Wine & Grape Grower 2.12

GROWER

Wine & Grape

The NEWSPAPER for the wine and grape industry February/March 2012

www.wineandgrapegrower.com

Volume 1 Number 2

In This issue

Waltz Vineyard ~ A matter of taste ~ Page 3 Classifieds ~ Page 20-21 Equipment Section ~ Page 14

Columnists Today’s Marketing Objective ~ Page 5

Maryhill Winery ~ Page 2

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 2

Maryhill is the definition of a destination winery

by Kelly Gates If ever there was a destination winery, it’s Maryhill Winery of Goldendale, WA. Its founders, Craig and Vicki Leuthold, chose a spectacular location to build a 3,000square-feet tasting room — complete with a covered outdoor terrace — on a bluff overlooking the Columbia Gorge and Gunkel Vineyard, one of the state’s oldest and most established vineyards. To the southwest, Mount Hood punctuates the picturesque scene.

According to Craig, more than 75,000 visitors travel to Maryhill Winery each year to come and taste the wines, picnic, listen to live music, browse the gift shop, relax and enjoy the views or join in the activities.

“Our entire portfolio of wines is available year round in the tasting room, with two selections of wine flights offered for tasting on any given day,” he told Grower Wine & Grape. “We also host a myriad of monthly events and holiday weekend celebrations that are family friendly, dog friendly and offer fun, educational and affordable outings for everyone.”

The onsite and offsite “Member’s Only” parties and excursions with the owners and winemaker keep the Maryhill Wine Club of 1,000 growing strong. And, an onsite amphitheater draws tens of thousands of music and wine fans every year with famous performers like Bob Dylan, Counting Crows, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne and Natalie Merchant, to name a few of the artists who have performed there.

Also, every weekend from Memorial Day to September, except on concert days, there is free, live music on the ter-

Maryhill owners Craig and Vicki Leuthold on the winery’s terrace.

The couple established the business on a bluff overlooking the Columbia Gorge. To the southwest, Mount Hood is an impressive sight.

Photos courtesy of Maryhill Winery race featuring talent from all over the Northwest.

The grounds even boast four world class bocce ball courts for guests who wish to engage in a friendly game while sipping the site’s sumptuous wines.

For such an all-encompassing operation, it’s surprising to hear that the Leutholds are relatively new to the winemaking business.

Prior to establishing Maryhill Winery in 1999, Craig and Vicki both worked in the corporate world. But with hard work, persistence and passion, the couple has turned a vacant 10 acre parcel of land into a thriving company with more than 1,000 awards and accolades to its name.

The most prominent recognitions are “Washington Winery of the Year” award offered by Wine Press Northwest and “Best Destination Winery” offered by

The winery’s bottling line in operation. Maryhill produces about 30 wines using grapes sourced from 15 vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley.

Seattle Magazine.

“One of the things we have that sets us apart from other wineries is the long list of wines that we produce,” said Craig. “We make around 30 wines using grapes sourced from 15 vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley.”

Three years ago, the Leutholds brought highly experienced, native New Zealander Richard Batchelor on board as the winery’s fulltime winemaker. Batchelor is charged with monitoring the production of grapes at all 15 supplier vineyards, ensuring that the crops are grown with Maryhill Winery’s exact winemaking specifications in mind.

His vineyard visits increase in frequency during harvest season. During this time, Batchelor checks a selection of grapes at each location until he is certain that they contain the flavor profile necessary to produce the besttasting wines possible.

“When the grapes are harvested, we process them immediately, the same day,” noted Craig. “Most of our reds are aged for 18 to 20 months, predominantly in French oak barrels. We also have several white wines, including Viognier and two Chardonnays, that see oak as well.”

The winery has an impressive collection of fermentation and processing equipment.

Most of its components are standard ones that can be found at similar-sized operations. However, the steel tanks that hold fermenting liquids and must are somewhat rare.

According to Craig, tanks are usually jacketed to help cool during the fermentation process.

Maryhill Winery’s

tanks have jackets for this purpose, but they also contain glycol heaters that allows for precise control of internal temperatures.

“We also use a process called ‘post fermentation maceration’ which elevates the must after all of the sugar has been consumed,” he said. “We leave the must in the tanks for four to five days after the primary fermentation takes place to achieve an even richer flavor profile for certain wines, like reserves.”

Maryhill Winery presently has around 10 reserve wines.

In total, its annual reserve wine production amounts to 10 percent of overall production — considering the winery’s average of 80,000 cases made annually.

In 2012 and beyond, the Leutholds will be expanding this reserve wine lineup to include seven or eight single vineyard specialty blends. The high end wines will be carefully created using only the best grapes available from hand selected vineyards.

A new reserve tasting room will be added to the winery’s facilities to showcase these luxurious libations during special events, Maryhill Winery Wine Club meetings and general tastings.

Members of the wine club will be offered free samples during these planned events and the general public can partake by paying a nominal fee, as they would for any reserve tasting.

“Our goal is to offer more reserves for avid wine enthusiasts, but we are still committed to making affordable wines as well,” Craig told Grower Wine & Grape. “Many of our wines are priced below $20 per bottle. We want people to drink our wines on a daily basis. We want Maryhill to be

their household wine of choice.”

With a thriving, multifaceted winemaking operation in place, it’s no wonder that more than 75,000 people visit Maryhill Winery each year.

The business also attracts interns from all over the world.

Through Communicating for Agriculture Education Programs (CAEP), an international agriculture exchange organization, aspiring winemakers are able to get handson training at a vast array of wineries around the world.

Because Maryhill Winery produces around 30 varietal wines — an anomaly considering that most wineries make 20 wines or fewer — the Goldendale, WA, company is a highly sought after internship provider.

“The interns, who must have a set level of experience before coming to Maryhill, work from the middle of August through early December,” explained Craig.

“They are involved with every task that takes place here during these months. They even spend time in the sourcing vineyards assisting with harvest.”

Some of the interns come from families of wine producers. Others have chosen winemaking as careers and are seeking additional education that they can take back to their places of employment.

Whatever the background or future focus, claiming a completed internship at Maryhill Winery is an impressive addition to a hopeful winemaker’s resume. This accreditation will only increase in significance as the winery continues to accrue accolades and expand its offerings in upcoming years.

The onsite amphitheater draws tens of thousands of music and wine fans every year with famous performers like Bob Dylan, Counting Crows, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne and Natalie Merchant.

by Stephen Wagner Entering the Waltz Vineyard estate complex is a matter of driving up a gently sloping hill to the nearly hidden home of owner Jan Waltz and his family and a smaller adjacent structure dubbed The Tasting Room. Everything about the tasting room is tasteful from the architecture to interior design to the touch of class that Waltz and his wife, Kimberley, afford the operation.

Large wall paintings by local artists are perfectly in keeping with the purpose of the facility — tasting wine and cheese in a leisurely and upscale atmosphere.

On the other side of the Tasting Room’s walls lies state-of-the-art wine-making equipment, some of it from Italy. In a parallel room are barrels of varied wines. Waltz refers to the business as a boutique.

Waltz, who recently celebrated his 45th birthday, enters the room dressed in suit and tie. His roots are farming and the estate winery rests largely on what used to be the old farmstead. Its terraced hill and dale topography is perfect for growing grapes. Prior to Waltz’s entry into the vintner’s life, he was a member of 4-H in high school and is a licensed Pennsylvania auctioneer. Jan Waltz is definitely a creature of his home territory. A local boy made good.

“This is a sixth generation farm,” he said. “We raised tobacco, some livestock, just general farming. We had a few crops, corn and soybeans.”

His agricultural upbringing eventually translated into a Penn State University degree in animal production. But he was “interested in growing wine grapes” and had a friend who was also looking to grow grapes. “This was in 1996 and I had read some of the same information he did. In 1997, we planted the first vine.”

Waltz Vineyards is basically still a fledgling with 20 acres of vines. “We’ll soon have 100 tons of fruit and of that, 100 tons, about half is sold to other wineries in PA,” he said. “We retain the rest for production here in the winery, mostly dry wines, but we do some semi-dry — all aged in oak barrels. By

growing viniferous grapes we have merlot and cabernet sauvignon as the two top varieties we sell. They are sought after here in southeastern PA. We have a very good site to grow those varieties.

We can get them fully mature even in years like this year with all the rain. It’s a more difficult vintage but we can ripen the fruit here because our growing season is long enough to allow the fruit to mature.”

A lot of the wine making equipment comes from Italy, even though it’s brokered through the U.S. Are they better?

It depends on what you’re looking for, Waltz opines. “I think more of your small tanks are manufactured in a larger quantity there so you can get better competitive prices. I think when you get into larger stainless steel, it’s more competitive here in the U.S.” All the wine is sold at the vineyard, except for what is sold to local restaurants. “Waltz Estate wines are featured in a few great local restaurants where they have been well received by the public,” says Waltz. Baron Stiegel Rose wine is a Waltz creation named after the 18th century, Manheim, PA, glassmaker. Proceeds from the sales of this particular wine benefit long-term flood relief in the borough of Manheim area, which was declared a disaster area late last summer due to record-breaking flooding.

Often wine reviews smack a little of theater. “Playful, yet not overbearing” is an example. Waltz explains, “With our wine, such phrases are usually describing fruit characteristics of that particular group variety, which are expressed from that vintage. If there’s time in the barrel — all of our red wines and some of our white wines spend a year to 18 or 20 months in barrel — they’ll start picking up descriptions of, possibly, the finish that comes from the inside of the barrel. You might get oak tannin layered on with tannin of skins of the grapes, particularly red grapes.

With white grapes, you’re getting more a description of the citrus — apricots, pears, things like that — more of the fruit characteristics that particular grape variety is known for. It’s nothing

A vineyard worker performs maintenance in preparation of a new growing season.

Jan Waltz in the Tasting Room at Waltz Vineyards.

Photos courtesy of Waltz Vineyard that we’ve added to the wine but rather all things that developed through ripening the fruit on the vine and the process that happens in fermentation.

Our job in the winery is to keep those fruity aromas in the wine and not have them ‘volatilize’ during fermentation.”

