thanks to the patented technology and the flexible partition, the settings for red and white wines can be adapted to the conditions (e.g. 8 types of white wine and 4 red wines in summer and 10 red wines and 2 white wines in winter).

2. Preservation: adding nitrogen (no taste, color or smell) at equal pressure keeps the wine unaltered for two weeks guaranteed.

3. Presentation: if using the By The Glass® wine dispenser, the wine can be presented in an elegant already opened bottle.

Optional 4. Serving: thanks to the ‘Portion control’ option, you always get the pre-set amount of wine in the glass.

5. Control: the By The Glass® wine dispenser can be connected to any commercially available cash register.

Access to the wine dispenser can be regulated using a card scanner. Both options can be finalized in consultation with the user software supplier.

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 13

Maximize your profits by eliminating wastage, preserve wine for three to four weeks, and never over -pour a glass again! By using a

By The Glass® wine dispenser and preservation system, you ensure that your fine wines are always served in perfect condition and at the ideal temperature each and every time. Don’t worry about your staff remembering to keep your opened wine protected against oxidization — let technology to do it for you.

The key attributes are: 1. Two bottles at temperature — always one ready to go at the right serving temperature.

2. Easy changing bottles — BTG has sliding doors.

3. No extra moving parts. The BTG system has a simple setup — more moving parts typically equals more potential maintenance/repairs.

4. BTG has solenoid valves to control the dispensing of the gas —

Page 14 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

Linganore Winecellars offers wines for all tastes

by Sally Colby When guests drive up the long, winding driveway surrounded by spacious fields and rows of grapevines lining the hillsides, it’s clear that Linganore Winecellars is a serious operation. But according to owner Anthony Aellen, a winery can be serious without being pretentious.

The welcoming building that houses the winery is a faithfully restored 200-year old dairy barn. The tasting room is located in the lower half of that building; the latest in a series of repurposed buildings that

include an old chicken coop and a livestock loafing shed.

As guests walk into the big red barn, they’re greeted by the tasting room host. They then walk past the checkout area and racks of wine before reaching the bar.

“When people walk in, they aren’t disturbing those who are already tasting,” said Aellen.

“There’s no conflicting traffic.” Aellen says the layout of the tasting room and how people are able to move around in it are important, but the way people are treated there is what counts.

“You have to take a

look at the room, and look at customer flow and see what’s easiest for the customer,” said Aellen. “As we grew, we went from 700 square feet to 1,000 square feet to 2,000 square feet to 3,500 square feet. This room is a big rectangle, so the tasting bar is long with tasting stations strategically placed. The tasting bar can handle about 100 people comfortably. That allows much better flow.”

Although Aellen likes having the capacity to serve that many guests at once, he says the bar shouldn’t be so long that customer intimacy is

lost. “When we’re really busy, we have two people at each station,” he said. “The servers are working with about 10 feet of bar space and 8 or 9 people, which helps keep the personal relationship with the customer.” Linganore has 32 different wines, and typically offers 16 to 18 for sampling.

Linganore Winecellars was started 38 years ago, but Aellen still emphasizes one simple fact: “What we’re selling is something that has been made for 6,000 years,” he said. “We

Lingamore

15

Two servers at each of the four stations ensures a good experience for each customer.

Photos by Sally Colby

VINO SCATOLA (WINE-IN-BOX)

Elevate the atmosphere of your next event with Vino Scatola vertical interlocking wine boxes.

Vino Scatola wine boxes hold up to a 3 liter bag of wine.

For more information contact: Judy Ferrara

574-276-6001 judyferrara@gmail.com www.ferraradesigns.com

Lingamore

from 14

ery’s philosophy has to come through in how wine is presented and how comfortable the customer feels at the winery. Aellen noted a lot of the industry jargon doesn’t make sense to customers, and insists that wineries should relate to customers in language they’re familiar with. He also noted many grape varieties that would make exceptional wines haven’t been developed simply because people have trouble pronouncing the names. ““Wine has to be approachable,” he said.

“People will not re-approach you if they aren’t comfortable. People don’t want to look stupid so they won’t even ask questions.”

In addition to keeping their tasting room open 361 days of the year, Linganore Winecellars holds four weekend festivals that draw from 5,000 to 20,000 guests.

“When we do those, we also have a big pavilion where we’re serving,” said Aellen.

“While that’s going on, we give guided tours of the winery to groups of 80 at a time. At the end of the tour, guests end up in the tasting room, so we have to be able to handle people coming in at half hour intervals.”

Aellen says that only seven wines, all reserves, are served during festivals, so tastings run smoothly and fairly quickly. People have ample time to pick out wines and get through lines at the cash regis-

ters before the next group, yet no one feels rushed.

Wines from Linganore Winecellars have garnered 400 medals, but most customers will never know that because Aellen doesn’t display medals in the tasting room. “Medals

are a two-edged sword,” he said. “People buy a wine because it has a medal, go home, open it up and say ‘yuck.’ Then they think, ‘that one won the medal, so the rest of them must be worse.’ You’ve just shot yourself in the foot, and they won’t taste any

other of your products.”

Although Aellen is proud of the medals awarded to Linganore wines, he says that a medal only shows him ‘where I sit in in that group of wines that was presented on that day with that set of judges.’

“What are you really

doing other than building your own ego? ” he said. “Your customers are your ultimate judges, and if you don’t win their support, you’re out of business.”

Visit Linganore Winecellars on line at www.linganorewines. com.

The current tasting room at Linganore Winecellars is in the lower section of this 200-year old restored bank barn.

Wine Jewelry . . .

Earrings, Necklaces, Bracelets, Rings, Anklets, Watches plus much more to enhance your tasting room sales Toll Free: 888-242-5823 www.adusey.com Email: kim@adusey.com Distributed by: Beckwith Enterprises, Inc.

Owner: Kimberly Beckwith

WE

OFFER PRODUCTS MADE IN THE

USA

Guests at Linganore Winecellars can view the bottling plant from an observation window.

