Wine-Grower-News #7
June 21, 2007 .
Information included in this issue includes:
Leaf Removal
Kicker Canes Can be Used to Reduce Vigor
Grape Grower Contract Resources
Weed ID Resources for the Vineyard
Vineyard Locations & Activities at ISU Research Farms
ISU Climatologist - Elwynn Taylor’s Top 12 Weather Links (5-26-06)
Vineyard Field Day – Richard Black Farm – Saturday, July 21, 2007
Tax and Trade Bureau Winery Record Keeping & Labeling Seminar, Tues. July 13, 2007
American Society for Enology & Viticulture- Eastern Section Conference, July 15-17, 2007
Gallo Family Vineyards most powerful wine brand in the World
Neeto Keeno WWW Stuff
Leaf Removal
Leaf removal in the fruiting zone will improve air movement, spray penetration, ripening and wine quality characteristics. The potential of bunch rots is reduced for tight clustered varieties. Leaf pulling is typically done on the shade side of the canopy which is either the east side of N-S rows and the north side of E-W rows. Some leaf pulling may be done on the sun side of very dense canopies.
Leaf pulling is more adapted for upright growing canopies where there is a definite fruiting zone that can be easily exposed. Leaf pulling is typically done right after fruit set with one or more additional passes before veraison to remove old and yellow leaves. Waiting until late in the season or after veraison can lead to severe sunburn to the fruit. One to three leaves are often removed at the base of each shoot and around clusters. The goal of leaf removal is to expose 50-75% of the fruit to the sun and to increase air flow.
One precaution though. Leaves contribute to the development of the bud at the base of their stem. An immature bud that loses its leaf in the spring should not be expected to produce a healthy, fruitful and vigorous shoot the following year. For this reason it is a good idea to avoid removal of the first leaf on a shoot:
a. p. 60, Midwest Grape Growers Guide: http://ohioline.osu.edu/b919/index.html
b. Canopy Mgt, Chap 7, p 26, Mid-Atlantic Grape Growers Guide:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/resources/winegrape/ag535-2.pdf
c. Grape Growers Notebook: http://www.grapeguru.grapegrowersolutions.com/fruitripening.htm
Kicker Canes Can be Used to Reduce Vigor
One method to reduce canopy density and shading on overly vigorous vines is the use of vigor diversion canes. The practice involves retaining one or more extra or “disposable” canes at pruning time, which greatly increases the total number of buds retained per vine. These extra canes are sometimes called “kicker” canes. The kicker canes are allowed to grow until about mid-season, by which time the extra shoot growth has had an overall vigor reduction effect on canopy shoot growth. The most difficult aspect of implementing vigor diversion is to find a way to hold the kicker canes away from the fruiting canopy so they don’t interfere with spray penetration or shade the canopy. Using sucker sprouts for kicker canes and training them onto a low ground wire would be one way to keep the kicker canes away from the fruiting canopy.
a. Canopy Mgt by Dr. Ed Hellman, Texas Coop Extension:
http://winegrapes.tamu.edu/grow/canopy.shtml
Grape Grower Contract Resources
Most of Iowa’s winegrape growers do not have a formal contract with the winery they intend to sell to. Most sale and delivery arrangements seem to be based on a handshake or verbal promise. Most of the formal contracts are renegotiated on a yearly basis. A few wineries are looking into negotiating long term contracts. As our vine/wine industry matures, formal contracts will become the norm. A 1999 survey of 12,000 California wine growers showed that over 90% of California grape growers grow grapes under a formal contract.
Here are five sites you can visit to learn more about grape grower contracts and several example contracts you can download for free:
1. Contract Use Widespread in the California WineGrape Industry, May/June 2002.
http://calag.ucop.edu/0203MJ/pdfs/winecontracts.pdf
2. Allied Grape Growers of California example contract:
http://www.alliedgrapegrowers.org/pdf/marketingagreement.pdf
3. Example contract at Virginia Tech: http://www.fst.vt.edu/extension/enology/extonline/harvest.html
4. VineGrape, Washington State Association of Winegrape Growers Contract Checklist:
http://www.vinewise.org/222.html
5. Wood and Water Winery, Apache OK has put an example point of sale contract, yearly contract
and a long term contract right on their WWW site for free download. You can find them here:
http://www.woodsandwaterswinery.com/registerandinfo.html
Weed ID Resources for the Vineyard
1. Univ. Of IL Weed ID: http://weedid.aces.uiuc.edu/
2. Iowa’s List of Noxious Weeds: http://www.weeds.iastate.edu/reference/noxiousimages.shtml
3. ISU Weed Seedling ID: http://www.weeds.iastate.edu/weed-id/weedid.htm
4. Common Weed Seedlings in Michigan: http://web1.msue.msu.edu/msue/iac/e1363/e1363.htm
5. Virginia Tech Weed ID: http://www.ppws.vt.edu/weedindex.htm
6. Rutgers Univ.Weed Gallery: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/weeds/
Vineyard Locations & Activities at ISU Research Farms
The Iowa State University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences has 13 outlying research and demonstration farms in Iowa. These farms are key assets for ISU researchers and Extension personnel to demonstrate and research new technology, livestock, agriculture crops, horticulture crops, and equipment. ISU currently has research vineyards on 5 of these farms. They are:
Armstrong Farm – Lewis, Iowa
Horticulture Station – Gilbert, Iowa
Northeast Farm – Nashua, Iowa
Southeast Farm – Crawfordsville, Iowa
Neely – Kinyon – Greenfield (small organic research vineyard)
Dr. Gail Nonnecke and Dr. Paul Domoto along with their graduate students are doing the vineyard research at the Armstrong Farm, Horticulture Station, Northeast Farm and Southeast Farm. Dr. Kathleen Delate and her graduate students are doing organic vineyard research on the Neely-Kinyon Farm and at several private cooperator sites around the state. Feel free to stop by and look at these vineyards if you are planning to be in the area. But,… I would suggest contacting the farm manager before jumping into the car. Pesticide applications or other activities may interfere with a vineyard visit. Further information about these farms and the farm manager contact information can be found here: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/farms/
Past annual research reports from these farms can be found here:
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/farms/progress_report.php
Upcoming Crops, Livestock and Horticulture field days can be found here:
http://www.ag.iastate.edu/farms/fielddays.php
ISU Climatologist - Elwynn Taylor’s Top 12 Weather Links (5-26-06)
World Forecasts http://www.worldweather.org/
US Forecasts etc. http://www.weather.gov/
Precipitation estimate http://www.srh.noaa.gov/rfcshare/precip_analysis_new.php
World photo http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/data/comp/latest_cmoll.gif
SST: El Niño http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/
SOI (click “table”) http://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/
Outlooks (CPC) http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/forecasts/
Iowa data http://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/index.phtml
IA Climatologist http://www.agriculture.state.ia.us/climatology.htm
RI: http://www.mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/~windmill/RIpage.html
Upper air http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/uamap.html
(Choose: 700mb, use NO observations, Northern Hemisphere)
Current weather http://asp1.sbs.ohio-state.edu/
Listen to Elwynn on WOI-AM 640 kHz (12:50pm daily, 12:10pm Fri.)
Listen on the web http://www.woi.org/Stream.html
Vineyard Field Day – Richard Black Farm – Saturday, July 21, 2007
Location: 3228 Xenia Ave., Farnhamville, IA 515-467-5574
Directions to the farm: From Rinard: IA go 2 mi. east on county road D46 and then 1.25 mi.
south of Zenia Ave. From Farnhamville: go 2.5 mi. west on Hwy 175 then 3.75 mi.
north on Xenia Ave.
Concurrent Sessions
9:30 AM Viticulture 101 – Getting Started Iowa Wine Quality Issues
Eli Bergmeier, Univ. of MO Lucas McIntire, Winemaker, Dubuque, IA
11:00 AM Advanced Grape Plant Nutrition Starting a Winery: The Practicality, Risks,
Randall Vos, DMACC Resources, and Rewards
Jean & Paul Groben of Jasper Winery &
Craig Tordsen, ISU
1:00 PM Developing a Program for Vineyard Winery Licensing and Related Laws
Disease and Pest Control Lynn Walding, Iowa ABD
Eli Bergmeier, Univ. of MO, and
Randall Vos, DMACC
2:30 PM Grape Cultivar Research and Rec’s Sensory Qualities of Wine
Paul Domoto, ISU Murli Dharmadhikari, ISU
3:30 PM Wine Tasting, Murli Dharmadhikari, ISU
Pre-registration Fee - $35 (postmarked by July 14th) After this date: $45. Send your contact info and registration fee to ISU – Calhoun Co. Extension Office, 521 4th St. Rockwell City, IA 50579 (712-297-8611)
Lunch provided. Bring Mosquito Protection.
Sponsored by Roetta BP Studios and Vineyard and ISU Extension.
Tax and Trade Bureau Winery Record Keeping & Labeling Seminar, Tues. July 13, 2007
When: Friday, July 13, 2007
Where: DMACC Campus, Building 7: http://www.dmacc.edu/MapDirectionsAnkeny.asp
Agenda: 9:00 AM Daily Records and Operational Reports
10:30 AM Break
10:45 AM Excise Tax and Excise Tax Returns
Noon Lunch
1:00 PM Wine Labeling
2:30 PM Break
2:45 PM Questions and Answers
4:30 PM Adjourn
Registration: $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Includescoffee & pasta and handouts materials. Lunch is on your own. Please RSVP by July 6, 2007 by contacting the IWGA office at 800-383-1682.
Sponsored by: Iowa Wine Growers Association
American Society for Enology & Viticulture- Eastern Section Conference, July 15-17, 2007
When: Sunday – Tuesday, July 15-17, 2007. Where: Holiday Inn Conference Center, Lehigh Valley, (Allentown) PA Cost: $250 for members, $300 for non-members. $50 late registration fee after June 29, 2007.
$30 annual membership fee. Complete information here: http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/fst/asev/
Gallo Family Vineyards most powerful wine brand in the World
(5-10-07) A survey released this week has named Gallo Family Vineyards the world's most powerful wine brand.The survey - The Power 100, was put together by brand consultants Intangible Business. Complete article here: http://www.decanter.com/news/119053.html
Neeto-Keeno WWW Stuff
1. Purdue Univ. Winegrape Action Team:
http://www.foodsci.purdue.edu/research/labs/enology
2. Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Mgt.: http://icwdm.org/
3. Wine Spectator’s Online Video Theatre:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,742596,00.html
Past issues archived here: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/ag/newsletters/winegrowers.html
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