Are there people out there who collect Waltz wines? “We have quite a few people who buy cabernet sauvignon wine,” says Waltz. “They buy the futures and hold them. When they buy futures they are not receiving any wine at the time they buy it because it sells out quickly. We make between 200 and 300 cases of it and there’s never enough of it to go around; it only lasts us about six months. The wines are anywhere from two to two-and-a-half, sometimes almost three, years old until they receive this wine. That way they are guaranteed to get that wine. And that is a wine made to be cellared for many many years. A lot of people do that, put it into their cellars, then drink older vintages, letting these age longer because it continues to mature, and the wine just gets better and better. Not all wines are made to age many years, especially the rose. Most of them you want to consume in the first year or two of purchase.”

The Tasting Room, Waltz avers, is not a shuffle in, shuffle out tasting room.

“It is more a three person scenario so we can get to know our customers. We offer them the option to sit down and do a full tasting of five to six wines

served with local cheeses that are purchased from local cheese producers.

We try to support as much of the local industry as we can.” Singling out a bottle of Old Line Chardonnay, a white wine named for Old Line Road where he resides, Waltz noted that “there are no other wines named for our road.

Since my family has been in the Manheim area for over six generations, we chose to use area landmarks, historical figures and community history when we named our wines. By doing this, our new business had an immediate history/heritage and people were able to connect the wine to a story that had significance.

“These are all estate wines. We produce everything right here,” Waltz aid.

“We don’t buy any concentrates or bring grapes in from any other producer or any other state. It is all 100-percent estate grown. We take care of all the vineyards right here. And we are very focused on our local customers within a 25 mile radius.”

Advertising and Public Relations is handled by Waltz’s wife, Kimberly, who has a sales and marketing background, but prefers a low key approach to marketing Waltz wines.

“Because we are a small boutique winery with a handcrafted product,” said Kimberly Waltz. “Word of mouth advertising is doing a lot of the work for us. Our whole goal is to make premium wines. Wine quality will determine our rate of growth.”

Page 3 - COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER • February - March 2012

Waltz Vineyard ~ A matter of taste

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 4

Lemon Creek Winery continues to evolve

by Kelly Gates Nestled amongst rolling hills of clay loam, enchanted by the moderating effect of Lake Michigan, Lemon Creek Fruit Farm of Berrien Springs, MI, has been growing some of the highest quality grapes in the region since 1855.

For more than a century, the farm sold its grapes to retailers and eventually, to wine producers.

Then, in 1984, owners Robert and Helen Lemon teamed up with their sons to establish their own winemaking operation, aptly named Lemon Creek Winery.

“In the beginning, the family did not grow a large variety of grapes,”

Ribbon cutting in winter 2010 for the opening of new tasting room in Grand Haven.

Photos courtesy of Lemon Creek Winery

said Cathy Lemon, current co-owner of the company. “There was Riesling, Vidal Blanc,

Baco Noir, Chancellor and Chambourcin. At that time, everyone in the state believed that it

Cover photo courtesy of Maryhill Winery Craig Leuthold and Regional Manager Rich Marshall examine some recently harvested grapes.

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was not possible to grow vinifera, cabernet or chardonnay grapes.”

No one thought it should even be tried, said Lemon. No one, but her husband Jeff.

Jeff had grown up on the land. He had studied its intricacies since he was a young boy and as he became increasingly involved in the wine business, he decided to experiment with different varieties that no one had ever tried growing locally.

According to Cathy, the first planting of Cabernet vines was in 1990, an historic event for the winery and the Midwest wine industry.

“Those same vines are still producing grapes today. In fact, they are the oldest cabernet vines in Michigan,” she noted.

“We discovered that this area can actually grow a lot of vinifera. For instance, we just planted Malbec a few years ago and it is doing quite well.”

Each spring, crews at Lemon Creek Winery begin tying vines onto trellis. They apply dormant sprays, weed sprays and fertilizers in late spring, covering the clusters that have formed.

During summer months, the canopy is thinned and manipulated to ensure maximum exposure to sun, particularly on red varieties that need extra sunlight to achieve a deep, rich color.

“Once the grapes reach the proper parameters, including the right pH, sugar content and acidity, we begin harvesting with our machine har-

vesters,” said Cathy. “We use a bladder press to crush and de-stem the grapes. Then, the mixture settles for a few days to separate the clear juice from the solids.”

The juice is inoculated with the corresponding yeast in stainless steel tanks — or a few jacketed containers — and kept at a consistent temperature of 59 to 62 degrees.

The wine is racked, clarified and stabilized.

Most of the red wines and some whites produced there are barrel aged. Bottling takes place in March and April.

And the wines then sit for several months before being moved to a climate-controlled storage facility until it is sold to customers.

Today, Lemon Creek Winery has 150 acres of land in wine grape production and makes 28 varieties of wines. An additional 60 acres are filled with a variety of fruits for sale as prepicked items and to upick customers as well.

And, like most wineries, there is a wine-tasting room on site that attracts customers from far and wide.

“We are about an hour and a half from Chicago, so about 85 percent of our customers are from there,” said Lemon. “A lot of times, people come to visit the winery and end up visiting our farm market or heading out to the fields to pick their own fruit. Or, it’s the other way around. They come for our other produce and end up in our wine tasting room.”

U-pick and farmer’s market customers certainly have a lot to choose from. The farm grows everything from

black sweet cherries, raspberries, blueberries and nectarines to pears, plums, apples, peaches and of course, grapes.

A line of value-added products is also for sale there. They include jams, honey, Cherry Republicbranded items, foodstuffs from The Blueberry Store in South Haven, MI, and an assortment of snack foods, to name a few.

As the winery evolved, developing a strong base of loyal, local customers, the Lemon family began considering expanding its outreach.

“We are friends with winemakers several hours north of here in the Traverse City and Leelenaw Peninsula area and on our way up to see them over the years, we always passed through a quaint lakeside town called Grand Haven, Michigan,” explained Lemon. “After several years of talking about it, we finally opened a tasting room there in 2010.”

The new location has been a huge success, she reported. Customers from Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Muskegon, Holland, Grand Rapids and other surrounding areas visit the place frequently. So do people from Chicago who, like the Lemon family, travel north along the Michigan lakeshore during vacations.

With nearly 130 years of grape-growing and 27 years of winemaking, Lemon Creek Winery is poised to continue thriving in western Michigan for many more years to come. Its main goal going forward is to attract even more customers to its new tasting room in Grand Haven, a process that is well under way.

Harvesting on a frosty morning for a late harvest wine.

By: Melissa Piper Nelson Farm News Service News and views on agricultural marketing techniques.

Conversations and all that talk - why should I listen?

We live in a world where everyone is talking at the same time.

People comment through social media, send e-mails to the editors of publications, give instant feedback on review pages, send short blips of information to friends and family and phone the ever widening circles of the people surrounding them. Talk, talk, talk.

When we reach an information overload it is easy to just filter out what we cannot process or don’t feel we have the time at present to process. That is one reason why management companies are now offering services to go through your e-mail, messages and other media and let you know who is trying to contact you and what they have to say.

What does all this have to do with market-

ing? You might not have to manage your information through a management service, yet, but as a business owner or manager, the information flowing your way is important to process.

Business communications that affect marketing are generally split between two different groups — your internal and external audiences. Most farm-based businesses should also include the family audience since decisions reflect back on family member involvement as well.

Internal audiences are made up of partners, investors, shareholders and employees — anyone who has a vested interest or are financially tied into the business or derive a salary from the company. Talk from this group often comes in the form of employee suggestions, internal meetings where information is shared at dif-

ferent levels and annual meetings to name just a few.

Business owners and managers depend on this feedback to help improve sales, retain quality control, plan promotions and advertising and discuss labor issues.

External audiences are those groups outside the everyday working environment of a business — mostly customers, but also subcontractors, wholesalers, retailers and others who are interested in your business and buy what you produce. The talk that comes back from these groups helps you develop better marketing plans and bolster business operations for optimum profit.

What could they possibly say that would influence your business operations? When it was revealed that some restaurants were placing microphones near tables to overhear con-

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with suppliers and distributors and discovering what is circling out there in cyberspace.

Many companies have hired interns to help with monitoring social media and other media outlets for customer feedback, but you may have employees or friends who can assist as well.

You cannot always tame all the talk around you or your business, but you can plan for how you will develop workable ways to channel and use information that will improve how you conduct business and improve profitability. If you use an advertising or promotion person or agency, ask for additional information on tapping into customer feedback. Simple customer in-store or retail outlet surveys will also identify where people post or read information about your business as well as solicit immediate suggestions

and comments. Internet reference groups are also available on a fee basis to monitor and direct back to you information about your business or service.

Farmers and producers who put most of their efforts into production, harvesting and selling feel pressured by keeping up with all the talk of the times. It becomes like the age-old question of producing then marketing, or marketing before producing — and we have all learned the later is usually the better plan.

Listening to the talk as it happens offers the opportunity to change or improve your marketing plan before customers move on to another product or another business.

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

Tasting room seminar scheduled for March 6 The Rogue Valley Winegrowers Association (RVWA) will present an “Operating a Successful Tasting Room” seminar on Tues., March 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the OSU/Jackson County Extension Service Auditorium, 569 Hanley Road, in Central Point.

The session is designed for people who own or work in a tasting room and those thinking about starting or redesigning one.

Speaker Craig Root of St. Helena, CA, has more than 30 years of experience working with wine tasting rooms, first as a successful manager then for the past 17 years as a consultant. In his consulting practice, Root has helped to create more than 60 new tasting rooms and 100 wine clubs throughout North America. Also, he has analyzed, ad-

vised and improved dozens of current operations.

Root will cover these topics and more: • Wine tasting room design, effective management and operation; • The links between customer service and profitable sales; • Secrets of wine club success; • Acquisition, display and sales of non-wine items; and • Avoiding theft and dealing with difficult situations in the tasting room.

Seating is limited to 50 and registration deadline is Feb. 15.

Cost for the seminar, which includes lunch, is $40 for current RVWA members and $50 for non-members.

For more information or to register, contact Marilyn Hawkins at 541-552-9922 or mhawkins@prhawk .com.