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 15

don’t get into the holierthan-thou esoteric language — we just say, ‘this is strawberry wine, or this is cabernet. Do you like it?’”

According to Aellen, wine tasting shouldn’t be complicated, and that tasting — and, ultimately, purchasing — comes down to what people like. “Everyone is a wine connoisseur because it’s all here,” he said, pointing to his palate. “Everybody’s palate is different, and nobody’s palate is wrong. It’s what you like.

What you’re doing with wine is what you’re doing with every other food you’ve tasted since you’ve been born — I like this, I don’t like that.

People find out what they like by trying different things.”

Aellen points out the importance of making guests feel welcome and not intimidated.

“The pretentiousness came from the industry itself,” he said, adding that at its core, wine is nothing more than old fruit juice. “I’ll tell people on the tour that they’re drinking something that’s been made for 6,00 years — how sophisticated does it need to be? The industry has brought it on itself, including down to glasses for white wine versus glasses for red wine, and rigid guidelines on what kind of wine goes with which food.”

When it comes to how customers perceive their experience at the winery, Aellen insists the win-

Page 16 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

Traminette delivers quality in many styles, in many regions

by Karl H. Kazaks Since being officially released in 1996, Traminette has been widely planted by the premium wine industry.

Its characteristics include the following: • A hybrid, it has moderate resistance to powdery mildew, black rot, and Botrytis bunch rot.

It doesn’t typically require nearly as much spraying as vinifera varieties.

• fairly winter hardy, able to survive as far north as zones 5a and 5b.

• Fruit has nice fresh flavor and good aromatics, including noticeable levels of cis-rose oxide (if slightly less than the amount of cis-rose oxide usually found in one of its parents, Gewürztraminer).

• Fruit grows in attractive large clusters. Mature berries show colors ranging from green to pink to amber-gold. (Sun exposure brings out its distinctive rosy hue.)

Most importantly, it can make very good wine in a variety of styles, shown by the success it’s had in competitions and the favor it’s found with consumers.

Traminette is a cross of Joannes Seyve 23.416 and Gewürztraminer made in 1965 by Herb Barrett of the University of Illinois. The variety was tested and developed at Cornell’s Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY. Dr. Bruce Reisch, professor of Grapevine Breeding and Genetics, performed field trials on the variety throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

“There’s an interesting story about the origins of Traminette,” Reisch said. “Years after Dr. Barrett sent the seeds to Geneva — when we were long into the process of developing the variety — he told me that he was trying to produce a table grape with the cross — a long, large-clustered grape with the nice fresh flavor and aromatics of Gewürztraminer.

“We didn’t know he wasn’t making a wine grape, luckily. We were intent on testing the

wine quality of the seedlings.”

Traminette is well suited for premium wine production because at maturity it consistently provides flavorful fruit with good levels of sugar, acidity, and pH. “It has excellent balance,” said Reisch.

Dr. Bruce Bordelon, viticulture professor at Purdue University who has studied Traminette since the early 1990s, agrees.

“It comes in at harvest at perfect white wine balance,” Bordelon said, “Six, seven grams of titratable acidity, 22 or 23 Brix, ph of 3.1, 3.2 — right where we want to be.”

John Brahm first discovered the potential of Traminette in the mid1980s. He was transitioning from working at a large winery to opening his own business, Arbor Hill, in Naples, NY. Reisch and other scientists at New York’s Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva had invited members of the wine industry to taste samples of the varieties they were testing.

When Brahm tasted Traminette (at that point unnamed), his reaction, he recalled, was “Wow, I’ve really got to have this one. We need to make wine from this. I can see this making a good dry wine, semi-dry wine, and a good sweet wine.”

Since then Brahm has made a variety of styles of wine from Traminette — dry, off-dry, sweet, sparkling, blended, late harvest.

But Traminette is not only suited for northern locations. It is widely planted in Virginia and has also found success in the Midwest.

Indiana recently named Traminette the state’s signature white wine variety. (Over twenty wineries in the state make wine from the grape.)

“It gives vinifera-quality wines where vinifera doesn’t do well,” said Bordelon.

“Traminette has been a consistent, strong vine for us in Indiana,” he continued. “It gives us

very few problems relative to some others.”

Vineyard Management Dr. Bordelon has been researching vineyard management practices of Traminette for over 20 years. “We put it in as a selection in one of my very first trials,” he said.

He has tested the variety at trials in three different locations in Indiana, including a location in the southwest corner of the state with a relatively mild winter and another site in the northern part of the state with a shorter growing season. His research has found that Traminette is cold hardy enough to perform in zones 5a and 5b and thrive in more southerly climes as well.

Since it is a late budding variety, Traminette is fairly resilient to late cold spells. One year a late April freeze settled on Bordelon’s test vineyards. While other varieties “got smoked,” he said, Traminette “had a full crop,” thanks to proper post-freeze pruning.

Brahm also noted Traminette’s cold-hardiness one year there was a late cold spell. “We had a Gewürztraminer crop failure but Traminette came in at 60 to 70 percent,” he said. “That was good news.”

In his studies of the effect of sunlight exposure on fruit quality, Bordelon has found the development of monoterpenes in the fruit of Traminette is dependent on sunlight.

Those terpenes, Bordelon said, are the main contributors to Traminette’s aromas, giving it its “rose petal-y, lilac-y flavors — which are really where its strength is. If it’s in the shade, you don’t have that expression.” Thus, Bordelon typically advises vineyard owners to practice canopy management. The goal is to have light golden, amber fruit.

Too much shade and the fruit will remain green.

Leaf removal is particularly important when Traminette is planted on fertile ground — where it’s more likely to grow a

heavy canopy. Bordelon has found that removing leaves only on the east side (assuming a northsouth orientation of vine rows) will typically be sufficient canopy management.

Removing them on the west side can lead to sunburnt fruit.

There is the risk of getting too much of a good thing, though, Bordelon cautioned. With too much sunlight exposure, too many terpenes develop, and “you can get too perfume-y,” he said.

