Northern Tier Summer

northern tier the

A Publication of the Minnesota Grape Growers Association

spring/summer 2015

2015

Cold Climate Conference Highlights Plus: News You Can Use

Purchase your MGGA Winery Passport to Discover Minnesota & Wisconsin Wines

Offer includes 10 FREE Tastings at any of the participating wineries.

That's one tasting, per winery, per PASSPORT. PARTICIPATING WINERIES Alexis Bailly Vineyard • Hastings, MN Buffalo Rock Winery • Buffalo, MN Cannon River Winery • Cannon Falls, MN Carlos Creek Winery • Alexandria, MN Chankaska Creek Ranch & Winery • Kasota, MN Chateau St. Croix Vineyard • St. Croix Falls, WI Crow River Winery • Hutchinson, MN Dancing Dragonfly Winery • St. Croix Falls ,WI Danzinger Vineyards • Alma, WI Elmaro Vineyard • Trempealeau, WI Falconer Vineyards & Winery • Red Wing, MN Flower Valley Vineyard & Winery • Red Wing, MN Four Daughters Vineyard & Winery • Spring Valley, MN Garvin Heights Vineyards • Winona, MN Glacial Ridge Winery • Spicer, MN Hinterland Vineyards • Clara City, MN Indian Island Winery • Janesville, MN Lake Pepin Winery • Lake City, MN Millner Heritage Vineyard & Winery • Kimball, MN Morgan Creek Vineyards • New Ulm, MN Next Chapter Winery • New Prague, MN North Folk Winery • Harris, MN Northern Hollow Winery • Grasston, MN Northern Vineyards • Stillwater, MN Parley Lake Winery • Waconia, MN Richwood Winery • Richwood, MN Saint Croix Vineyards • Stillwater, MN Schram Vineyards • Waconia, MN Sovereign Estate Wine • Waconia, MN Two Rivers Vineyard & Winery • Ramsey, MN Villa Bellezza Winery & Vineyards • Pepin, WI Whispering Oaks Winery • Melrose, MN Whitewater Wines • Plainview, MN Wild Mountain Winery • Taylors Falls, MN Willow Tree Vineyard Winery • Ham Lake, MN Winehaven Winery & Vineyard • Chisago City, MN Winneshiek Wildberry Winery • Decorah, IA

TO PURCHASE YOUR PASSPORT Visit the Minnesota Grape Growers Website mngrapes.org

Groups of 6 or more redeeming their PASSPORT tasting are encouraged to call ahead and make an appointment at the winery! Please see individual winery page for more details, some exclusions may apply. No refunds for lost or stolen Passports.

FAQ?

• Does the Passport Expire?

The Passport expires after you have redeemed all 10 tastings.

• Can I purchase the Passport at the Winery I'm planning to visit?

We recommend that you call ahead to the inquire about the availability of the Passports at your visiting winery.

• What is a "Tasting"?

A "Tasting" is typically a 1 oz. sampling of the wines produced by the winery. You may sample as many as 3-10 different wines.

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Spring/Summer 2015

northern tier the

Table of Contents 4 From the President

By Irv Geary

7 From the Director

By Steve Unverzagt

8 Scenes from the Cold Climate Conference 10 Winter Wine Fest 12 MGGA Gala Winners 14 From the Vineyard

By John Marshall, Great River Vineyard & Nursery By

John Marshall, Great River Vineyard & Nursery

16 Would You Like A State Funded Wine Organization

By Danny Wood, Midwest Press

20 University of Minnesota 2014 Research Update

By Alexandru Bortnov, MGGA BOD

Cover photo by Dave Hansen

Conference Director | Steve Unverzagt MGGA Administrative Director | Amy Beckham Advertising contact: NorthernTierAdvertising@gmail.com | 651-493-7020 Subscription and address changes: subscriptions@mngrapes.org The Northern Tier magazine is published bi-annually in the fall and spring/summer by the Minnesota Grape Growers Association.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior consent of the MGGA.