Page 5 - COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER • February - March 2012

Today’s Marketing Objectives

versations, it wasn’t to hear about your day at work or to get shopping tips.

Management wanted to learn what people thought about the food and service.

Customer comments count when you are striving for customers in a competitive environment! Likewise, you have probably seen the exit polls taken after movie-goers see a show.

The purpose is to gather information about what viewers loved or hated about the movie and the theatre experience itself. Information (talk) is money.

If you aren’t listening to what your internal and external audiences are saying to you, you may be missing the opportunity to fine tune your operation to meet customer expectations.

No one person can be responsible for gathering all this information and processing all that talk, so develop a team to help you decide what messages are worth chasing and prioritize all other information.

Internal audience teams can bring to the table the important issues facing your everyday operation while external information is gathered through customer surveys, meeting

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 6

Viticulture sustainability and pest management

by Sanne Kure-Jensen You wouldn’t spend $15,000 per acre on something with poor quality output and high maintenance costs for the next 30 years, would you? To help vineyard managers select the best varieties for their local climate, Alice Wise, Viticulturist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County conducts variety and pest management trials at the Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center. For 20 years, research at the two-acre vineyard has been assisting managers of Long Island’s 2,500 grape producing acres as well as growers in nearby states.

Growers are interested in low impact methods for a variety of reasons.

For some, this approach reflects their desire to be good environmental stewards. This is especially important for Long Island’s abundant marine waters and sole source drinking water aquifer. Many wine consumers also appreciate growers’ environmental efforts.

Wise researches the effectiveness of low impact, organic (non-traditional) and traditional pesticides and fungicides for insect and disease control. Various farm practices have also been evaluated on how they affect pest pressures.

“Fully organic viticulture is difficult on Long Island,” said Wise.

2011’s extreme weather conditions forced local organic growers to use traditional intervention this year to save their crops.

Sustainable Agriculture Programs In New York, environmental self assessment workbooks were initially created to address manure management on dairy farms for water quality protection. The principles of sustainable agriculture have since been applied to many types of farming. In the grape industry, Oregon’s Low Input Viticulture and Enology program (LIVE) and Lodi Rules from the Lodi Winegrape Commission are examples of programs that assess and recommend en-

vironmentally friendly viticulture practices. By using self-assessment workbooks, growers are able to create plans to improve practices.

Since 2004, Wise has worked with members of the wine and juice grape industry, other Cornell Cooperative Extension agents and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Market’s Soil and Water Conservation Committee to develop Vine Balance: Sustainable Viticulture in the Northeast.

This guide is applicable to the Eastern United States and offers viticulture’s Best Management Practices for commercial wine grape growers at any experience level.

Download a copy at www.vinebalance.com or order a printed copy at www.nysaes.cornell.edu /store/catalog.

Compost and other Fertilizers Long Island’s naturally sandy soils have as little as 1 percent organic matter and therefore benefit from the addition of organic matter to enhance water and nutrient retention. Wise has added compost every three to four years to the Cornell research vineyard. Many growers make their own compost with grape pomace (the skins and pulp left after pressing), sometimes incorporating manure from local horse farms.

Wise has tried a number of organic fertilizers including peanut meal, kelp products, humic acid and more. As these products can be expensive, growers must thoroughly understand the need for a particular fertilizer.

Vineyard Floors A primary area of Wise’s research has been management of the region under the vines.

Traditionally herbicides are used to maintain a weed free strip and minimize competition between weeds and vines.

Organic operations can use acetic acid, corn gluten or manual weeding; most sites find the latter choice cost and time prohibitive.

Mulching under trellises can be a problem in very wet seasons. Undervine-mowing of native

vegetation/weeds or seeded cover crops is another area being researched.

Wise is evaluating a low ground cover called “No Mow” Fescue blended with Dutch white clover. Ideally, seeded covers require little maintenance beyond occasional trimming of tall escape weeds. Under vine mowers are used by several growers on Long Island but require a careful driver to minimize damage to vine trunks. Several New England growers have seen an increase in rodent pressure in the ground covers that could damage vines. Green covers under vines are known to reduce vine size, desirable where vine size is excessive, and to loosen compact clusters, a benefit in reducing fungal disease pressure.

Between rows, either allowing native vegetation to grow or seeding with fescues and ryegrass are common. Inclusion of flowering species such as clover may support pollinators and beneficial insects.

Chemical Sprayers In order to efficiently deliver pesticides and to minimize drift, sprayers should be routinely calibrated and nozzles should be checked and replaced as needed. Efficient pesticide application is addressed in the annual NY & PA Pest Management Guidelines for Grapes at http://ipmguidelines.org/grapes/ National and state pesticide handling rules emphasize safe storage, loading, mixing and handling.

Thorough staff training and record keeping are required and help protect vineyard workers and customers.

Growers must adhere to the requirements of the federal Worker Protection Standard. Details are available at www.ep a.gov/pesticides/health /worker.htm.

Lesson Learned Being a good steward of the environment requires growers to evaluate all aspects of farm management. Many organic and low impact techniques can be used successfully in vine-

yards. However, fully organic management can be difficult in years with abundant rainfall like 2011.

You can find viticultural information and details of research projects at http://ccesuffolk .org/viticulture.

A weekly newsletter focused on growing

vinifera wine grapes called “Long Island Fruit and Vegetable Update” is available from Alice Wise during the growing season; the newsletter is published monthly during the rest of the year.

For subscription information, call 631-7277850.

For more information,

contact Alice Wise, Viticulturist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County at the Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center, 3059 Sound Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901. Wise can be reach by e-mail at avw1@cornell.edu or call 631-727-3595.

Alice Wise, viticulturist with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County shares her pest management experience with 25 vineyard managers and owners from Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. This URI Extension program was hosted by Phantom Farm of Cumberland, RI, on Nov. 29.

Photo by Sanne Kure-Jensen

The 2012 edition of Midwest Wine & Grape Conference and Trade Show is slated for early February at the St. Charles Convention Center, St. Charles, MO. Now the third largest Wine & Grape Industry Trade Show in North America, the conference is set for Feb. 912 and the trade show for Feb. 10-11.

The extensive two day trade show for the Midwest is the meeting place for wine making, vineyard and tasting room decision makers. See new and available products up close at this show filled with more than 170 vendors from all over the U.S. and Canada.

High profile speakers and sessions include: • Elizabeth Slater — In Short Direct Marketing, Windsor, CA; • Paul Wagner — Balzac Communications & Marketing, Napa, CA; and • Dr. Keith Stiegler and Marco LiCalzi continue to bring high profile guest speakers for Viticulture and Enology sessions.

Sessions include: • Blended Sessions — It’s time to talk business — this all new blended session covers generation succession and the business of grape growing and wine making; • Advanced Enology — Find out what’s new in

wine technology; • Thermoflash and extraction methods for red wine; • Innovative softward for acid adjustment and tartaric stability prediction; • Transforming wine microbiology; • Advanced Viticulture — Learn how people are successfully growing Vinifera and how they plan to grow Vinifera in light of climate change; • Basic Viticulture — You think you want to grow grapes? — This full day covers everything from site selection to harvest; • Missouri Wine Technical Group — Vignoles Varietal

Technical Tasting Workshop. Blind wine tasting provides and open and honest forum focused on education and constructive advice. One can expect to leave this workshop knowing much more than when you arrived and to improve overall quality. This session is moderated by Matteo Meglioli, Mosti Modiale, Montreal, Canada; • Introductory Viticulture — Minnesota Varieties, their performance in the Midwest; • Introductory Enology — Small winery bottling. Winery sanitation, barreling and tartaric stability; • Marketing — Elizabeth Slater’s “How to Sell Any-

thing” create in your visitors the desire to buy.

“Short Sessions with In Short” join Slater for an upclose and invigorating hour devoted to any and all direct-to-consumer issues, small groups 10 or less; • More Marketing — Just to mention a couple of sessions, “How to Sell Wine” — what’s Hot, what’s Not, “Seven Wine Marketing Mistakes and Seven Solutions.”

For more information visit www.midwestgrapeandwineconference.com or contact Conference Director Rozanna Benz, at 573-2364629 or e-mail: rbenz@vwm-online.com.

Seven Mountains Winery’s Vidal Ice claims Best of Show HARRISBURG, PA — Centre County and Lancaster County wineries received Best of Show honors in the wine competition at the 96th Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg on Saturday, Jan. 7.

Seven Mountains Wine Cellars of Spring Mills, Centre County, received top honors in the dessert category

and Best of Show — Grape for their 2010 Vidal Ice. Nissley Vineyards, Bainbridge, Lancaster County, received Best of Show — Fruit for their 2010 Black Raspberry wine.

“Diversity is a strength of Pennsylvania’s wine industry,” said Jennifer Eckinger, executive director of the Pennsylvania Winery Association. “As

the fourth-largest grape producing state in America, Pennsylvania produces grapes not only for juice production, but for wine production in all areas of the commonwealth, from Lake Erie to the southeast.”

Pennsylvania features more than 140 wineries and is ranked

seventh nationally in wine production. It includes 11 wine trails spread across seven wine regions.

This growing and vibrant segment of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry is comprises a “community of collegial competitors in arms,” said Eckinger. “The attitude of the people in

the industry helps establish relationships and build rapport that strengthens Pennsylvania’s wine community.”

Eckinger noted that many of this year’s wines were young, 2010 vintage wines, reflecting the sweet wines typical of Pennsylvania that are designed to be consumed

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A representative from Seven Mountains Winery, Spring Mills, Centre County, receives the Best of Show award from Agriculture Deputy Secretary Mathew Meals, at left, and Robert Mazza, at right, representing the PA Winery Association, Jan. 7 at the PA Farm Show in Harrisburg. The 2010 Vidal Ice wine also received the Best Dessert award.

at around one year of age. The oldest wine in the competition was a 2005 Merlot Reserve from Penns Woods Winery, Chadds Ford, Delaware County that received a gold award.

Other winners include: • Pinnacle Ridge Winery, Kutztown, Berks County, received Best Vinifera for its 2010 Pinot Noir; • Shade Mountain Winery, Middleburg, Snyder County, received Best Hybrid for its 2010 Edelweiss; • Winfield Winery, Cabot, Butler County, received Best American for its 2010 Fredonia; and • Sorrenti Cherry Valley Vineyards, received Best Sparkling for its Raspberry Spumante.