Until you get comfortable with how your Traminette vines produce, Bordelon suggests using different management strategies for different blocks. In one, you might have a little less sunlight or harvest a little earlier. Fruit from those areas will have fewer monoterpenes than from a block which receives more sunlight or is harvested later. Keep track of how your management strategy affects fruit quality and plan your vineyard management and harvest schedule in subsequent years accordingly.

Bordelon has also spent more than a decade studying the effect of vine training systems on Traminette production. Vertical shoot positioning (VSP), he’s found, can lead to too much vegetation, so he recommends that approach only on less fertile sites. For more fertile sites, he advises the high-cordon training system. Since that approach position shoots downward, it helps reduce excess vegetation.

With high-cordon trained vines, he recommends removing leaves from the top of the vines as well as in the cluster zone.

Even though Traminette produces vigorous vegetation, Dr. Bordelon said, “It isn’t a big cropper. Seldom are you ever going to be thinning.”

In terms of disease, Bordelon has found that Traminette is not particularly susceptible to black rot or Botrytis rot.

Downy mildew can be a

problem, as can powdery mildew in more northern latitudes.

“The biggest problem,” Bordelon said, “is Phomopsis.

“You have to make sure to get early season applications of fungicides to prevent Phomopsis. If you do it is fairly easy to stay on top. It’s a matter of timing.”

“Early season controls are important,” Reisch said. “You’ve got to apply bloom and post-bloom controls for downy and powdery mildew. Later in the season it all depends on weather and the pathogen population.”

“For the most part we get along with three, four, or five sprays maximum,” said Brahm, whose Arbor Hill vineyards are in New York’s Finger Lakes region. “It depends on the disease pressure, but it gets probably half the spray schedule of Riesling.

“Traminette is also not sulfur sensitive, so I have used sulfur on it.”

At low temperatures, Traminette trunks can suffer damage, possibly leading to splitting. You need to start worrying about that, Reisch said, when the temperature gets down to about -15° F. Traminette can be

planted either own-rooted or on grafted roots.

With grafted vines, there is in colder locations the extra step of maintaining the graft union in the winter. “If you don’t cover the union up,” said Brahm, whose Traminette vines are grafted, “you can be in trouble. In its formative years it’s very important to cover the graft union.”

He has found, though, that once the vine “matures to about ten years of age, it’s not so important to cover the graft union.”

Traminette is a carrier of the stem-pitting virus, but research has found that the virus is latent in the variety and does not affect vine health or production.

The discovery that Traminette carries the virus, though, did postpone the introduction of the variety, from the late 1980s to 1996.

“While trying to get to the bottom of story of how the virus would affect the variety — if at all,” said Reisch, “we allowed large trials to take place.”

Trials occurred at Grafted Grapevine as well as at Brahm’s Arbor Hill. Arbor Hill first

Traminette 17

Premium North Coast Winegrapes Just Harvested and Crushed: California North Coast Organically Grown Chardonnay picked at 24.5 brix - 3000 gallons available from $16.75 per gallon California North Coast Tempranillo picked at 25.5 brix - 1000 gallons available from $16.50 per gallon California Lake County Merlot 1820 gallons available from $15.00 per gallon California North Coast Muscat Cannelli picked at 24.5 brix - 3000 gallons available from $16.00 per gallon

We Ship Bond to Bond Lots As Small as 330 Gallons SAMPLES ON REQUEST

707-350-3000

www.northcoastwinegrapes.com

“Connecting Premium Winegrape Growers with Premium Wineries”

Traminette

from 16

Kansas City, said of his experience with the variety, “It made a great wine.”

Though Bordelon says in Indiana Traminette typically “comes in at the perfect pH every year,” in northern latitudes the fruit can have high levels of acidity at harvest.

When that happens, winemakers can deacidify with calcium carbonate or cold soak the fruit.

Though cold maceration can buffer TA, it can also lead to an increase of pH (in grape musts), so make allowances for that if you do cold soak.

(Cold maceration is believed to have this effect on TA and pH by releasing potassium ions from grape skins.)

When you cold soak an aromatic white grape like Traminette, the process can liberate aromatic compounds from the grape skin — both desirable compounds like phenolics which can add body and age-ability to a wine but also astringent or herbaceous com-

pounds. Thus keeping the maceration at the proper temperature and duration is critical, to get the right amount of extraction.

Whether or not to cold soak depends on the conditions of the year — not just the conditions of the fruit but also the environment. If you don’t have the ability to refrigerate fruit, then you have to rely on cold ambient temperatures (usually no more than 60° F).

“You don’t want to cold soak at 75 degrees in the field,” Brahm said.

John Brahm had a particularly cold season in 1996.

“It was very nerveracking,” he said, “because we had just introduced Traminette when all of a sudden we had a crop that was very atypical. The quality of the grapes was not like what I’d ever seen before.”

Fruit came in at between 17 and 18 Brix. “In a cold year it’s usually 19,” he said.

Brahm used cold mac-

Need A Better Cork Supplier?

eration, deacidified, and was able to make a wine that earned a gold medal.

“It took a lot of effort,” he said, “but the point being, even when the grape is not perfect it can still make a good wine — or a great wine.

Kind of like with Riesling — you can make a great wine at 16 or 17 Brix but you have to know what you’re doing.”

Brahm makes three styles of monovarietal Traminette: Dry (with between .2 and .7 residual sugar), Classic (with, depending on the acid level, between 2.4 and 2.8 residual sugar), and dessert-style late harvest (about 8.5 residual sugar).

The late harvest Traminette, he said, “is almost like in an ice wine — you get more honeylike characteristics — honey and apricot — and less of the fresh fruit characteristics.”

He does use the variety in white blends — sometimes just 10 to 15 percent — to boost the fruit characteristics.

“You don’t need a lot to increase the fruit character,” he said. “A Cayuga-

Traminette combination seems to work real well.”

Brahm recommends Traminette to pair with strongly flavored foods with lots of flavor — Oriental, Indian, Mexican.

He’s even paired Traminette with andouille sausage.