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notes

and beyond. If you would like to see a version of their Michigan Wine Country, go to the following: www.mydigitalpublication.com/ publication/?i=202847

from the

president

Irv Geary

2015 CCC ‘AHA’ MOMENT!

By Irv Geary

T

here’s always at least one really good piece of information that I take away from the Cold Climate Conference (CCC) every year. This year it came about in somewhat of a roundabout way for my “AHA” moment, but it did show up nonetheless.

My “AHA” moment came on Saturday during our Keynote Speaker’s presentation. The speaker was Danny Wood from Midwest Wine Press. Danny had been doing some research for the MGGA of a possible state-supported marketing program. Instead of “reinventing the wheel”, Minnesota could pattern such a program from other states. In listening to his presentation and the following conversation among our members, I realized this is potentially the key to unlocking the restraints we’ve seen in our own state. If you weren’t able to hear the presentation here it is in a nutshell. In Michigan they use licensing fees to fund a statewide marketing program that promotes MI wines throughout the state and surrounding states. The funding goes to a department within their Dept. of Ag called the Michigan Grape and Wine Council. They are charged with promoting the MI grape and wine industry. It’s been a tremendously successful program that has allowed MI wines to now become recognized throughout North America. When you have a moment, check out their website and see what they do: www.michiganwines.com Of their marketing programs they use television, radio print ads, and their most successful tool being their flyer, Michigan Wine Country, in which they print hundreds of thousands [magazines] and distribute them statewide

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We have held our General Membership meeting in conjunction with the CCC for the past few years with the intent of encouraging members to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and to increase attendance and participation since so many members are already at the Conference. Just to clarify again, all members are welcome and encouraged to come to the General Membership meeting free of charge to attend this portion of the CCC and the Meeting. Actually, on the contrary, MGGA members are offered a free tradeshow pass to come visit with our exhibitors prior to the General Membership meeting and enjoy light hors d’oeuvres in the company of their peers. Anyway, I digress. At the GM meeting this year we heard a very consistent theme among members — “We need more marketing opportunities for our industry.” We sincerely appreciate members sharing their ideas and opinions to help steer the direction of the MGGA and we know it is an area we need to pursue more vigorously.

We are learning all about the high cost of advertising . . . so a program like this [MI Grape & Wine Council] could be the answer if we take the right approach, creating a win-win for everyone.

Since the conference, several people have asked if this is something the MGGA will encourage and delve deeper as a possibility for our own state. I would like to create a task force to research this idea more closely and see if it is a viable option that we, as a collective organization, can and wish to pursue. If you would like to help research the concept of a Minnesota Grape and Wine Council please contact me. I would like all aspects of the industry to weigh in on this topic. You can expect to see a survey coming out in the upcoming weeks to get your opinion, so please respond. Or feel free to email me your thoughts on the subject. For this to be a viable endeavor that will take considerable resources, we need to know that our growers and wineries are behind the effort.

In the meantime, may your vineyards be pruned and tasting rooms full. I hope to see everyone at our regional seminars and summer picnic.

Irv Geary Irv.geary@mngrapes.org

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World Class, Gold Medal Wines from the West Coast . . . of WISCONSIN! Located on the Great River Road along the banks of the Mississippi River.

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notes

that night. We look forward to a bigger event next year, with heavier public promotion.

from the

director

Steve Unverzagt

Another Successful CCC in the Books . . .

By Steve Unverzagt, CCC Director

2015

will be a year of transition for the MGGA -- with many new elements for the Conference, and many new opportunities for marketing the MGGA and our member wineries and vineyards about to unfold this summer!

As I mentioned at the Annual Meeting, the 11th annual Conference was a SELL OUT -- across all sessions, Exhibitor trade show, special events like the Winter Wine Fest and Gala Awards Banquet, daily meals, and hotel room nights... you name it, we sold out! Thank You to all the volunteers who stepped up their game this year to provide a smooth transition, as we implemented new processes for accounting, check-in, offered a new Certified Sommelier class, and an expanded Winter Wine Fest.