The 2012 Pennsylvania Farm Show is the largest indoor agricultural event in the nation, featuring more than 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits and 300 commercial exhibitors. The show ran Jan. 7-14 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg.

Page 7 - COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER • February - March 2012

Midwest Wine & Grape Conference and Trade Show

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 8

New York Wine & Grape Foundation launching city-wide campaign NEW YORK — The New York Wine & Grape Foundation, the official association representing the state’s wineries, has launched a campaign entitled New York Drinks New York during.

Centered on New York City, the campaign is a multifaceted program for wine trade, media, and consumers, intended to set the stage for a long-term effort to raise awareness about the quality of New York wines.

The program of activities includes “cellar visits” by New York City media and trade representatives to the Hudson River Region, the Finger Lakes, and Long Island; a multi-day market visit to New York City by the 38 participating wineries; instore tastings at city retailers; an advertising campaign; and a dedicated website, www.nydrinksny. com, going live Feb. 1.

The signature event of

“New York Drinks New York” will be a grand tasting at Astor Center on March 12 with wines from the 38 participating wineries. The tasting will welcome trade and media during the day and the general public for a ticketed event in the evening. Two events took place in January, one in the Hudson River Region and another in the Finger Lakes area. The remaining events are: • Feb. 19-21: Cellar visit to the Finger Lakes (trade and media); • Feb. 26-27: Cellar visit to Long Island (trade and media); • March 8-10: In-store tastings at participating retailers (general public); and • March 12: Grand tasting of New York wines at Astor Center (trade, media, and general public).

“We’re not urging New Yorkers to buy New York wines because they’re local, but be-

cause they’re high-quality products at reasonable prices” said Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation. “But the added benefit of buying really good, affordable New York wine is that these consumers are also supporting their own state economy.”

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation will also introduce a new logo specifically designed for its New York City initiative.

The New York Wine & Grape Foundation was created in 1985 by unanimous vote of the New York State legislature, and signed into law by former Gov. Mario Cuomo, to support development of the New York grape and wine industry through programs of promotion and research.

Since then, the number of wineries has increased from about 60 to over 300, tourist visits from 340,000 to over 5,000,000, and the total eco-

nomic benefits to the state of New York now exceeds $3.7 billion annually. For more information on New York wines and the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, visit www.newyorkwines.org.

Thirty-eight New York wineries from various regions will participate in the promotion, including 21 from the Finger Lakes region, nine from Long Island, five from the Hudson Valley, two from the Niagara region and one from the Thousand Islands region. All New York wineries were invited to participate.

Finger Lakes participants include Anthony Road Winery, Atwater Estate Vineyards, Chateau LaFayette Reneau, Dr. Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars, Eagle Crest Vineyards, Fox Run Vineyards, Glenora Wine Cellars, Heron Hill Winery, Hosmer Winery, Inspire Moore Winery, King Ferry Winery, Knapp Vineyards & Winery,

Lakewood Vineyards, Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, Pleasant Valley Wine Company/Great Western Winery, Red Newt Cellars, Sheldrake Point Winery, Standing Stone Vineyards, Swedish Hill Winery, Thirsty Owl Wine Company, and Wagner Vineyards.

Long Island participants include Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard, Bedell Cellars, Channing Daughters, Macari Vineyards, Martha Clara Vineyards, Palmer Vineyards, Paumanok Vineyards, Raphael Vineyard, and Wolffer Estate Vineyard.

Hudson River region wineries are Benmarl Winery, Brotherhood Winery, Clinton Vineyards, Millbrook Winery, and Stoutridge Vineyard.

Niagara region wineries are Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and Spring Lake Winery; and from the Thousand Islands region is Thousand Islands Winery.

WAWGG slates Annual Meeting and Trade Show The Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers (WAWGG) 2012 Annual Meeting and Trade Show will be held Feb. 7-10 at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, WA. This is the premier educational and social networking opportunity for the Northwest grape and wine industry, featuring sessions and workshops for growers and wineries.

Each year, WAWGG produces this event as an opportunity for grape growers, vint-

ners, researchers, educators, marketers, vendors and students to meet and to learn about the latest industry trends and technology.

The convention runs for three-plus days, with speakers, seminars, and hands-on classes, culminating in the annual auction to benefit the efforts of the Washington Wine Industry Foundation.

The 2011 Annual Meeting and Trade Show had a record number of registered attendees.

The Annual Meeting is one of the largest events of its kind in North America and draws key industry players including wine grape growers, wineries, winemakers, marketers, product and service providers, educators and media from the United States, Canada and Europe, with nearly 2,000 people attending the fourday Convention.

The Trade Show features nearly 160 exhibitor booths showcasing the latest in servic-

2012 FL Grape Growers’ Conference and NY Wine Industry Workshop March 1-3, 2012 This winter, the Finger Lakes Grape Growers’ Conference is going to be held in conjunction with the New York Wine Industry Workshop.

The FLGP and the Enology Extension Program will be developing this year’s program with an eye toward information that will be relevant to each of their specific cleintele, and also for topics that are important to both growers and winemakers, as well as the industry as a whole.

The conference will take place Thursday, March 1 – Saturday,

March 3, 2012 and will be held again at the Holiday Inn in Waterloo, NY. The conference will be structured such that one day will be focused solely on enology topics, one day will be focused just on viticulture, and the middle day will have a little bit of everything to people to choose from.

A trade show will be held during the conference, on Friday, March 2.

Make yourt calendars for this event!

For more information visit http://blogs.cornell.edu

es, supplies and technology available to Washington grape

growers and wineries.

For more information about WAWGG and

member benefits, visit www.wawgg.org.

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Though emphasizing that quitting is the best remedy to combat health problems for smokers, Cornell researchers have found a way to make cigarettes less toxic.

Researchers from the lab of Jack H. Freed, the Frank and Robert Laughlin Professor of Physical Chemistry, have demonstrated that lycopene and grape seed extract literally stuffed into a conventional cigarette filter drastically lowers the amount of cancer -causing agents passing through.

Their research is published in the Jan. 2 issue of the Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE).

“The implications of this technique can help reduce the hazardous effects of tobacco smoke,” said Boris Dzikovski, research associate and

paper co-author.

The Cornell scientists altered filters of normal cigarettes by placing a mixture of grape seed and lycopene treated with activated carbon in the middle. Their experiments focused on gas-phase free radicals, as opposed to other hazardous ingredients such as the solid particles, or tar, contained in cigarettes.

A laboratory machine “smoked” the altered cigarettes, along with conventional ones. The smoke was passed through a spin-trapping solution, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) was used to record the spectra of trapped radicals in the smoke samples.

ESR showed that the grape seed and lycopene removed, or scavenged, up to 90 percent of the free radicals

that would otherwise have passed through the filter. The researchers point out that these scavenging agents could be obtained in large quantities, for example, from byproducts of the tomato or wine industries.

Scientists have tried to make safer cigarettes in the past. Hemoglobin, which transports oxygen in red blood cells, and activated carbon have been shown to reduce free radicals in smoke by up to 90 percent, but because of the cost, the combination has not been introduced to the market.

The health hazards associated with free radicals in cigarettes are exacerbated by the fact that cigarette smoke is inhaled in high concentrations, Dzikovski added. Inhaling any

smoke, such as second-hand smoke, vehicular pollution or industrial waste, has some potentially damaging effects.

“The amount and composition of radicals from different sources can be dramatically different, and the spin-trapping ESR technique is in a unique position to analyze and quantify them,” he said.

The research is the 1,500th article published in the JoVE, the only peer -reviewed, PubMed indexed video-journal.

Watch the full video article at www.jove.com/video/3406/a-protocol-for -detecting-and-scavenginggas-phase-fr ee-radicals-in-mainstream-cigarette-smoke.

The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

UBC researchers to sequence Chardonnay genome The University of British Columbia’s Wine Research Centre has launched an international collaboration with the Australian Wine Research Institute to sequence the Chardonnay grape genome.

In the first initiative of its kind, a multidisciplinary team of Canadian and Australian scientists will explore the genomics of the world’s most planted grape variety, red or white.

Considered to be the principal international white

wine standard, Chardonnay is Australia’s dominant white variety and is the second most planted white variety in British Columbia.

However, not many wineries know the type they have planted.

“Despite its popularity, not much is known about the Chardonnay genome,” says project co-lead Prof.

Hennie van Vuuren, director of the UBC Wine Research Centre at the Faculty of Land and Food Systems.

“Our goal is to help wineries

identify their Chardonnay varieties so they can plant the most appropriate type for their climate, leading to improved quality of wine.”

The researchers will examine 15 different varieties of the Chardonnay grape, looking at their distinct properties such as early or late ripening, loose or small bunch sizes and seedless or large berries.

“We’re delighted to have secured this partnership with UBC for the benefit of Australian grape and wine

producers,” says Managing Director Dan Johnson of the Adelaide-based Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI). “Assembly of the Chardonnay genome will produce a foundational data resource that will underpin many such projects and, with time, will assist in developing practical game changing strategies for the growing of this variety.”

Johnson adds, “Our work will benefit from the development of linkages with other groups working on

grapevine sequencing initiatives for other varieties.”

Also heading the project are Prof. Joerg Bohlmann from the UBC Michael Smith Laboratories and Prof. Sakkie Pretorius at the University of South Australia.

To date, the initiative has received a total of $585,000 from funders that include Genome British Columbia, UBC, the UBC Wine Research Centre, Bioplatforms Australia Ltd. and the AWRI.

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Page 9 - COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER • February - March 2012

Tomato, wine byproducts in filters could make cigarettes less toxic

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 10

A1 Mist Sprayers introduces new model for narrow crop applications PONCA, NE — A1 Mist Sprayers Resources Inc., a worldwide provider of Mist Sprayers to the Agricultural Marketplace, has announced the addition of the Self Contained ATV-All Terrain Trailer Mounted- Mist/Air Blast Sprayer Product Line for use in narrow spraying applications in orchards, vineyards, container stock, green houses, Christmas trees and other row crop applications.