“I didn’t think it would come through,” he said, “but it worked. I was absolutely amazed that Traminette could cool down the temperature of andouille — not temperature-wise but flavorwise — but they went well together. There aren’t that many wines that I think you could say that of. A very flavorful Riesling could do the same.”

The Future Despite the favor vinifera-variety wines find among consumers, plantings of Traminette continue to grow.

“Traminette continues to win awards at major wine competitions,” said Reisch. “I think plantings will continue to grow, particularly in areas that have trouble growing vinifera. It’s getting more and more name recognition over

time. I still see it as fairly new on the wine timeline.”

“Traminette is a variety I could recommend for almost everyone,” said Bordelon. “You can also grow it in warmer climates like the Ohio River Valley and along the Great Lakes and make a wide range of styles while maintaining good quality.

“It grows well on its own roots, is cold hardy, and has the wine qualities for a good aromatic white. It’s susceptible to a few diseases, but from a wine quality standpoint there are very few problems with it.”

John Brahm has been pleased to be making wine from Traminette for more than 20 years. “The terroir is absolutely superb for Traminette,” he said. “It’s a very well-matched variety for our climate. That was my feeling from the beginning.”

“I think there are a lot of areas for potential growth of Traminette,” Reisch said. “I don’t think the potential’s been totally tapped.”

All Natural Cork Closures Fresh Corks Directly From Portugal 4th Generation Family Cork Producer

FREE BRANDING FREE SHIPPING FREE IS BETTER

Need A Better Cork?

Slimcork®

Ask about our Progressive Discounts

CALL TODAY Phone (203) 681-7743 Cell (860) 335-0667 email: reliablecork@gmail.com www.reliablecorksolutions.com

John Brahm of Arbor Hill Grapery and Winery was the first to commercially release Traminette. He makes three styles of the monovarietal wine, including the Classic Traminette.

Photo courtesy of Arbor Hill Grapery and Winery

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 17

planted the variety in the late 1980s and today has about five acres of 20plus year-old Traminette vines.

Winemaking Because Brahm was growing Traminette as part of a commercial trial, when the variety was officially introduced in 1996 he was able to sample what he now calls his Classic Traminette to go along with samples of dry Traminette from experiment station fruit. His was the first commercially available Traminette.

Brahm also sells Traminette juice to home winemakers through Randall-Standish Vineyards (a partnership with his brother).

“Once we started selling its juice to home winemakers,” he said, “they started getting awards, lots of awards.”

Wineries across the country have experimented with Traminette.

George Hoff, the winemaker at Stone Pillar, a winery in Kansas about 15 minutes outside of

( 800 ) 836-2888 PO Box 121, 6113 State Hwy. 5 Palatine Bridge, NY 13428

Fax: (518) 673-2381

E-mail: classified@leepub.com

Number / Classification

Announcements

Announcements

35 Announcements 50 Applicators 80 Auctions 103 Barrels & Tanks 110 Bedding Plants 120 Bees-Beekeeping 130 Bird Control 143 Bottles & Bottling 155 Building Materials/ Supplies 162 Bulk Wine

August/September Issue ADVERTISING DEADLINE

Thursday, July 25th

Wine & Grape Grower Call Peg at 1-800-836-2888 or 518-673-0111

or email classified@leepub.com

210 Christmas Trees

Announcements

235 Computers

# # # # #

415 Employment Wanted 440 Farm Machinery For Sale 445 F a r m

Machinery

Wanted 470 Financial Services

ADVERTISERS Get the best response from your advertisements by including the condition, age, price and best calling hours.

Also we always recommend insertion for at least 2 times for maximum benefits. Call Peg at 1-800-836-2888

500 For Sale 505 Forklifts Page 18 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

510 Fresh Produce, Nursery 515 Fruit Processing Eq. 530 Garden Supplies 535 Generators 563 Grapes & Juices 570 G r e e n h o u s e Plugs/Cuttings 575 Greenhouse Supplies 580 Groundcover 605 Heating 610 Help Wanted 680 Irrigation 700 Lawn & Garden 805 Miscellaneous 820 Nurseries

CHECK YOUR AD - ADVERTISERS should check their ads. Lee Publications, Inc. shall not be liable for typographical, or errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of the first months insertion of the ad, and shall also not be liable for damages due to failure to publish an ad.

Adjustment for errors is limited to the cost of that portion of the ad wherein the error occurred. Report any errors to Peg Patrei at 518-6733237 ext. 111 or 800-8362888.

Buildings For Sale

Announcements NEED BUSINESS CARDS? Full color glossy, heavy stock.

250 ($45.00); 500 ($60.00); 1,000 ($75.00). Call your sales representative or Lee Publications 518-673-0101 Beth bsnyder@leepub.com

955 Real Estate Wanted 1035 Seeds & Nursery 1040 Services Offered 1107 Tasting Room Supplies 1130 Tractors 1135 Tra c t o r s, Pa r t s & Repair 1140 Trailers 1155 Tree Moving Services 1165 Trees 1170 Truck Parts & Equipment 1180 Trucks 1190 Vegetable 1201 Vines & Rootstock 1202 Vineyard Equipment 1205 Wanted

LOCUST 4x4’s, fence posts, split rails, lumber. Natural, chemical free non poisonous alternative to pressure treated that has strength and lasts a lifetime. 518-883-8284

Fencing

Parts, Sales & Service for Durand-Wayland & Myers Arendtsville Garage 135A Main St. • Arendtsville, PA 17303

717-677-7416

Miscellaneous

STABLE FENCES & VINEYARDS LLC

POST POUNDING

3 Board • Split Rail HT Wire • Ag Fence Chain Link • Vinyl Residential • Commercial www.stablefences.com

BUSINESS CARD MAGNETS only $75.00 for 250. Free Shipping. Call Beth at Lee Publications 518-673-0101 or bsnyder@leepub.com Please allow 7-10 business days for delivery

Plants

Plants

585-349-4119

Fencing

Farm Equipment 275 GALLON Poly Tanks, $85.00/each, large quantity, clean, food grade, 6” top opening, 2” gate at bottom.