With limited advertising we sold over 150 public tickets to the Winter Wine Fest. VIPs from the Minnesota State Legislature, media reporters and local foodies all enjoyed the catered food and wonderful wines poured

MGGA 2015 Board Members: EXECUTIVE BOARD Irving Geary, President Best Practices-Viticulture North Branch, MN

Internally, we learned more about this conference than any in the past, because we ramped up the analytical capabilities of our new website, which handled Exhibitor and Attendee Registrations flawlessly. Membership information and member renewals will be part of this new website experience and more bells and whistles will be added as the year rolls out.

We recently sent out Satisfaction Surveys to capture your direct feedback about the Conference, and from early returns, the new hotel location and new conference pricing were valued changes from past years. If you have not returned your survey, please do, it will help focus our efforts on building the best Conference for you. We do value your input and direction for the sessions and events -- for example, next year we plan to have more events within the Trade Show area, so there will be even more contact with the Exhibitors, with scheduled product demonstrations and additional social events!

The CCC Committee is already starting to plan for next year, and are looking forward to another great event at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, February 11-13, 2016.

And it’s not just another CCC we are planning -- it will be the 40TH ANNIVERSARY Celebration of the founding of the MGGA -- so look for a big experience!

We’ve come a long way in 40 years and we hope you will attend, bring your enthusiasm, questions and an open mind to discuss how we can continue to expand this industry and create more public demand for our great wines and vineyard experiences. Hope to see you there.

Cheers! Steve Unverzagt

Josie Boyle, Secretary Best Practices - Enology Minneapolis, MN

Jenny Ellenbecker Legislative Committee Round Lake, MN

Bob Olson Grants St. Paul, MN

Ronald L. Barnes Past President Nominations Chair Bloomington, MN

Gary Gardner ICCWC Chair Minneapolis, MN

Scott Overmyer Toronto, SD

BOARD MEMBERS Ryan Allshouse Hugo, MN

David Mohn, Vice President Aaron Berdofe ICCWC Committee Membership Chair Website Committee Chair Minneapolis, MN Woodbury MN Alexandru Bortnov Swenson Preservation Larry Olson, Treasurer Chair Waseca MN Shoreview, MN

Jay J. Grokowsky Altoona, WI Senator John Howe Legislative Committee Red Wing, MN John Maloney Cannon Falls, MN Dr. George Martin Rosemount, MN

Kent Schwickert Legislative Committee Chair Swenson Memorial Scholarship Mankato, MN Steve Unverzagt Cold Climate Conference Chair Marketing Committee Eagan, MN

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Scenes from the Cold Climate Conference 2015

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www.thenortherntier.com

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Winter 2015 Wine Fest

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Governor’s Cup Winner

2015 Gala The Winter Wine Fest, People’s Choice award winners:

The Gold Medal Gala Dinner wraps up the Conference and featured a fabulous meal paired with the 2014 International Cold Climate Wine Competition medal winning wines. Terri & Paul Savaryn and son/winemaker Ben Banks accepted the coveted Governor’s Cup award. Not surprisingly, a tradition started last year by none other than the Millners, had the folks at Sovereign Estate Wine heartily drinking from the ‘CUP’.

Elmer Swenson Scholarship Winners BEST COLD CLIMATE RED 2013 Reserve Marquette Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery

BEST COLD CLIMATE WHITE La Crescent Saint Croix Vineyards

BEST DESSERT WINE Mountain Ice Wild Mountain Winery

L-R: Soon Li Teh, Matthew Ericksen, Logan Ellenbecker, Kent Schwickert (not pictured, Luke Sombke)

BEST BOOTH Millner Heritage and Winery

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The annual Elmer Swenson Memorial Scholarship fundraiser allowed MGGA to present $1,000 each to these worthy recipients to further their education to focus on the grape and wine industry. Kent Schwickert, Education Chair, presented checks to four worthy recipients.

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From the Vineyard

By John Marshall, Great River Vineyard & Nursery

Spring has sprung, The vines soon buddin’ , Us pruners need, More time for cuttin’

S

pring has indeed sprung and everyone seems to be impatient to see the arrival of warm spring weather.