“We recognized that many producers have very tight growing operations where they are just not able to use large tractors or vehicles to spray foliar fertilizer, fungicide, insecticides or organic products,” said A1 Mist Sprayers President Steve Nelson. “That’s why we developed the Model ATVATT -H-40 ATV-All Terrain Trailer Mounted Mist Sprayer. It is compact for maneuverability and versatility and can be used in all working conditions along with an ATV, small tractor, lawn tractor or utility vehicle. We are very confident that it will live up to the expectations of our future customers.”

The Model ATV-ATT -H-40 ATV-All Terrain Trailer Mounted Mist Sprayer features: • A heavy duty iron coat paint main frame skid package with pre-punched frame- fork lift compatible (patent pending), and lift handles; • A 9 1/2 HP electric start Honda engine with four quart gas tank (battery not included); • Control box with 10-foot cable for electric start/on/off, variable engine speed, fan rollover and liquid flow control; • Huck riveted fan with safety rings and electric 210 degree fan roll-over; • Four-nozzle round Cannon Volute® - spray out to 100 feet; • Nine-nozzle vertical vineyard - Orchard Volute - spray out to 45 feet;

• 40 gallon poly tank (60 gallon optional) with tank drain; • Four roller pump, hydro-jet agitation, liquid pressure gauge for better accuracy, complete plumbing accessories and pistol grip hand gun kit with 25-foot hose; • Includes an all terrain trailer With 4,000 lb. axles, 10 Inch rims and 205/85-10 flotation tires (Highway Ready); and • 10 year main frame warranty and three year warranty on all moving parts (mist sprayer only).

“Mist sprayers are more eco-friendly than other spraying methods because they produce a

more uniform droplet pattern and the operator can control the spray direction and distance, while using less active product and water and get outstanding coverage and results,” Nelson added.

A1 Mist Sprayers Resources Inc. produces a full line of engine driven and tractor mounted PTO driven mist sprayers. A1 Mist Sprayers Resources Inc. Mist Sprayers Resources Inc. has 35 years experience in mist sprayer manufacturing and sales. For more information, visit the A1 Mist Sprayers Resources Inc. website, www.mistsprayers.com or call toll free, 877-924-2474.

Model ATV-ATT-H-40 ATV-All Terrain Trailer Mounted Mist Sprayer is compact for maneuverability and versatility and can be used in all working conditions along with an ATV, small tractor, lawn tractor or utility vehicle.

Specialty crop grant opportunity available LANSING, MI — Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director Keith Creagh recently announced new opportunities for Michigan businesses thanks to the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Ag Marketing Services. The program is designed to enhance the competitiveness of Michigan’s specialty crops. Grant proposals must be received by MDARD no later than March 9.

“This grant program provides a unique opportunity for our state’s specialty crop producers to enhance their profitability by expanding their domestic and international markets,” said Creagh. “Specialty crops play a vital role in

the diversity of our agricultural economy and these federal grants help provide additional consumer access to locally-grown Michigan specialty crops. These funds also help improve the quality and availability of these products so our specialty crop industry remains competitive while growing Michigan’s economy.”

The grants, ranging from $10,000 to $75,000, enhance the competitiveness of the state’s specialty crops, including, but not limited to: research, promotion, marketing, nutrition, trade enhancement, food safety, food security, plant health programs, education, increased knowledge and consumption, increased innovation, improved efficiency and reduced costs of distri-

bution systems, environmental concerns and conservation, product development, good agricultural practices, good handling practices and good manufacturing practices.

Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, local, state, and federal government entities, for profit organizations,

and universities. The organizations must be legal entities recognized by the IRS, and applicants must reside and/or conduct their business or organization in Michigan. Applications should demonstrate how the project will potentially produce measurable impacts for the specialty crop industry as a

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Growers can now cover 11 named native varieties for between $220-$445 per ton or any native variety for $220/ton. There are 28 insurable named hybrid varieties with price elections from $355 for Casade to $945 for Traminette. Crop insurance price elections are now available for 18 named vinifera varieties and other viniferas are covered at $1,200 per ton.

Does your risk management plan include crop insurance?

There are good years and bad years.

Consider looking into crop insurance to smooth out the difference between them.

New York State Grape Crop Insurance Performance Crop Year 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 Totals:

Losses Paid $ 963,313 $3,073,690 $ 1,096,149 $ 406,406 $ 2,477,692 $8,317,250

Producer Premium $694,302 $590,326 $498,549 $485,958 $506,458 $2,775,593

CAT Loss payments during this period: Buy-Up Loss payment during this period:

$72,668 $8,244,582

Do not assume that CAT coverage will cover your expenses in a loss situation.

Page 11 - COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER • February - March 2012

Grape crop insurance is improving every year for New York producers

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 12

USDA Unveils New Plant Hardiness Zone Map

by Kim Kaplan WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Jan. 25, the USDA released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), updating a useful tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 1990 with greater accuracy and detail. The new map—jointly developed by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Oregon State University's (OSU) PRISM Climate Group—is available online at www.planthardiness.ars. usda.gov. ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA. For the first time, the new map offers a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based interactive format and is specifically designed to be Internet-friendly. The map website also incorporates a "find your zone by ZIP code" function. Static images of national, regional and state maps also have been included to ensure the map is readily accessible to those who lack broadband Internet access.

"This is the most sophisticated Plant Hardiness

Zone Map yet for the United States," said Catherine Woteki, USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics.

"The increases in accuracy and detail that this map represents will be extremely useful for gardeners and researchers."

Plant hardiness zone designations represent the average annual extreme minimum temperatures at a given location during a particular time period. They do not reflect the coldest it has ever been or ever will be at a specific location, but simply the average lowest winter temperature for the location over a specified time. Low temperature during the winter is a crucial factor in the survival of plants at specific locations.

The new version of the map includes 13 zones, with the addition for the first time of zones 12 (5060 degrees ° Fahrenheit) and 13 (60-70 degrees Fahrenheit). Each zone is a 10-degree Fahrenheit band, further divided into 5-degree Fahrenheit zones "A" and "B." To help develop the new

map, USDA and OSU requested that horticultural and climatic experts review the zones in their geographic area, and trial versions of the new map were revised based on their expert input.

Compared to the 1990 version, zone boundaries in this edition of the map have shifted in many areas. The new map is generally one 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zone warmer than the previous map throughout much of the United States. This is mostly a result of using temperature data from a longer and more recent time period; the new map uses data measured at weather stations during the 30-year period 19762005. In contrast, the 1990 map was based on temperature data from only a 13-year period of 1974-1986.

However, some of the changes in the zones are a result of new, more sophisticated methods for mapping zones between weather stations. These include algorithms that considered for the first time such factors as changes in elevation, nearness to large

bodies of water, and position on the terrain, such as valley bottoms and ridge tops. Also, the new map used temperature data from many more stations than did the 1990 map.

These advances greatly improved the accuracy and detail of the map, especially in mountainous regions of the western United States. In some cases, they resulted in changes to cooler, rather than

warmer, zones.

While about 80 million American gardeners, as well as those who grow and breed plants, are the largest users of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, many others need this hardiness zone information.

For example, the USDA Risk Management Agency uses the USDA plant hardiness zone designations to set some crop insurance standards. Scientists use

the plant hardiness zones as a data layer in many research models such as modeling the spread of exotic weeds and insects.

Although a poster-sized version of this map will not be available for purchase from the government as in the past, anyone may download the map free of charge from the Internet onto their personal computer and print copies of the map as needed.

The new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is more sophisticated and accurate than any other previously developed.

Page 13 - COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER • February - March 2012

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 14

Vineyard Equipment Cave Ridge Vineyard enjoys beautiful scenery and beautiful, healthy vines

Cave Ridge Vineyard is a woodland destination that is ideal for producing grapes of the highest quality.

by Jon M. Casey For the wine connoisseur who is looking for a wonderful glass of wine and a relaxing environment where they can experience the serenity that the Shenandoah Valley offers, then a visit to the Cave Ridge Vineyard near Mt. Jackson, VA is the destination of choice. And if you are a person who is looking for a knowledgeable and reliable source of information when it comes to caring for the vineyard and what goes into growing and maintaining a healthy, sustainable ecosystem, then Randy Phillips, owner and winemaker at Cave Ridge Vineyard, is the person you need to meet. And, that is precisely what we did during a recent visit to his vineyard, as Wine & Grape Grower had the opportunity to talk with Randy about how he cares for the more than 12,000 vines on his estate.

“There has been a lot of work that has gone into what you see here today,” he said. “My wife Karen and I have been farming at this location for the past 10 years.

The vineyard is just now starting to mature and we are very pleased with the choice of this property.”

Randy recalled that he had come to Virginia looking for a place to establish a vineyard after many years of citrus farming in Florida, on a farm that his family owned and operated.

“We were looking for an area with a micro-climate that might be ideal

for growing grapes,” he said. “After a substantial amount of research, we chose this property because it is exactly what we were looking for. It has deep rocky soils and an annual rainfall that is considerably less than the surrounding region, which allows for the dry summer conditions that produce the kinds of grapes

Cave Ridge 15

Cave Ridge Vineyard's collection of prize winning wines creates a nice display in Randy’s wine tasting room.

Randy finds it convenient to have a separate mixing tank for the dry ingredients where the liquid is able to blend thoroughly with the dry material before it is sprayed on the vines.

Photos by Jon M. Casey

by Jon M. Casey When Randy Phillips of Cave Ridge Vineyard looked into buying a sprayer for his Shenandoah Valley vineyard, he relied on the recommendations of others in the industry that he knew and trusted.

That makes perfect sense. He was able to call upon them for specific information to help him make his own, personal decision based upon his specific needs, at his specific location, with all his vineyard’s specific variables that accompany a decision of this kind.

However, that might not always be the case with every

grower, when it comes to choosing the right sprayer for the job.

So, how does a person go about choosing the right sprayer for their vineyard?

Well, after several discussions with knowledgeable people in the industry and with a “touch” of research thrown into the mix, I determined choosing the right sprayer is a lot like buying a car, it takes a lot of thoughtful inquiry and an understanding of what is important if you are going to get the “right one for you!”