315-587-9783, 315-871-8735 ANTIQUE CAT PULL TYPE GRADER (1918), SN#18485, complete except blade. 506325-2701 www.foxbrand.ca

Buildings For Sale

855 Orchard Supplies 950 Real Estate For Sale

WANTED TO BUY: Used farm equipment, all makes and models, running or not, 1980’s & newer. Will 315-777-2357

Sprayers

YARD SIGNS: 16x24 full color with stakes, double sided.

Stakes included. Only $15.00 each. Call your sales representive or Beth at Lee Publications 518-673-0101 or bsnyder@leepub.com. Please allow 7 to 10 business days when ordering.

840 Nursery Supplies 910 Plants

Lumber & Wood Products

For as little as $9.25 - place a classified ad in

165 Business Opportunities

330 Custom Services

Farm Machinery Wanted

Professional Pole Barns

by S&L Builders 35 years of experience Lifetime Warranty We build what we sell No Sub Crews Any Size Or Description of Building Most Structures Erected Within 30 Days Beat Our Price? I Don’t Think So!

570-398-5948 (o) 570-772-2352 (c)

Fencing

SHAMROCK FARMS (585) FENCING DAN FITZPATRICK

669-2179

8408 CARNEY HOLLOW RD., WAYLAND, NY 14572 Sales & Installations Building Since 1981

• Posts • Board • Split Rail • HT Wire • Vinyl • Energizers

Do You Grow or Sell Fruits, Vegetables, Greenhouse or Nursery Crops?

If You Answered Yes You May be Interested in Our

Country Folks Grower T M T P F C H HE

ONTHLY

RADE

APER

OR

CALL

OMMERCIAL

ORTICULTURE

888-596-5329 For a Free Sample

( 800 ) 836-2888 PO Box 121, 6113 State Hwy. 5 Palatine Bridge, NY 13428

Fax: (518) 673-2381

E-mail: classified@leepub.com

Sprayers

Sprayers

A1 Mist Sprayers Spray up to 140’ Without Booms

New Orchard / Vineyard Sprayer

NEW ATT-ATV Fruits & Vegetables For Narrow Crops Vineyards Orchards Cranberries High/Low Bush Blueberries Tomatoes Pumpkins Sweet Corn AND MORE!!!

Fungi Control Black Rot Downy Mildew Powdery Mildew Leaf Spot AND MORE!!!

3Pt Terminator

Insect Control Aphids Beetles Stinkbugs Mosquitoes AND MORE!!!

TR-Boss

www.mistsprayers.com

Calendar of Events E-mail announcements of your regional event(s) to: jkarkwren@leepub.com. We must receive your information, plus a contact phone number, prior to the deadline that’s noted under the Announcements heading at the beginning of these Classifieds. *****

JUN 9-14 First International Symposium on Elderberry Stoney Creek Inn, Columbia, MO. Program questions can be addressed to Andrew Thomas, University of Missouri at 417-466-0065 or ThomasAL@missouri.edu.

Contact MU Conference

Vineyard Equipment

Vineyard Equipment

~ WE OFFER A FULL LINE OF ~ Fertilizer Crop Protection Chemicals - Lime Anchors - Pruning & Tying Supplies Grow Tubes - Gripples - Deer Fencing • Vineyard Supplies • Trellising Wire • Bird Netting • Jacto Sprayers • Wood & Steel Trellising • Titan Harvest Bins

S & H Farm and Vineyard Supply Frank W. Hobson, Jr, Owner 2732 Country Club Club Road, Yadkinville, NC 27055

336-679-6244

a Thousand

e-mail guru@sandhfarmandvineyardsupply.com

4 EASY WAYS TO PLACE A WINE & GRAPE GROWER CLASSIFIED AD 1. PHONE IT INJust give Peggy a call at 1-800-836-2888

2. FAXForIT INyou MasterCard,Visa, American

Express or Discover customers... Fill out the form attached completely and fax to Peggy at (518) 673-2381

3.

It’s easy & economical to add a picture to your ad!

For Information Call

800-836-2888

Office, 573-882-4370 or muconf3@missouri.eduMU Conference Office. On Internet at http://muconf. missouri.edu/elderberry symposium JUN 11 Virginia Vineyards Association Annual Summer Technical Meeting Steep terrain grape growing topics including design and architecture, soil, erosion control and farm safety. Call 276-728-5905. On Internet at www.virginiavineyards association.com JUN 24-28 64th American Society of Enology & Viticulture (ASEV) National Conference Portola Hotel & Monterey Conference Center, Monterey, CA. On Internet at http:// asev.org/nationalconference-2013 JUL 31 - AUG 2 37th Society of Wine Educators Annual Conference Renaissance Hotel at Sea World, Orlando, FL. On Internet at www.societyof wineeducators.org/conference JAN 28-30 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium Sacramento Convention Center, Sacramento, CA. On Internet at www.unified symposium.org FEB 11-13 Midwest Grape & Wine Conference and Trade Show St. Charles, Missouri. On Internet at www.midwest grape.com

MAIL IT IN Fill out the attached form, calculate the cost, enclose your check or credit card information and mail to: Wine & Grape Grower Classifieds PO Box 121, Palatine Bridge, NY 13428

$20.00

$20.50

$21.00

$21.50

$22.00

$22.50

$23.00

$23.50

$24.00

$24.50

$25.00

$25.50

$26.00

$26.50

$27.00

$27.50

$28.00

$28.50

$29.00

$29.50

Name: (Print)______________________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________ City:_____________________________________St.:_______Zip:___________ Phone:_____________________________Fax:__________________________ FOR BEST RESULTS, RUN Cell:_________________________E-mail:______________________________ I have enclosed a Check/Money Order YOUR AD FOR TWO ISSUES! Please charge my credit card: Cost for each Issue: $20.00 for the first 14 words, American Express Discover Visa MasterCard 50¢ each additional word.

Acct#:__________________________________________Exp. Date:_________ (Phone #’s count as one word) # of issues to run______ Total Cost $________ Signature:________________________________________Date:____________

4.