However most fruit growers are fearful of early heat that brings out cold-tender buds and blossoms while damaging frost may still come and destroy them.

Moreover, the welcome heat will compress the time available to do the list of jobs, each of them urgent, into a very short time span.

Personally, with the opening of our winery, I am way behind with the task of pruning. (Anyone wanting to

14 the northern tier | spring/summer 2015

get some FREE pruning experience, give me a call!)

Usually during the last days of pruning, the quackgrass begins to green up and it’s time to get the Glyphosate (Roundup!) down before the vines begin to send up suckers from the roots. An old farmer once told me, “When the Forsythia blossoms it’s time to get yer’ Roundup down”. Forsythia is an unremarkable small tree/shrub that puts out a spectacular show of yellow spring blossoms before anything else seems even to be growing. It sometimes grows wild around here and my experience has proven that he was not wrong.

I was concerned earlier this winter when the first of our below zero nights came along late in November. It was very early for such cold and, theoretically, the vines had not taken on their mid-January hardiness yet. So far the wood seems to be good and we (at Great River Vineyard) have not adjusted our pruning this year. However, it seems like every spring I see some surprises and I am hoping this year, that cold injury isn’t one of them.

Once pruning is done it’s time to ratchet up the wires, make them taut again, then tie the trunks and cordons back up to the wires. It’s best to do so while the vines are still fully dormant. The action of tightening wires and pulling cordons into place can break off the fragile new buds. If the vines begin to bud before you get to this job you can still do it, but it just takes more time and more difficult not to cause at least some damage.

Another spring job that is best done while the vines are fully dormant is putting on a dormant spray. Most of us use lime/sulfur which is a powerful chemical that is rated to be used for Powdery Mildew but will oxidize about any spore it comes upon, therefore, if your buds have emerged or even begun to swell it will damage them as well. If you had a block of vines that had a bad fungus infestation last year it is worth doing. If you didn’t know what you had and it got out of hand, a lime sulfur spray will destroy most spores and, treated properly, can get you back on an even keel.

If your vines begin to bud out before you get a chance to spray there are instructions in the label booklet that comes with the package on how to make a lighter (but less effective) spray mixture depending on bud stage.

However, keep in mind lime sulfur is not just hard on fungus and green tissue it is hard on people and spray equipment as well. Protect yourself and especially your eyes when mixing and spraying it. Since it is very corrosive to sprayers be sure to rinse your sprayer thoroughly and immediately when finished.

Another spring hazard to watch for is the Grape Flea Beetle. It is a tiny, dark flying beetle that is barely noticeable. On a warm spring day in April or May you may happen to see one flying by as you walk through the vineyard looking for cold injury on emerging buds.

They are easy to ignore. Don’t do it. If you happen to see some begin to check the swelling buds. GFB bores into swelling buds leaving a tiny hole as evidence. They will bore out the primary bud reducing the crop. They may damage the secondary and tertiary bud as well and leave that bud site without a shoot which is more serious if the problem is ignored.

The buds are normally vulnerable to GFB damage for only a few days. Once the buds break open and begin

to elongate and grow the beetles lose interest in them.

However, if the buds swell and it turns cool they remain in a vulnerable state for some time and the damage can become significant. This may not happen every year, but vigilance over the spring is especially important.

Sevin® is an insecticide that works well on the Grape Flea Beetle, but should only be used once the beetles show up and if there is a long spring cool spell. The larvae emerge a few weeks later and eat grapevine leaves. The damage can be unsightly but is usually not consequential. If it gets bad enough, again Sevin® is the chemical of choice.

Spring frost is the annual threat we all live with. I was talking to Chuck Bremer, a Lake City apple grower the other day, and his period of vulnerability is during mid to late May while the apple trees are actually in bloom.