For example, in a book entitled: “Effective Vineyard Spray-

ing — A Practical Guide for Growers,” by Dr. Andrew J. Landers, the writer suggests there are, “Many interrelated factors resulting in Effective Vineyard Spraying.” I must say, that is an understatement!

In his book, Landers, a professor at Cornell University, addresses these issues by identifying the “spraying target” an objective that includes grape variety, growth stage, crop conditions, canopy architecture, block size, row width, penetration, deposition, acceptable coverage, acceptable disease and insect threshold.

Added to that, he elaborates

on other factors, which include but are not limited to: productivity, time available, work rate, efficacy, drift potential, spraying system, spray (formulation, etc.), sprayer capacity, operator (skill and training), financial factors, safety, management, weather, and environmental concerns and sustainability.

And, that’s just for starters, since this is but a partial list of considerations posted inside the front cover of this 260-plus page book!

May I suggest that the readers do their due diligence when it comes to selecting the right sprayer for their own opera-

tions because it is clearly a matter of personal preference based on the needs that each grower finds most important to them.

With that in mind, I’d like to share a few of the products that are currently available.

While this list is short and fairly concise, the people with whom I was able to gather information on how to select the right sprayer for the job, were all understanding about how growers select their equipment.

Each person expressed a primary interest in developing a

Choosing 16

Cave Ridge from 14 and grape quality that goes into creating the wines that have become our specialty.”

Randy said that while they still need to maintain the vines in the same ways as everyone else in the industry does, the climate is better suited for helping to control some of the diseases that tend to plague the growers in other, more humid parts of the eastern U.S. By working to control the growing, Randy said he is controlling the quality of his grapes at the

same time.

“We still need to spray our vines an average of 10 to 14 times per year, depending on the circumstances,” he said.

“That took some forethought and planning as we selected the sprayers and supporting equipment to help us do that very important job. Ultimately, we have come to rely upon a CIMA Atomizer Air Sprayer for this operation.”

“Because of our hilly terrain, we were looking for a tractor that would work well with a PTO or

pull-behind sprayer,” he said. “We heard about the Kubota Power Krawler tractor and we liked the stability of this configuration. At the time, there weren’t too many of these in use in the east. We have been very happy with how this tractor has performed, especially when it comes to doing the spraying.”

“It has an environmentally-controlled cabin with an air filtration system,” he added.

“That makes spraying in the hottest parts of the

summer far more comfortable.

With this equipment, we do not need the Tyvek® suits and respirators.”

Phillips explained he has chosen to go with CIMA spraying equipment because it was recommended by other growers he respects. He said it is simple and easy to use. More importantly, it will last a long time. For him, these are important qualities.

“I like how this unit can be configured to spray at various heights, depending on the stage of growth of the vines,” he added.

“This has wheels that make it easier to move through the vineyard if we need them. Otherwise, we attach it to the 3-point hitch. Generally, since this unit has a

160-gallon tank, we can spray between 4 and 5 acres between refills.”

Phillips said like all growers, he is concerned about the droplet size of the spray. With the ideal droplets, the sprayers do a better job of wetting the plants. He said in his particular situation, he especially likes a sprayer that avoids a lot in the way of spray drift, which not only is a waste of spray material, but it also has the spray going onto the vines and not onto the neighbor’s property nearby.

Randy said that he has never done an extensive cost analysis of how his method of spraying might relate to others’ but he suspects that if the growers are diligent about how they

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spray and how much they spray, that the overall costs might be very similar. He said in is his experience, spraying depends on the specific needs of the individual grower and that it often becomes a matter of personal expertise.

Nevertheless, as an exemplary host, Randy is always open to help others to do a better job when it comes to sharing ideas or promoting the wine industry in general.

Phillips, who is president of the Shenandoah Valley Wine Growers Association, said he is delighted to see how well Virginia is doing to help promote the wine and vineyard industry throughout the state.

Additionally, he serves as chairman of the Virginia Wine Distribution Company (an entity that works to market and sell the products produced by vineyards throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia), and is a board member of the Virginia Wine Growers Association. Over the years, he has worked to help achieve national recognition for the state’s emerging wine industry.

“Virginia wine quality is recognized throughout the world. To date, there are more than 200 wineries in Virginia,” he noted.

“Wine is about the experience,” he concluded.

“Virginia is the next big growth area for the industry, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

For more information about Cave Ridge Vineyard, visit their website at www.caveridge.com or give them a call at 540-477-2585.

Page 15 - COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER • February - March 2012

Choosing a sprayer can be as daunting buying a car

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 16

Choosing from 15 relationship with their clients that would offer the customer the most in cost effectiveness, thorough and reliable service, as well as after-the-sale help that vineyard owners are looking for when it comes to caring for the equipment once it is out of the warehouse and onto the farm.

Bill Reiss, owner of BDi Machinery Sales, Inc. of Macungie, PA, and supplier of the CIMA sprayer mentioned in the Cave Ridge Vineyard article, emphasizes the precision and cost savings that are available to growers who rely upon the CIMA Atomizer Sprayers for a low-volume approach to vineyard spraying. BDi’s lineup of equipment includes hand-held, pullbehind and 3-point hitch models from the CIMA lineup, a product line that has been developed and manufactured in the wine growing nation of Italy. Featuring more coverage with less water, the benefits of the targeted spraying that the CIMA line offers, gives shoppers a choice that also includes several distribution head configurations for ideal spray application.

As with all the sprayers mentioned in this article, there are various ways to create these droplets, with the liquid introduced into the air stream either through nozzle sizes of

various sizes and styles or via a venturi or orifice diameter that provides the ideal stream of liquid into the air stream. In any case, considerations such as drift, runoff and other forms of inefficiency and waste are primary concerns when selecting the sprayer of choice.

Another equipment supplier, Thomas Brothers Equipment Sales of Paw Paw, MI, offers several brands of equipment including the Berthoud, Montana, Agtech and Proptec lines of sprayers.

According to Ed Thomas, producers have come to realize that using air instead of water, as the carrier of the spray material, is the most effective way to do their spraying. With less water now a part of the sprayer technology, droplet size becomes an extremely important component of the process.

Thomas found that over the years, his company could manufacture the Proptec line of sprayer as a way to meet the individual needs of a customer base that his company served. Today, the Proptec Sprayer offers customers a sprayer that “shears” the water as it is sprayed, which produces better droplets into the airstream for better coverage. He said that when the Proptec Sprayer is combined with the Raven Brand computer controller, it takes the ground speed out of the spraying equation, allow-

The “Little Hercules” can be outfitted as a leaf blower for increased capabilities.

The Jacto Arbus Diamond 1500 offers growers a PTO powered sprayer with a 400-gallon tank capacity, capable of spraying larger fields with ease.

ing the computer to regulate the flow of the spray.

Roger Swihart, owner of Swihart Sales Co. of Quinter, KS, said that his company has worked with growers to help provide an economical, yet efficient sprayer that is compact and easy to use.

The company’s “Little Hercules” brand of sprayers features a squirrel cage fan for creating the air volume necessary to do the job. He said that by using this method of air production, it allows for individual units to be smaller, and easier to use, while not sacrificing air velocity and canopy penetration.

Swihart owns Spray Innovations, the manufacturer of his line of sprayers, available in PTO driven and engine driven models. He said customers can select the model that best meets their needs. He offers units that can be trans-

ported via pickup truck or ATV or mounted on a trailer behind a vehicle of choice. The Little Hercules line is a smaller version of the larger sized, Spray Innovations units.

Steve White, of Jacto Inc., Tualatin, OR, agreed with the other vendors, by saying that the customer needs to find the right sprayer for that individual’s personal needs. He said his company’s sprayer line, is manufactured in Brazil. As an emerging nation when it comes to growing fruit and produce, Brazilian agriculture has created the need for a unit that requires less horsepower to operate. He said that the Jacto line of sprayers is ideal for the grower that has a low horsepower tractor, one who is looking for a sprayer that operates at these lower power levels. “We have two models that operate

Low volume sprayers like the CIMA Blitz 50 offer growers plenty of options for achieving total canopy spray penetration.

at 20 hp with most of the units in the 30 hp and up range,” he said.

White noted that for the growers who are just beginning grape growing and are looking to start small, the Jacto lineup of sprayers is ideal for the smaller to mid-sized grower.

He said that he enjoys helping the new grower who is looking for technical help and needs some training. While chemical labels give the application rates, he said they don’t offer the kind of information on how to read the label that helps the grower to keep their spray rate accurate. He said his company offers a proprietary Microsoft Excel spreadsheet calculator that aids the customer in how to mix their material and calibrate their sprayers so that they can

have optimum application. “This really helps to make application easy,” he concluded.

For more information on the aforementioned sprayers and resources, please watch for their advertisements in this publication or contact them at: Dr. Andrew J. Landers at www.EffectiveSpraying.com; Bill Reiss — BDi Machinery Sales at www.bdimachinery.net or at 800808-0454; Ed Thomas — Thomas Brothers Equipment Sales at connie2paws@aol.com or at 269-657-3735; Roger Swihart — Swihart Sales Co. at swiharts@ruraltel.net or at 785-754-3513; and Steve White — Jacto at swhite@jacto.com or at 931-205-3957.

Thomas Brothers Equipment Sales offers many different brands of sprayers, including Agtech.

by Chris Lake, Director, Southern Oregon Wine Institute, Umpqua Community College Wineries need grapes for the production of wine and vineyard owners need a buyer for their crop. This is the basis for a relationship between wineries and grape growers. The resolution of these two needs appears to be simply a matter of arranging a meeting between each grape grower and a corresponding winery representative where a transaction is arranged to provide for mutually beneficial outcomes. These outcomes happen when a sale and delivery of grapes to a winery occurs.

Contracts To begin with, any transaction involving the sale and delivery of grapes to a winery is essentially a contract. Although this contract

can be conveyed by any means, from a simple phone conversation to a multiple page legal document, the basic nature of the agreement is the same; the grower will receive compensation for the delivery of a satisfactory product to the winery. A contract is: 1) a: a binding agreement between two or more persons or parties; especially: one legally enforceable or b: a business arrangement for the supply of goods or services at a fixed price; 2) a document describing the terms of an agreement.