E-MAIL IT IN E-mail your ad to classified@leepub.com

(MM/YY)

Required w/Credit Card Payment Only

ONE TIME ONLY Half Priced Classified Line Ads Sale MUST SUBMIT YOUR CLASSIFIED LINE AD BEFORE 4:00PM EDT ON THURSDAY, JULY 25TH, 2013 To Place Your Ad Call

800-836-2888 WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD PAYMENT INFO.

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 19

877-924-2474

CUSTOM IMPRINTED items for your winery. Perfect for wine tour souvenirs, wine club premiums and wine basket fillers. We also have awareness ribbon and holiday temporary tattoos for your next family-friendly event. Shop online at www.TheRevel.com or call 1-800-627-4003 for a free brochure (ask for the winery brochure).

is

Low Maintenance Farmer Tough

URX Ranger

Tasting Room Supplies

A

Page 20 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

New York Farm Bureau seeking to expand wine trail system to boost tourism in the state With a renewed focus on tourism in New York, the state’s popular wine trails are on the verge of expanding as new wineries are eager to join.

However, there is a bit of a roadblock in the State Assembly Transportation Committee as the bi-partisan bills needed to spur economic development have stalled.

Two of the bills seek to add on to existing wine trails which include the Niagara and the Shawangunk East Wine Trails.

Another bill would create a new trail, the Adirondack Coast Wine Trail in the North Country, and a fourth piece of legislation is currently in the works that would establish the Upper Hudson Valley Wine Trail, just north of the Capital District. The wineries themselves pay for the road signs marking the trail, and there is no cost to the state, only an economic benefit. The wine trails support an already booming wine and grape industry in the state that draws nearly 5 million visitors a year contributing $377 million in tourism dollars, according to the New York State Wine and Grape Foundation.

These numbers will only grow if the wine trails are allowed to grow as well.

The expanded trails will give local wineries the opportunity to attract additional visitors and serve as focal points for their regions to connect agriculture and farm-based businesses to tourism. The cross promotion and branding of a Wine Trail as a destination is critical to give our state’s smaller farm and commercial wineries the chance to work together to capture tourism dollars and new customers. Also, the additional visitors provide a spin-off boost to the rural economies as well.

Currently, legislative approval is required for new wineries to come on board when they are greater than five miles away from an established trail. This can be a very lengthy process, one that stalls growth opportunities for our family farms.

Despite the holdup in the Assembly Transportation Committee, there is overwhelming support for these bills. The first three already passed unanimously in the Senate, and there is tremendous backing in the full Assembly. Governor Cuomo has also demonstrated his strong support for the wine, beer and spirits sector, and wine trail expansion issues were

discussed at his summit last fall.

“The diverse agricultural landscape in New York provides for many opportunities. New York Farm Bureau is hopeful these bills will come to the full floor for a vote in the Assembly in order to advance economic development in rural parts of the state. These bills help both our wineries and growers as many of the wineries retail other local farm and local business products,” said Dean Norton, president of New York Farm Bureau.

“The creation and expansion of wine trails throughout the state has been a major economic engine benefitting many sectors of the tourist economy in the rural areas where they are located. The trails are a major reason why the wine industry generates over $3.7 billion annually in economic benefits to the state,” said Jim Trezise, president of New York Wine and Grape Foundation.

“The current members of the Niagara Wine Trail and its customers are excited about this expansion. The only cost to New York State is the paper on which the law is printed. Our sales tax and excise tax revenue

will increase, giving more money to New York State coffers. We cannot understand why a project supported by businesses, tourists, residents and local political leaders is not progressing,” said Margo Sue Bittner, co-owner of the Winery at Marjim Manor.

“While many people create farm wineries to realize their winemaking passions, as an economist I was interested in helping to create a new and sustainable economic base for my region of Northern New York. There are few industries that can benefit so much by such a simple designation in our state.

And, there are few industries that can be held back so much by our neglect to advertise to all that our local farm wineries are open for business,” said Colin Read of The Champlain Wine Company and the Adirondack Coast Wine Trail.

“The Shawangunk Wine Trail has spent almost twenty years contributing to the vitality of agriculture and the growth of tourism in New York State’s beautiful Hudson Valley. Two new wineries were added to our membership this year, and we anticipate additional applicants in the next few years, giving us more strength in

Vermont mulls direct shipment of craft brews MONTPELIER, VT (Associated Press) — In Vermont, a hotbed of craft beer brewing, lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow brewers to ship their beer directly to customers like wineries already can do.

Supporters say the change

would help Vermont’s growing craft brewing business expand.

Earlier this year, an international consumer website rated one of Vermont’s artisan craft breweries — Hill Farmstead in Greensboro — the world’s top brewer. Now beer aficionados ar-

rive from around the country and world to visit that brewery and others to buy Vermontmade beer.

Brewers say allowing them to ship beer to customers also would cut down on people selling beer online and marking up the price.

Virginia winery to export wine to Tianjin RICHMOND, VA (Associated Press) — A Virginia winery and a commodity exchange in China have agreed on a five-year wine export deal.

Gov. Bob McDonnell recently announced the agreement between Chateau Morrisette in Floyd County and the Tianjin Commodity Exchange Company. McDonnell is leading a job creation and economic development

marketing mission to China, Japan and California.

McDonnell says in a news release that Chateau Morrisette’s initial sale of more than 1,150 cases of wine is scheduled to arrive in Tianjin during the trade mission.

Chateau Morrisette general manager George Weldon says the agreement is part of a long-range strategy to increase both do-

mestic and international distribution.

The commodity exchange’s president and

CEO, Chuanliu Ni, says the Chinese market for wine is growing rapidly.

GREEN GRAPE HOE Specialized Tools For Vineyards The basic Hoe comes with a Hillup and a Takeaway Blade.