He asked about my period of vulnerability? When I told him from bud swell in Mid-April and sometime earlier, to after blossom in early June when the blossoms close up and the berries begin to develop. “How does that work and is it feasible?” He asked. I said that over the years there have been frost episodes, but few reach the vine canopy. Actually the only damaging episodes have been in the past few years. Maybe we are good now for the next 50 or 100 years from a historical perspective.

I wouldn’t trust that theory however. I suggest you do what I do. Listen to the weather every night and sweat it out. If it looks like frost, have your KDL nearby and use it if necessary. The academic community remains skeptical about the effectiveness of “cryoprotectants” but I have seen too much photographic evidence to have any real skepticism. It is a powerful tool available now to growers and we need to keep it near and readily available, and use it if frost looms.

Do not doubt that your grapes not only enrich the fabric of northern horticulture, but they are important to the wine industry as well. I know that it irritates some winery owners who think no one knows if you are using local grapes or the baked beans that come out of the increasingly overheated Central Valley of California.

Many customers DO know and want to see what Marquette or Prairie Star offers as they already know what a Cabernet or a Chardonnay is like. Our grapes are like us — not too common and very unique.

See you next fall when we have come through all these possible hazards and our wineries are neck deep in our fantastic grapes.

w www.thenortherntier.com

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Would You Like A State Funded Wine Organization?

By Danny Wood, Midwest Wine Press

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T

he state funded wine organizations, like those in Missouri, Indiana and Michigan, can be a tremendous boost to their local wine industries because of the marketing help and education they can provide to winemakers. Irv Geary and the MGGA contacted Midwest Wine Press and asked if we could investigate the structure and funding of the wine boards or councils in these three states, to help with the MGGA’s own discussions about whether to pursue establishing a similar organization in Minnesota. It was an interesting exercise that created three reports – one on each of the three states – and a presentation delivered at the recent Cold Climate Conference in Minneapolis.

While it may seem self-evident, as far as I could tell, there really isn’t any concrete research that says, “If your state has a publicly funded wine organization, your wine industry will grow.” When you compare the growth in the Minnesota industry alongside Indiana and Missouri, the industry up in the colder north has really done well without a publicly funded organization to help (probably a tribute to the hard work of the MGGA). On a graph which shows winery numbers in the 1980s (when MO’s, IN’s and MI’s state orgs were all founded) for Missouri, Indiana and Minnesota compared to now, you wouldn’t necessarily pick out Minnesota as the state without a publicly funded wine organization. Minnesota has grown pretty well without one. However, Michigan’s growth over that time has been the most explosive – up from perhaps about thirty wineries in the mid-1980s to more than 220 now. Was that due to its state funded wine organization or other factors? These are the questions to tussle with when you look into the impact of state wine organizations!

However, away from the research, just talking to winemakers, you get the message that they really appreciate the marketing help and education that a state wine organization with stable funding can provide. The difficulty for a state wine organization is deciding how to do that. That may sound obvious, but it is worth considering that our wine industry across the Midwest is so diverse. Is there another wine industry in the world that has such a mix of winery business models? We have wineries that are more like wedding centers, wineries that don’t grow any grapes, wineries where it’s all about the tasting room experience, wineries that import a lot of fruit, wineries that only use local fruit. Are they all wineries? Do you try and help everyone? In which case, not everyone is interested in making quality wine – so should that be your focus? I think the answer is yes and state wine organizations shouldn’t be afraid about

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emphasizing that their key role is establishing a local wine industry based on wineries that make wine from locally grown, preferably estate grown grapes. But, perhaps one problem state wine organizations have is trying to keep everyone happy.

The aim and general focus of the publicly funded state wine organizations in Missouri, Indiana and Michigan are very similar. In short, to promote a quality local wine industry in their state by educating winemakers about growing grapes and winemaking and then helping to spread the word about their product by marketing it to consumers.

However, there are differences in these states when you look at the structure of their governing boards and their funding mechanisms.

For example, Missouri’s board is heavily tipped towards wineries: eight of the eleven members are from wineries and the biggest three wineries in the state: St James, Les Bourgeois and Stone Hill are all represented on the board.