The nuts and bolts of the contract should be as explicit as necessary to ensure that both parties have a fundamental understanding of the principle elements of grape purchase contract. Some examples of the principle elements include:

1. Identity of the grapes subject to the contract. This includes cultivar and location on the grower’s farm.

2. Term of the contract – one season or multiple years.

3. Price and payment – 100 percent in 30 days or sometimes as long as six months.

4. Delivery and acceptance – when, where, and who makes the decisions.

5. Grape quality, to include mutually agreeable standards like Brix (sugar), acid, pH, MOG or material other than grape fruit (leaves, stems, insects), defects (disease, bird peck), color, flavor, or any other parameters agreed upon.

6. Remedies and dispute resolution. This may include choice of law and venue, force majeure (events beyond the control of either

party), security interests for grower (grower’s lien), litigation, arbitration or other means of settling the dispute. Attractive incentives to reward superior quality (i.e. bonus for grapes within narrow range of Brix and pH specifications) and penalties for substandard fruit can be included to mediate minor problems (Goodhue et al., 2002). There are some examples of grape contracts available from knowledgeable sources (for example Dr. Bruce Zoecklein at Virginia Tech has a very thorough sample contract at www.fst.vt.edu/extension/enology/extonline/harvest.html).

This list of principle elements may be much more detailed than needed for many grower/winery relationships. Many successful

Awald Farms now offers grapevines Awald Farms, a fourth generation family farm operated by Ed and Millie Awald and sons is a well known producer of small fruit plants, mostly raspberries and blackberries. They recently added grapevines to their productions by purchasing Concord Nurseries, a major producer of grapevines in the Eastern U.S. They now offer many varieties of wine and table grapes for the wholesale and retail market.

This purchase includes 73 acres of land, gutter connected greenhouses and cold storage buildings for plants. This will greatly increase Awald Farms’ ability to become a major wholesale producer of small fruit plants.

Every effort is being used to produce quality and disease free plants.

To implement this Awald Farms uses planting stock originating from tissue culture plants, and they increase the soil organic matter the year prior to planting.

Also, an IPM spray program is being used to prevent diseases and insect problems from

occurring.

Grapevine production is started by obtaining true to name hardwood cuttings. The cuttings are then rooted in a greenhouse in plug trays.

After several months of growing they are acclimated before being transplanted into plastic covered raised beds with drip irrigation.

Awald Farms has almost 100 percent viability and tremendous

growth of both roots and vines.

In addition to the nursery production Awald Farms has a Upick berry operation and farm market on the home farm which consists of 78 acres of land.

This includes 10 acres of blueberries, 5 acres of currants, red, purple and black raspberries, blackberries, 2 acres of strawberries, 8 acres of pumpkins, and 20 acres

into nursery stock and cover crops.

Awald Farm products are marketed and sold to wineries, commercial growers and mass merchandisers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Awald Farms also sells to garden centers, local farm markets and homeowners.

For more information call 716-337-3162 or e m a i l AwaldsFarm@aol.com.

grape purchases are produced by a handshake and a willingness to trust one another.

Often, the contract between a grower and winery can be contained within a few pages. All of this discussion can be boiled down to two qualities that are present in all successful contracts: trust and respect. If wineries were to trust the grower to produce and deliver grapes of sufficient quality and growers were to trust wineries to compensate them fairly for the effort, a handshake would be all that is required.

The topic of compensation includes the dis-

cussion of price to be paid for the crop. Just how much are grapes worth? Many times, the price paid for the crop is on a per ton basis.

The basis for establishing a price is determined by the marketplace. Where there is competition, there will be an easily determined, fair-market value for the crop. For winegrapes, this price will be based on the cultivar and growing region. For some grape growers, an additional consideration is the cost of importing fruit from other states versus purchasing locally grown grapes. As an example, grape growers in

Contracts 18

EARL F. KEGERISE, INC. AGRICULTURE & ORCHARD SPRAYER SALES & SERVICE LARRY F. KEGERISE PRESIDENT

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OFFICE: (610) 944-8532 FAX: (610) 944-7431 larrykeg@aol.com

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T he G rafter

Specializing in Grafting Trees and Vines Grafted over 8,000 Acres 20 Years of Experience Raul III Mobile: 805-717-1771 Licensed & Bonded

Awald Farms recently added grapevines to the list of small fruit plants they produce.

Raul F. Rodriguez, Sr. Mobile: 805-839-6542 104 Glenwood St., Delano, CA 93215

CALIFORNIA - OREGON - WASHINGTON

Page 17 - COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER • February - March 2012

Contracts between wineries and growers

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 18

Contracts from 17

Texas must essentially compete with grape growers in California for a share of the market to Texas wineries (Marshall, 2008). The limit to the price paid on a per ton basis to Texas growers is the minimum price that a California grower would charge to the Texas winery (includes transportation).

The most effective goal is to achieve a price that will remain fairly stable for many years. This ensures that there will be continued demand from the winery and a reasonable ability to make a profit for the grape grower.

In legal terms, contracts are considered a part of the general law of obligations and the performance of a contract is a duty. The law recognizes breach of the contract, and so does a lawyer. The lawyer may charge a substantial fee to liti-

gate a claim and may also receive a large portion of the award if the case goes in her favor.

This scenario is a gloomy picture of what is normally a successful business arrangement. It is presented because it serves to illustrate the point that when misunderstandings occur with grape contracts, the remedies are usually insufficient and expensive. It is likely that the more knowledgeable wineries and growers are in the area of winery/grower contract negotiation (typically called Winery Relations or Grower Relations), the better the outcomes for wineries and growers. To that end, we will revisit the basis of the winery/grower relationship and examine the individual needs of each of the parties.

What Growers Want, What Wineries Want

For growers, grape production is a longterm endeavor requiring significant investment of capital with money flowing in the wrong direction for many years.

Eventually, vineyards become self-sufficient and hopefully will become profitable. Growers who have been around long enough to know something about vineyard ownership say that profit is made in vineyards “on the back end” of the productive life of a vineyard. Lenders or owners who supply capital to vineyard operations should also know this, and will seek to encourage long-term contracts for the fruit to match the long-term investments.

But wineries are less enthusiastic about long-term agreements.

They seek short-term commitments to find the lowest cost per unit of production until the

demand for wine exceeds the supply of grapes coming to the winery. At this point, wineries will seek to lock in supply at whatever terms are available. It is a classic case of the law of supply and demand. When supply is low and demand high, the price of a good rises. For wineries with an established brand of wine, there is some motivation to stabilize the cost of raw product needed for the production. However, some wineries do not use price as the primary guide in their vineyard relationships; rather, quality is the driving force, and wineries are seeking long term relationships based on the ability of a wine grower to provide consistently high quality fruit, for which wineries are willing to pay a premium. In either circumstance, it is in the

best interest of the winery to secure mediumto long-term contracts at prices that will be sustainable over the life of the contract.

Several other observations on the needs of the two parties should be taken into consideration during contract negotiations. Growers have the following objectives: • highest return per acre, • production of fruit at the minimum quality standards needed to satisfy the winery, • a financially secure winery, • quick payment terms, and • a sense of pride in their farming abilities (Walker, 2005).

Typical winery objectives are: • low cost per unit, • receipt of fruit of maximum quality to produce wines that surpass the consumer’s

expectations, • payment terms to growers that will not drain the winery’s operating budget during critical periods, and • cooperative growers who are willing to accommodate winemaker’s requests concerning viticultural practices used to produce the fruit.

When these objectives are compared, it may seem they form opposing positions that would hinder cooperation. Normally, the needs of growers to sell their crops and wineries to buy grapes are greater than the differences between the two parties, thus allowing grape purchase contracts to produce profit and security for both parties.

To view a sample contract visit www.fst.vt.edu/extension/enology/extonline/harvest.html Source: www.extension.org

TWGGA Annual Conference & Trade Show set for Feb. 16-18 The 2012 Annual Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association Conference and Trade Show is open for all to attend. In its 36th year, the event will be held Feb. 16-18 at the Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel, Spa and Conference Center in San Marcos, TX. The program is packed with top industry speakers, breakout sessions, networking, and over seven hours of Exhibit Hall time. New vendors are signing up every day.

The focus of this events to provide a networking platform for winery and grape growing professionals to develop business relationships with one another, connect with vendors to the commercial wine and grade industry and provide substantial seminars for further growth in their field.

Key industry leaders including wine grape growers, winemakers, vendors, regulators, educators, and the media from all across the country will converge on San Marcos for three full days of events.

This year, the Friday night Winery Dinner will be held at the beautiful Duchman Family Winery. Buses will transport attendees from the Embassy Suites San Marcos to the winery and back. This event is packaged in the All Access Pass or can be purchased separately.

The highlight of the Annual Conference is the Gala Reception and Dinner, which includes a fabulous meal paired with award winning Texas wine and both a silent and live auction. In an effort to offer impressive and varied auction items for this event, the organizers are seeking donations from its friends, associates and loyal supporters. Contributions will be highlighted during the Gala Reception and Dinner and donors will be recognized in the conference program. Additionally, they will be acknowledged as a valued partner of the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association.

Because of the support of its donors TWGGA is able to continue its programs that support the Texas wineries and grape growers.

Donors asked to complete the Auction Donation Form and return it to the TWGGA office by Monday, Feb. 6.

There are three ways you to register for this event: Call the TWGGA office and the staff will complete your registration over the phone. The office number is 817-421-3201; Download the registration form, complete the form, and fax it to the TWGGA office at 817-421-3212; and Go to the website and look for the Online Registration link.

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CHRISTMAS TREE FARM and split level house. Unique entrepreneurial opportunity, earn a second income, fourth bedroom off family room and office, large closets and pristine floors, open kitchen atmosphere, 2½ baths.

Bloomfield,CT 860-989-2783

Parts & Repair STARTERS, ALTERNATORS, and GENERATORS for all domestic and import engines.

Also HIGH TORQUE DIESEL STARTERS. Prompt Service 315-826-7892 Gary Sneath

Refrigeration

Sprayers

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

717-677-7416

Refrigeration

AMERICAN WHOLESALE CO.