• 3 Tooth Cultivator • Undercutter Blade • Rotary head • New Rolling Cultivator • New Graft Brush

The Green Hoe Company, Inc. 6645 West Main Road

Portland, NY 14769 PHONE (716) 792-9433 FAX (716) 792-9434 WWW.GREENHOECOMPANY.COM

numbers. Expansion of the SWT will allow us to build on our success in an area where agriculture is already a proven contributor to the state’s economy. In particular, this bill will allow a winery that has been a contributing SWT member for three years to finally have legally approved road signage installed which will help drive traffic to their facility,” said MaryEllen Glorie, president of Shawangunk Wine Trail.

“The Upper Hudson Valley Wine and Grape Association is excited about creating a wine trail in Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties, New York’s newest wine region and your destination for great taste.

We’ve seen the great impact that wine trails have had on local economies in other parts of New York State. Designation of the Upper Hudson Valley Wine Trail will brand our region as a wine tourism destination, help our ten member wineries grow their businesses, and introduce visitors to the many cultural, recreational and gastronomical resources our area has to offer. We urge the New

York State legislature to expedite passage of our wine trail designation bill as well as the several other wine trail designations and amendments that are pending,” said Gerry Barnhart, acting chair, Upper Hudson Valley Wine and Grape Association and owner of Victory View Vineyard “The extension of the Niagara Wine Trail is a natural fit not only for the Orleans and Monroe County wineries not currently on the trail because of existing boundaries, but because it encompasses the natural viticultural area of the region. It’ll give those coming to Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara Falls a great reason to stay and sip a little longer,” said Wendy Oakes Wilson, treasurer of Niagara Wine trail and owner of Leonard Oakes Estate Winery.

“The State’s wine trail program has been an invaluable resource for promoting our small wineries and guiding visitors to our 50 tasting rooms across both the North and South Forks of Long Island,” Steven Bate, executive director of the Long Island Wine Trail.

Drought a boon for Oklahoma grape growers

by Brian Brus, The Jour-

given the circumstances.

The next batches of Oklahomaproduced wines should be better than usual.

It’s not that grapevines can magically grow without water — each fruit is a tiny packet of moisture, after all. But mature vines have very efficient roots that extend deep into the earth. Excess water leads to fungus and more insects.

Or as Clifton put it, “They don’t like their feet wet.”

Drought can be problematic too, but vineyard operators don’t need much irrigation to compensate, said Ray Ridlen, a horticulture specialist with Okla-

homa State University’s Extension Service. Heat stress also triggers greater sugar production, which makes for a better -tasting grape and conversion to alcohol during storage after harvest.

Local industry experts said many vineyards farther north watched their grapes turn to raisins last year. And smaller crops could provide shelf space openings.

“I hope this helps our marketing,” Clifton said. “But it seems like our own legislators don’t even know we have vineyards and wineries in Oklahoma, for crying out loud.

Maybe it has something

to do with that fact that it’s an alcoholic prod-

uct. Regardless, we don’t get any help from

them in growing this industry.”

US-FIP®; is an American manufactured line of flexible impeller pumps for the wine industry. Made in Kenosha, WI. 3 pump sizes: 4 configurations all configured with variable speed control and wireless remote control standard Model 30080: 3” x 3” 20-200 gpm (great for pumping must) Model 22060: 2.5” x 2.5” 10-110 gpm (must or juice/wine) Model 20035: 2” x 2” 8-80 gpm (wine bottling/filtering) Model 20035LV: 2” x 2” (or 1.5” x 1.5”) 4-40 gpm (as above) Our pumps have innovative design features to assist the wine maker and our units are designed for standard U.S. power voltages.

Single phase power is standard but 3ph 230v is available at no additional charge.

Contact information: US-FIP 262-909-7267 or e-mail: jj-mcginn@hotmail.com 8910 58th Place, Kenosha, WI 53144 www.americanwinepump.com

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 21

nal Record OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — While wheat farmers and other agriculture producers across Oklahoma struggle with drought, the reduced precipitation has been a boon for at least one crop.

Consumers can expect to appreciate last year’s high-quality harvest on store shelves by the end of this year, said Gene Clifton, operator of Canadian River Winery and president of the Oklahoma Grape Industry Council.

“We’ve been at this for 13 years and last crop was our best ever,” Clifton said. “The quality of the grape has been better, so we’re just the reverse of everyone else. I felt sorry for everybody else around me, all the wheat and hay fields and all that, but it’s been great for us.”

According to a recent study commissioned by the organization, Oklahoma has more than 60 wineries, up from just three in 2000 when state legislation allowed commercial winery tasting rooms. The state has climbed to 31st in wine production, with about 4,000 cases of wine per year, according to research

by Frank, Rimerman & Co. Many of those wineries don’t have their own vineyards, so a network of contracts and business partnerships has developed to keep grapes flowing to the presses. About 140 commercial vineyards operate 440 acres of mature vines, but Clifton told The Journal Record (http://bit.ly/ZPoaRg) that demand is exceeding supply.

The vast majority of grapes produced in Oklahoma will remain in the state this year, he said, and other producers are happy for it,

Page 22 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013

WSSA Pesticide Stewardship Series: Employers play a central role in protecting agricultural workers and pesticide handlers An employer was fined recently after an inspection showed pesticide application information wasn’t posted at the job site, and an employee applied a pesticide without safety training or personal protective equipment (PPE). The posting, safety training and PPE are all required under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS).

“The WPS is a regulation that protects agricultural workers and pesticide handlers on farms and in forests, nurseries and greenhouses from occupational exposure to pesticides used to treat agricultural plants,” said Ofelio Borges, Farmworker Education Program Supervisor, Pesticide Management Division, Washington State Department of Agriculture. “The WPS offers protections to more than 3.5 million people who work with pesticides at more than 560,000 workplaces.”

The detailed WPS regulation contains exact definitions, provisions, exceptions and exemptions. Employers must ensure they fully understand and comply with their WPS responsibilities. If they do not comply, their employees have the right to contact their state pesticide regulatory agency and cannot be retaliated against for doing so.

Key provisions of the WPS include: Pesticide safety training is required for all agricultural workers and pesticide handlers, with a refresher program at least every five years.