Indiana’s council is bigger with 20 members and actually has more from wineries on it than Missouri: 12, but that is balanced by 7 representatives from Purdue University.

Then Michigan’s board of 12 is more evenly distributed with wineries, government bodies and the alcohol industry sharing much of the power.

But where does the power really lie on these boards? I came away from this research feeling that the structure of these boards tell one side of the story, the other side is the personalities on them. So without having actually observed any of their meetings, it is quite hard to jump to firm conclusions about how they come to decisions and who dominates that process.

The funding mechanisms are also different. Missouri’s Grape and Wine Fund pulls in $1.8 million per year from the 12 cents per gallon it gets whenever a gallon of any wine is sold in the state. Indiana’s fund is based on the same mechanism but it doesn’t get as much: 5 cents per gallon of wine sold that brings in a budget of about $500,000. Michigan’s funding mechanism is completely different and comes from more than a thousand alcohol related businesses that pay what’s called a non-retail liquor license. The funding brings in about $750,000.

Indiana’s funding situation is tight and Michigan would probably prefer to have the per gallon tax instead – so Missouri has it best in the funding stakes.

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One interesting issue for me as a journalist, was the level of transparency of these publicly funded organizations. While all of them have websites listing wineries, wine trails, events and their general aims and structure as organizations, finding more than just very general budget details or more detailed information on issues discussed at meetings was tough in the cases of Missouri and Indiana. In fact, I came away surprised at how unwilling or unable these states were to be open about their budgets, not just to me as a journalist, but so the public who are their paymasters, can see where their money is going. Michigan was the exception in this regard – an up to date and detailed annual budget can be found on its website and fairly up to date minutes of board meetings.

There’s an argument that says greater transparency would help accountability and also improve the way tasks are planned and carried out. Again, I felt Michigan was a better performer in terms of articulating its goals and what it does, both to me in interviews, and via its website – perhaps this is a direct result of its budget transparency.

Finally, one big issue for local wineries is getting their wine to market. One criticism of state funded wine organizations is that they don’t do enough to directly

help small winemakers in this regard and in fact may just encourage a status quo that keeps the three tier system of alcohol sales and distribution in place – a system that doesn’t help the little guys. The response from some state wine organizations is that they can’t get involved in politics. Again, Michigan plays its hand wisely in this regard: it doesn’t get involved in politics but it does talk about its role as an educator. It’s a fine line, but small winemakers in emerging wine regions like the Midwest need state wine organizations that are willing to push the envelope in terms of getting local wine beyond the tasting room and into restaurants and liquor stores.

To see the full presentation slide show delivered at the recent MGGA Cold Climate Conference with graphs, board structures, funding mechanisms and budgets for the publicly funded wine organizations in Missouri, Indiana and Michigan go to www.midwestwinepress. com and the story, ‘Report on State Wine Orgs Presented at Cold Climate Conference.’

For a copy of the research completed for the MGGA on the state wine organizations in Missouri, Indiana and Michigan, please contact the president of the MGGA, Irv Geary.

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University of Minnesota 2014 Research Update

By Alexandru Bortnov, MGGA BOD

I

would like to bring some of my notes written during the University of Minnesota (U of M) 2014 Research Update that took place on January 18, 2015 at the Arboretum in Chaska. As always, U of M grape breeder and scientist, Peter Hemstad presented a superb talk “Viticulture and Enology, a Year in Review”. This past polar vortex winter affect provoked poor grape vine survival for many varieties. The 2014 growing season was not an easy one to begin with as it started with a lot of mouse damage on vines during the winter, followed with Black Rot damage during the season.

It was among the wettest seasons, especially during April; close to 5 thousand seedlings were planted, and in a matter of days bad flooding harmed most of the seedlings. High acid levels at harvest were combined with Bunch Rot (unusual for Minnesota) and grape berry cracking related to the late Powdery Mildew affliction during the month of September.

It was one of the worst seasons for Minnesota vineyards in a last 34 years. But despite those climatic conditions, which will happen from time to time, we always need to look and hope for future viticulture success. According to their U of M research, primary bud survival was significantly lower for many varietals compared to 2013.