NEW/USED WALK-IN-COOLER ~ FREEZER BOXES ~ REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS ~ EQUIPMENT Large Inventory ~ All Sizes • Buy • Sell ~ Nationwide • Wholesale Prices

Phone: (216) 426-8882 • www.awrco.com

www.wineandgrapegrower.com

WANTED TO BUY: Old Grit newspapers (not the Grit magazine). 518-568-5115

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. ******

FEB 1 Wine Grape Section at the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, PA. 9 am - 4 pm. Register at the door.

Full details at www.mafvc.org/html.

FEB 2-4 Virginia Vineyard Association Annual Winter Technical Meeting Omni Hotel, Charlottesville, VA. Two days of practical information for growers and wine makers and research information from VA Tech.

Topics to include research updates, legislative updates, trade show and annual VVA business meeting. On Internet at www.virginia vineyardsassociation.com/ index.php FEB 3-5 North Carolina Winegrowers Association Annual Meeting Winston-Salem, NC. On Internet at www.ncwine growers.com.

FEB 7-10 2012 Annual Meeting, Convention and Trade Show Kennewick, WA Visit www.wawgg.org for more information or call 509-782-8234 FEB 9-12 Midwest Grape and Wine Conference and Trade Show St. Charles, MO. On Internet at www.midwestgrape andwineconference.com.

FEB 16-18 2012 Texas Wine & Grape Growers Association Annual Conference and Trade Show Held at The Embassy Suites San Marcos, Texas.

Call the TWGGA office at 817-421-3201 or visit www.twggastore.org FEB 20-21 Ohio Grape and Wine Conference Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, Columbus, OH. New grape grower

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

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

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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

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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: $9.25 for the first 14 words, American Express Discover Visa MasterCard 30¢ each additional word.

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session, marketing, viticulture and enology sessions and trade show. On Internet at www.oardc.ohio-state. edu/grapeweb/pageview.asp ?id=783.

FEB 21-22 Oregon Wine Industry Symposium Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR. For more information call 503-2288336 or visit http:// symposium.oregonwine.org FEB 22-24 2012 Michigan Grape & Wine Conference Amway Grand Plaza, Grand Rapids www.michigan wines.com FEB 25 Grape Expectations Forsgate Country Club, Jamesburg, NJ. This is the annual viticulture and enology meeting for the NJ wine industry. Contact Dr. Gary Pavlis, 609-625-0056 or email pavlis@aesop.rutgers. edu.

FEB 26 Maryland Wine and Grape Industry Annual Meeting Clarion Hotel, Oxon Hill.

Registration and program can be found at www. marylandgrapes.org/events/ annualmeeting.shtml.

MAR 1-3 Finger Lakes Grape Growers Conference and NY Wine Industry Workshop Holiday Inn, Waterloo, NY. For the first time the wine industry workshop will be

combined with the grape growers meeting. On Internet at http://flg.cce.cornell. edu.

MAR 6 Pennsylvania Winery Association Annual Meeting Lancaster, PA. Viticulture, enology, marketing topics with the annual business meeting and awards banquet. Call 717-234-1844.

On Internet at www. pennsylvaniawine.com.

Tasting Room Seminar The Rogue Valley Winegrowers Association (RVWA) will present an “Operating a Successful Tasting Room” seminar, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., at the OSU/Jackson County Extension Service Auditorium, 569 Hanley Rd., in Central Point, OR. The session is designed for people who own or work in a tasting room and those thinking about starting or re-designing one.

Seating is limited to 50 and registration deadline is Feb. 15. Cost for the seminar, which includes lunch, is $40 for current RVWA members and $50 for non-members.

For more information or to register, contact Marilyn Hawkins at (541) 552-9922 or mhawkins@prhawk.com.

MAR 7 Eastern Winery Exposition Lancaster County Convention Center & Lancaster Marriott, Penn Square, PA. On Internet at www.eastern wineryexposition.com.

MAR 9 Lake Erie Grape Growers Convention SUNY, Fredonia, NY. A grower oriented meeting that covers juice and wine grapes.

On Internet at http:// lergp.cce.cornell.edu MAR 9 New Grape Grower Workshop Marriott Hotel, Lancaster, PA. 8 am - 5 pm. An intensive and comprehensive overview of what is needed to start a commercial wine vineyard in the Mid-Atlantic region. $125/person.

MAR 15 18th Annual Central Coast Insights Program Embassy Suites, San Luis Obispo, CA http:// register.winesymposium.com MAR 26-29 UC Davis Wine Executive Program World's Premier Wine Industry Executive Education www.wineexecutivepro gram.com, 530-754-6450 MAR 27-29 Wineries Unlimited Richmond, VA. This is the biggest winery conference and trade show in the East.

On Internet at www.wineries unlimited.com.

JUN 18-22 American Society for Enology and Viticulture Annual Conference Portland, OR. On Internet at http://asev.org/nationalconference-2012.

Page 21 - COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER • February - March 2012

( 800 ) 836-2888

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 22

The newest publication in the Lee Publications, Inc. family of agricultural papers Sept/Oct

Section One

Serving The Professional • Grower • Winemaker • Seller

Classifieds Equipment Marketing

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rm fo In 86 com g 5 . in -5 ub 1 tis 218 eep c. r e e - l dv 800 n@ e D A n r re li Fo dw ead r D o

Wine and Grape Grower will offer features, news and information on growing grapes, and making and selling wines.

As readers of Country Folks and Country Folks Grower you know the value of our publications as you run and improve your business.

If your current business or future plans include grapes or wine you can now have a publication with those same benefits for that branch of your business.

Subscribe today and don’t miss a single issue.

If you have friends or family who would be interested please feel free to share with them also.

Subscription Form

Order Soon and get a FREE T-Shirt While supplies last *Paid orders only

Name_________________________________________________ Business/Farm Name ______________________________________ Address _______________________________________________ City ________________________State ________Zip Code ________________

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If your business provides products or services for the grape growers and wine makers, please contact us for information on marketing opportunities to this important segment of agriculture.

You can reach us at P.O. Box 121, Palatine Bridge, NY 13428 or call 800-218-5586 • Fax 518-673-2381 • Email: dwren@leepub.com

March 16-17 at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa The Iowa Wine Growers Association invites you to join them for what is expected to be an exciting 2012 Annual Conference. The conference

will focus on the needs of the Midwest grape and wine industry.

Schedule March 16 10 a.m. Registration Opens

10:30 a.m. - Noon FREE Attendee Pruning Clinic to Optimize Yields & Open House at Kirkwood Vineyards and Winery

World d Famouss Doyle’s Thornlesss Blackberry Thomas E. Doyle (6/26/1900 1/13-01)

LOOK WHAT YOU CAN GET FROM ONE PLANT

• Totally thornless and does not sucker • Yields 10-20 gallons per plant!

• Proven producer since 1975!

• Grows from Alaska to Florida — ALL 50 states • Just one Doyle Thornless Blackberry yields more than 30 ordinary plants!

• Large, Sweet, Juicy Berries—sooo good!

• Adapts to patios and small yards—a big plus • No other blackberry compares to the Doyle!

• Great for commercial growers and hobbyists

Doyle’s Thornless Blackberry, Inc. 1600 Bedford Road, Washington, IN 47501 PH: (812) 254-2654 FX: (812) 254-2655 doyle@fruitsandberries.com

www.fruitsandberries.com

Noon Lunch on your own 1 - 2:45 p.m. General Session • Industry Marketing Update - Colleen Murphy, Iowa Economic Development Authority • IA ABD Update Steve Larson, ABD • Federal Regulation Update - Scott Abeyta, TTB • Iowa’s VQA Program - Murli Dharmadhikari, Iowa State University 2:45 - 3 p.m. BREAK 3 - 5:20 p.m. Concurrent Sessions Marketing • Get the Most Out of Your Offsite Tastings, TAG Communications • Eating, Drinking and Marketing - Picking Two Won't Work, Rich Collins, The Bearings Group • Speaker Q&A Viticulture • Vineyard Pesticide Use and Vine Smith Poster Information Jeanette Smith, VineSmith, Inc. • Crop Estimation and Crop Load Management - Dr. Paul Domoto, Iowa State University • Efficient Vineyard Mechanization for Small Vineyards - Dr. Thomas Zabadal, Michigan State

University 5:30 - 6 p.m. IWGA Annual Meeting 6 - 8 p.m.` Iowa Wine Reception in Vendor Area March 17 8 - 9 a.m. General Session • Welcome - Mike Pence, IWGA President • James Arthur Vineyards Success Story Jim Ballard, James Arthur Vineyards 9 - 9:30 a.m.` Visit with Vendors and Break 9:30 a.m. - Noon Concurrent Sessions #1 Enology • Wine Fining and Finishing - Katie Cook, University of Minnesota • Elmaro Vineyards and Their Mobile Bottling Line Operation Todd Roessler, Precision Wine Bottling/ Elmaro Vineyard • Wine Flaws, How to Prevent or Fix Them Katie Cook, University of Minnesota Viticulture • Managing Vigor in Vineyard - Dr. Tom Zabadal, Michigan State University • Canopy Management for Quality Winegrapes - Dr. Paul Domoto, Iowa State University • VA Wine Industry -

Jeannette Smith, VineSmith, Inc. Noon - 1:30 p.m.

Lunch and Visit with Vendors 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions #2 Enology • Sluggish Fermentation - Mike Jones, Scott Laboratories • Yeast Selection for Making Aromatic White Wines - Murli Dharmadhikari, Iowa State University & Mike Jones, Scott Lab Viticulture • Crown Gall Management - Mike White, Iowa State University Extension & Outreach • Barrel Options - Dan Brick, Brick Packaging 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Panel Discussion with Iowa Wineries & Vineyards Discussing Financial Issues • Jeff Quint, John Guinan & Jim Ballard 4:30 p.m. IPAD Drawing 5:30 - 9 p.m. Wine Banquet at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center Visit h t t p : / / i o w a winegrowers.org to download conference and registration information. Please contact us at 800-383-1682.

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2012 IWGA Annual Conference

February - March 2012 • COUNTRY FOLKS WINE AND GRAPE GROWER - Page 24