Midwest Wine Press

Wisconsin Grape and Wine Industry Survey Released

by · April 27, 2013

The 2011 Grape and Wine Industry Survey was released recently by the United States Department of Agriculture Statistics Service. The Wisconsin Grape Growers and the Wisconsin Winery Associations also helped with the survey which was mailed during June of 2012. (Midwest Wine Press does not know why the survey is called the “2011 Survey.” The information was compiled in 2012 and released in 2013.)

Among the highlights:

  • Three of the four most commonly planted commercial grapes in Wisconsin are now University of Minnesota varietals; Marquette, Frontenac and Frontenac Gris.  (Marechal Foch is the other.)
  • Marquette now has the most acres under cultivation of any cultivar.  Although there are 67.8 total planted acres of Marquette in Wisconsin, only 38.8 acres are bearing fruit.  This disparity is the result of the relative youth of the state’s Marquette vines, which average 3.4 years of age.
  • Concord is falling by the wayside as a wine grape in Wisconsin.  Concord acreage is down to 15 bearing acres and the average age of Concord vines is 22.5 years.
  • Nine and one half vineyards per year were added in Wisconsin between 2005 and 2011.  There are now over 100 commercial vineyards in Wisconsin.
  • The majority of Wisconsin vineyards are under two acres.  The largest vineyard is 24 acres.
  • Disease and insect management are most problematic for Wisconsin growers. Unlike other Midwestern states, herbicide drift is not a major problem in Wisconsin.
  • Most of the states vineyards are concentrated in the southwest part of the state.
See related story: Grape Production Expands in Vernon County Wisconsin 

See related story:  Wisconsin Expert Addresses the State of the Grapes 

For more information see: Wisconsin Grape and Wine Industry Survey

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Mark Ganchiff

Mark Ganchiff is the publisher of Midwest Wine Press, the leading source of news on the growing wine industry in the central United States. Mark has been a wine judge at the 2012 and 2014 INDY International Wine Competition, the 2014 Cold Climate Wine Competition, the 2013 Mid-American Wine Competition, the 2012 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition and the 2013 Michigan Wine Competition. He also enjoys speaking at wine events including the Cold Climate Wine Conference, the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association Annual Meeting, the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference and the Wisconsin Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Mark's articles about regional wine have appeared in Vineyard & Winery Management, WineMaker and several regional magazines. Mark is a Level One Sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers. He lives in Louisville, but also has a residence in Chicago.

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