Peter mentioned MN-1285 as the best vine for primary bud survival (64%) in comparison to a significant drop on bud survival for other whites in 2014. It also has a better disease resistant trait and is a less acidic cultivar. He noticed that this variety produces an excellent dry wine similar to Pinot Gris, having a nice delicate aroma. There is mention of a possible release in 2016-17, but Peter pointed out that there is still more work and research to be done. The wine tasting portion of the meeting provided a good presentation of U of M research wine samples (wines produced from MN-1214, MN-1270, MN-1280, and MN-1285 varieties). Personally, I liked most of the wines made from white MN-1285, because of a nice fruity aroma, and a good sugar-acid balance.

Also noteworthy was the commercial Petite Pearl wine from Carlos Creek, Alexandria, MN. It is a very nice impressive wine, but in my own personal taste, I’d prefer to ‘feel’ slightly more tannic.

Among other new U of M varieties Peter noted two promising red varieties; MN-1235 and MN-1256. And among new promising whites he also mentioned MN1313 which has a similar peach/apricot aroma character as La Crescent, but less disease-prone and less acidic.

Peter also noticed that the most primary bud survival for red grapes were Baltica (75%) and Valiant (approx.

73%) and then a significant drop on percentage for other varieties - less than 30% on reds’ primary bud survival after polar vortex winter of 2014. I think that such a high primary bud survival (75% and 73%) for those cultivars is exciting evidence of their cold hardiness during extended cold temperatures. That does not suggest that those varieties will necessarily

have a better survival rate in extreme low temperatures even during short periods of time. According to Peter’s data, the lowest temperature in the 2014 winter was only -24°F, but we did experience 53 days below 0°F, which negatively affected many grape vines, especially in vineyards situated above the Twin Cities area. He is planning to monitor, in greater detail, the wine quality made from Baltica, because of its good growing performance and early harvesting traits. Despite the extreme cold, Vinifera varieties survived and produced very well because they were nicely protected under layers of hay and a nice amount of snow cover.

As usual the U of M Horticultural Research Center (HRC) is executing various trials of yeasts to diminish amounts of acids in wines. Mentioned were the trials for La Crescent, DV10, Lalvin C, 71B and SV6, with yeast 71B having done a better job at reducing T.A. to about 11.

Impressive T.A. had also a new selection MN-1256 (especially for the late harvest) - 6.9.

The U of M, HRC continues to work on select cold hardy table grape varieties. Peter noted that it would be ideal to select a hardy varietal with a similar taste as the Jupiter grape. They have nice seedlings based on the Louise Swenson grape. Their size and color are

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very similar to a Swenson Red cultivar.

Rootstock breeding project - screening for Phylloxera nodosites on roots. Potential for this project is to increase hardiness by grafting less hardy varieties into a hardy rootstock. For example, to improve hardiness of St. Pepin, they are being grafted into a good hardy rootstock.

Dr. Jim Luby gave a detailed summary of VitisGen and the Northern Grapes Project.

In each project involved, 12 Research Institutions and a numbers of highly professional specialists.

An interesting report, “Genetics of Powdery Mildew resistance in U of M grape breeding populations” was done by Soon Li Teh. In my opinion, it is an important area for Minnesota viticulture research because of the uncharacteristically

high levels of Bunch Rot and cracked berries from a late Powdery Mildew affliction last season. Genetic markers will help us to identify and discard early undesirable seedlings and to select desirable parents. By taking the time for selecting new promising varieties, it could save 4-5 years; the time of raising inferior vines to maturity, and avoiding the need to replace/re-grow.

U of M Vineyard Manager, John Thull presented the report “Vineyards and Wineries of Vermont”. John had a chance to visit most of the vineyards/wineries in Vermont in a short period of time last year. Personally, the interest for me to listen about Vermont viticulture was related to the multiple successes (golds and bestin-show awards) in a winemaking during the last 6 years, especially for Marquette and La Crescent wines. The wine industry in Vermont is mainly built on cold hardy cultivars. Growing zones are 4b-5 with an average of 10-15 acres per vineyard. Soil is very fertile and always has enough moisture, both of which help grow vines that are vigorous and very productive. Photos show that clusters were very big. Some La Crescent clusters were huge and nearly double the length of pruners.