Label and site-specific application information must be easily accessible to all workers and handlers. Label requirements related to safe use must be

presented in a manner that will be understood.

Central posting of recent pesticide applications is required as well.

Personal protective equipment must be provided by the employer as required on the pesticide label for the specific work task. Employers are also responsible for ensuring that PPE fits correctly and is worn. Reusable PPE must be properly cleaned, maintained, replaced and stored.

Even when reduced PPE is permitted (for example, while the worker is in certain types of enclosed cabs), all PPE required by the pesticide label for that task must be provided and immediately available for use in an emergency. Employers must take any necessary steps to prevent heatrelated illness while PPE is being worn.

Application equipment used for mixing, loading, transferring or applying pesticides must be inspected before each day of use for leaks, clogging and worn or damaged parts.

The equipment must be repaired or replaced if damaged.

Employers must also ensure that handlers know how to safely and correctly use pesticide application equipment.

Monitoring pesticide handlers is the responsibility of the employer when certain pesticides (those labeled Danger-Poison) or application methods (fumigants in a green-

house) are used.

Protecting others during application is a must. Handlers are prohibited from applying a pesticide in a way that will expose workers or other persons. Workers are excluded from areas while pesticides are being applied. The employer must provide oral and written warnings to workers in a manner that the workers can understand.

Information exchange about treated areas is the responsibility of the employer.Commercial applicators must ensure the employer of the agricultural establishment (farm, forest, nursery or greenhouse) knows certain information about the pesticide before it is applied, and agricultural employers must ensure commercial applicators and crop advisors know specific information concerning treated areas, in order to protect each other’s employees from pesticides.

Posted “treated area” warning signs must be visible from all usual points of worker entry. If there are no usual entry points, signs must be posted in the corners of the treated area or a location affording maximum visibility. The WPS defines content, size, location and time span for posted warning signs.

Restricted-entry intervals (REI) on the pesticide label specify the time interval when workers cannot enter a

treated area, with few exceptions. The REI must be enforced by the employer.

Central posting is required for certain information, including a safety poster with WPSspecified information, emergency medical information and a 30-day listing of pesticide applications after either the expiration of the REI or after the application (if no REI exists).

The information must be displayed in one or more central locations on the agricultural establishment, easily accessible to workers and handlers without their having to request it.

Decontamination supplies must be made available by the employer. Workers and handlers must have an ample supply of water, soap and towels within a quarter of a mile of

the work site for routine washing, and at least one pint of water immediately available to early-entry workers and handlers for eye flushing when the pesticide requires protective eyewear.

Emergency assistance in case of an accidental exposure is required. The employer must provide immediate transportation to a medical care facility and specific information about the pesticide. The name, address and telephone number of the nearest emergency medical care facility must be on the safety poster or displayed close to it, in a central location where it can be readily seen and read by workers and handlers.

“In most cases, state departments of agriculture are responsible for

WPS implementation and compliance monitoring,” notes Borges.

“However, it is the employer who has the central role in ensuring that workers and handlers are protected from possible pesticide exposure and injury.”

Some Key Resources Concerning the Worker Protection Standard: • www.epa.gov/agriculture/twor.html — Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Worker Protection Standard • www.epa.gov/agriculture/factsheets/index.html — EPA Worker Protection Standard Fact Sheets • www.epa.gov/agri— culture/htc.html How to Comply With the Worker Protection Standard for Agricultural Pesticides: What Employers Need To Know

Vineyard For Sale - New York State

This historic farm with an 1833 circa Cobblestone home, 144 acres, 15 acre vineyard, 5.5 acre cherry orchard, winery and 1,860 feet of lakefront is majestic in its location and beauty.

Cobblestone Farm Winery & Vineyard, located on the west side of Cayuga Lake, is in the heart of the world renowned grape growing and wine making Finger Lakes region of New York state and has been in continuous agriculture for 120 years. The Ovid and Cazenovia silt loam soils deposited by glacial till, the slope to the lake for air drainage and the micro-climate created by the depth and relative narrow width of the lake are the attributes, unmatched anywhere in the world, that make this property world class in its grape growing capabilities. "The wines are made in the vineyards", the vineyard consists of Vinifera varieties: Riesling, Cabernet Franc & Lemberger. French hybrid: Vignoles. American grape variety: Catawba. Table wine varieties: Reliance, Lakemont, Vanessa. There are an additional 80+ tillable acres that can be cultivated to expand the vineyard and orchard. Rarely do you find 144 acres in one tract sloping to the lake. The property is on the Cayuga Wine Trail on the designated "America's Scenic Byway", New State Route 89.

The property has an attractive and spacious tasting room built in 2004, a new mixing and storage barn, a 1920's German Forebay barn, two other out buildings and two docks on 1,860 feet of lake front.

The Cobblestone home was built in 1833 and recently has been lovingly renovated to its period charm yet has all the amenities, with a modern kitchen, formal living room, formal entry, four bedrooms, four and one half baths, office/den, beautiful decking and a porch that overlooks the cherry orchard and Cayuga Lake. This home is scheduled to open as a Bed and Breakfast in 2013. With the sweeping manicured lawns, historic home, vineyard, cherry orchard and lake view this property would make an exquisite venue for weddings and other important events.

This is a one-of-a-kind property with the potential to continue its prestige as a world class vineyard and winery, develop into a destination Bed & Breakfast or lakefront resort or enjoyed as a private estate.

The possibilities are endless with this magnificent property.

We'd be happy to make arrangements for you to visit this unique and beautiful farm, vineyard, winery, orchard, Bed & Breakfast or business opportunity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Priced at $3,500,000 For a video of the listing visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=KViY83a8H-A

Finger Lakes • 607-379-6344 Jennifer Persoon, cell: 607-592-8871, j4persoon@gmail.com Tom Mullen & Associates • 607-565-3491 tmullen1@stny.rr.com

June - July 2013 • WINE & GRAPE GROWER - Page 23

Page 24 - WINE & GRAPE GROWER • June - July 2013