Midwest Wine Press Top 10 Stories for 2012
Weather related news dominated Midwest Wine Press during 2012. Record setting March warmth was followed by a widespread April freeze which did extensive damage to vineyards across the Midwest. Excessive heat and drought during the summer also effected regional grape. Summer tasting room traffic was curtailed by the hot weather in many areas.
However, Midwest Wine Press’ top story was not about grapes, wine or even humans. Midwest Wine Press’ Midwest Winery Dog of the Year is our top story with over 5,000 page views to date.
The Midwest Winery Dog of the Year Contest will end on January 13 and the winner will be announced during the following week.
Top 10 Stories in Midwest Wine Press for 2012:
1. Midwest Winery Dog of the Year Contest
2. Frost Protection Damage for the Small Grower– Columnist John Marshall of Great River Vineyard in Lake City, MN examined the frost protection potential of KDL fertilizer in a January 2012 article that was viewed over 1,400 times.
3. Grape Freeze Damage Extensive in Ohio, Michigan and New York– Midwest Wine Press continually updated frost and freeze damage reports throughout April and May of 2012. We were the only publication to provide current, detailed information about the bizarre spring weather and its effects on local growers. Our Kansas City based Managing Editor, Danny Wood, did an excellent job of staying on top of a fast-moving situation.
4. Four Simple Ways to Increase Tasting Room Revenue– The author of this article, Patty Held of Hermann, Missouri, is Midwest Wine Press’ most popular columnist. Her stories about winery marketing have built a large and growing following.
5. Northern Michigan Hard Cider Production Expands– Hard cider is a beverage that Midwest Wine Press began covering in 2012. It’s a complimentary product for regional wine producers, plus apple production is well established in the Midwest. The author of this popular story about Michigan hard cider, Howard Lovy of Traverse City, Michigan, also writes the “Michigan Wine Wire” column in Midwest Wine Press.
6. Minnesota and Wisconsin Distribution Differences Wider Than the Mississippi– Distribution regulations are unfair, inefficient and generally work against smaller, regional wine producers. This story examines how Minnesota’s relatively accommodating wine regulations have helped local wineries while Wisconsin laws largely favor large distributors. Look for more coverage of distribution laws and trends in 2013.
7. Northern Sun Winery Rises in the UP of Michigan– The pioneering spirit of Midwest Wine is best exemplified by estate wineries at the fringes of accepted grape growing limits. With lots of help from their friends, David and Suzie Anthony of Northern Sun Winery have created a destination winery near Escanaba, Michigan (above 45 degrees North) which specializes in wines made from cold climate grapes.
8. Four Daughters Winery Opens in Minnesota– This story, published at the end of 2011, tells the story of the Vogt family of Southern Minnesota who started a vineyard and winery on a 5,000 acre row crop farm. Winemaker Justin Osborne, the husband of Kristin Osborne, one of the “four daughters,” left his construction career to become winemaker. Four Daughter’s 2011 LaCrescent went on to win Best of Show at the 2012 Cold Climate Conference.
9. Brianna Grape is Midwest’s New Tropical Fruit– Named by Ed Swanson of Cuthills Vineyard in Nebraska and created by cold climate grape breeder extraordinaire Elmer Swenson, Brianna has a bright future. This story was written by Matt Maniscalco from Michigan who writes many of the popular varietal profiles for Midwest Wine Press.
10. Keg Wine Comes To The Midwest– Karen Edwards from Ohio wrote this April story about how keg wine is expanding in the Midwest. Midwest Wine Press supports the efforts of wine producers and restaurants to implement more economical wine packaging.