Most vineyards are using Geneva Double Curtain (GDC) trellising systems, because of extreme vigor. John said that good growing practices and a good soil are the keys for viticulture success. In my personal opinion, it is hard to say at this moment, if there is a terroir that

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Central Lakes College partners with the Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA) to offer online classes taught by industry leaders. Students gain hands-on practical experience through mentoring with local vineyards and wineries. VESTA is a partnership of Universities, Two-Year Colleges, State Agricultural Agencies, Vineyards and Wineries in 19 states.

Visit us online at www.vesta-usa.org for more details.

Central Lakes College students can achieve an Associate of Applied Science Degree or Technical Certificate with online general education courses to complement VESTA technical courses. Also provided to our students is help in receiving financial assistance and finding mentors through the local Minnesota vineyards and wineries. A vineyard, pilot winery and laboratory, used for on site classes, are located at the Central Lakes College Ag and Energy Center in Staples, MN. For more information or questions contact Dennis: demsliedrummond@clmn.edu

22 the northern tier | spring/summer 2015

makes Vermont regions more desirable for a growing certain hybrids. I am thinking more and more that most hybrids need a good fertilization similar to table grape soil fertilization for a greater harvest and quality. John also shared pictures of a successful growing practice of some Vinifera in one Vermont vineyard, however, those varieties needed winter protection and more labor on pruning and harvesting.

Having attended these meetings for the last 15 years, the wine tasting again demonstrates how different sensory preferences are between consumers and perceptions of dry, semi-sweet, sweet, tannic or no tannic, variations of aromatic, or less perfumed/ neutral wines. Because we are all different, it only means - we really need a diverse range of wines that only hybrids can help us to achieve this goal.

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‘‘La Crescent’ grape (USPP 14,617) ‘‘Frontenac gris’ grape (USPP 16,478)

COLD HARDY GRAPES 26

Produce Gold Medal Wines

‘Marquette’ grape (USPP 19,579) Cold climate growers now look forward to a future filled with cold hardy and disease resistant grapes that produce award-winning wines.

Decades of University of Minnesota research led to the development of wine grape cultivars that are setting the standard in cold climate viticulture.

‘Marquette’, ‘Frontenac gris’, and ‘La Crescent’ grape varieties are patented in the US and Plant Variety Rights are pending in Canada and other territories. Propagation of these varieties is prohibited without a license. To obtain a license, visit www.license.umn.edu and Search Keyword: Grape.

Please purchase U of M grape varieties from Licensed Nurseries listed at www.grapes.umn.edu. Plus, see the rapidly growing list of exceptional medal winning wines, produced from U of M cold hardy grapes.

The University of Minnesota is committed to protecting its patented varieties and will ensure its rights against unlicensed propagators. ©2014 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved. the northern tier | spring 2015

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November

11-14 2015

VitiNord is an International Viticulture & Enology conference that happens every three years. This conference focuses on research and practices being used in Northern wine growing climates. Speakers from across the globe will share helpful strategies and useful information for vineyard and winery professionals.

Attendees come from around the globe to share and learn from each other on “Best Practices” and current techniques being used in cool and cold climate areas growing grapes. Vineyard owners, vineyard managers, winemakers, viticulture and enology faculty should attend this engaging conference.

Registration is Open www.vitinord2015.org Register now as space is limited. $290 per person now through September 1, 2015.

After September 1, 2015 the price is $350 per person.

Registration includes: Wednesday Opening Reception, Full Conference, Conference Meals, Wine Tastings, Trade Show, Saturday Innovation Tour and Farm-to-Table Dinner

2006 Riga, Latvia • 2009 Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec • 2012 Neubrandenberg, Germany/Szczecin, Poland