Northern Grapes Project Hosts Hybrid Seminars

Make plans now to attend the Eastern Winery Exposition and the Northern Grapes Symposium from March 17^th to 19^th at the Oncenter in Syracuse, NY. The Eastern Winery Exposition is a wine industry trade show and conference designed for Eastern U.S. and Canadian wineries and vineyards.

The Northern Grapes Symposium on March 18^th will comprise of five sessions featuring results of the project. In addition, three other sessions outside of the symposium will include Northern Grapes Project team members, who will present additional information generated by the project.

The first session, ‘Recovering from 2014 Winter Damage in New York and Ohio” will be given by Northern Grapes Project Director Timothy Martinson of Cornell University and Imed Dami of Ohio State University. This session will review the damage seen in both states and include information on how to recover from winter damage and prepare for future extreme cold events.

Dr. Murli Dharmadhikari of Iowa State University and Cornell University graduate student Alex Fredrickson will speak during session two, ‘Managing, Adding, and Enhancing Tannins for Red Hybrid Fermentations.” This presentation will cover current research on the sorption and retention of exogenous tannins during red hybrid wine production, including trials conducted as part of the Northern Grapes Project on tannin additions.

Session three, ‘Optimal Training Systems, Cropping Levels, and Canopy Management for Marquette, Frontenac, and La Crescent,” will again include Dr. Tim Martinson along with Dr. Gail Nonnecke of Iowa State University and Dr. Paolo Sabbatini of Michigan State University. Each speaker will present results from the Northern Grapes Project viticulture trials in his or her state.

In the fourth session, ‘Achieving Optimal Fruit Expression for White Hybrids,” Dr. Murli Dharmadhikari will be joined by wine industry members Craig Hosbach (Tug Hill Vineyards, Lowville, NY), Kristina Randazzo Ives (Coyote Moon Vineyards, Clayton, NY) and Seth McFarland (Mac’s Creek Winery and Vineyards in Lexington, NE). This session will include tastings of cold hardy white wines.

The fifth session ‘Northern Grapes Project: Scope and Accomplishments” will include Drs. Bill Gartner and Jim Luby of the University of Minnesota, and Dr. Anna Katharine Mansfield of Cornell University. Dr. Gartner will cover branding studies and Dr. Mansfield will discuss enology trials (including yeast selection, biological and chemical deacidification, and tannin addition) that were conducted as part of the Northern Grapes Project. Dr. Luby’s talk will provide and overall review of the Northern Grapes Project.

In addition to the Northern Grapes Symposium, on Thursday, March 19^th, Dr. Miguel Gomez of Cornell University and Dr. Miguel Gomez will present ‘Consumer Expectations and Buying Patterns in the Tasting Room: Study Results.” Dr. Gomez will focus results from studies looking at the impact of tasting sheet sensory descriptors and the impact of customer satisfaction on tasting room sales. Dr. McCole will present results from wine tourism studies, including the tourists themselves and tourism partnerships.

Mr. Mike White, Viticulture Extension Specialist at Iowa State University, will participate in Workshop 1, ‘Launching Your Vineyard or Winery,” on Tuesday, March 17^th. Mike has worked with the growing viticulture industry in Iowa and surrounding states for over 14 years, and will share knowledge he has compiled during this time.

Finally, Dr. Martinson will present again in ‘How to Achieve Economically Sustainable Vineyards with Quality Fruit” on Thursday, March 19^th. Dr. Martinson will discuss how to balance yield and quality with cropping levels, canopy management practices, and labor inputs.

The Eastern Winery Exposition will include 30 sessions and workshops, featuring over 40 speakers, in enology, money/marketing/management, and viticulture. The trade show will have over 200 exhibiting companies, offering show specials, hands-on demonstrations, and answers to product questions. In addition, there will be numerous networking opportunities and social events, as well as two auctions to raise scholarship money for students studying viticulture and enology.

Organizers of the Eastern Winery Exposition offer a variety of registration options to accommodate both interest and budget. Register here: http://www.easternwineryexposition.com/registration/