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Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute

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About the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute

The Midwest Grape & Wine Industry Institute at Iowa State University was approved by the Iowa Board of Regents in September 2006.The Institute is the first of its kind in Iowa. The formation of the Institute is a result of the state’s evolving grape & wine industry.

Food Sciences Building
Buckets

Goals of the Institute include:

  • Conducting research to evaluate cold-hardy grape varieties that can thrive in the Midwest
  • Conducting enology (the science of wine & winemaking) research
  • Establishing an outreach program to the industry by training a team of specialists
  • Creating an educational and hands-on skills apprenticeship program to supply the needs of the wine industry throughout Iowa and the Midwest
  • Provide a service laboratory for Iowa and surrounding state wineries for testing and wine quality evaluation

Our Location

2312 Food Sciences Building
Ames, IA 50011-1061

515-294-3308
wine@iastate.edu

Facilities

Analytical and Service Labs

Our research lab uses separation instrumentation such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to analyze the chemical composition of grape and wine samples. Our service laboratory uses industry-standard bench chemistry methods for common winemaking parameters. These two adjoining lab spaces are located on the second floor of the Food Sciences Building.

Sensory Labs

In addition to a food-grade lab space for preparing sensory samples, we use the Sensory Evaluation Labs in the Food Sciences Building to provide a controlled tasting environment.

Winery

In 2019, we began the construction of a winery space in the Food Science Building here at Iowa State University. We plan to use this space to conduct winemaking research, for workshops and trainings, and produce limited quantities of commercial wines. We will be using grapes grown and harvested from the ISU Horticulture Station. Our first wine production will be Fall of 2021.

Horticulture Research Station

The Horticulture Research Station, located North of Ames, is comprised of 235 acres. It is home to an average of 90 different research projects per year investigated by various faculty and staff from the University. The station houses the NE-1720 cold-hardy wine grape cultivar plot as well as two vineyard blocks of La Crescent and Marquette wine grapes on two trellis systems.

Staff

Ruth MacDonald, Ph.D

Director

Area of Expertise: Food Science, Nutrition

ruthmacd@iastate.edu

515-294-5991

Erin Norton, Ph.D

Associate Director

Area of Expertise: Enology and Research

elnorton@iastate.edu

515-294-1555

Bill Colonna, Ph.D

Research Scientist

Area of Expertise: Biochemistry and Research

wcolonna@iastate.edu

515-294-7357

Andrew J. Makowski

Research Scientist and Lab Manager

Area of Expertise: Analytical Chemistry

drewmak@iastate.edu

515-294-3176

Jocey Caelwaerts

Communications Specialist

Area of Expertise: Communications and Design

joceyc@iastate.edu

515-294-3308

Affiliates

Aude Watrelot, Ph.D

Affiliate Professor

Assistant Professor

Extension Enology Specialist

watrelot@iastate.edu

515-294-0343

Website

Suzanne Slack, Ph.D

Affiliate Professor

Assistant Professor

Extension Fruit Crops Specialist

slacksuz@iastate.edu

515-294-2751

website

Randall Vos, Ph.D

Extension Fruit Crops Field Specialist

rjvos@iastate.edu

641-660-5710

Advisory Board

In early 2007, an advisory board was established for the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute. The role of the board is to serve as an advisory panel to the director. The board’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to: advising the director on establishing program (research, education, outreach and service) priorities; providing input in work planning; advising on structure of operations, policies and procedures; assisting in fundraising and budget allocations; and assisting with program evaluation. The board includes representatives from Iowa State University and other educational institutions, Iowa grape and wine industry members, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Officers are elected annually.

Board Members

Jay Harmon, Ph.D.

Director

Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension and Outreach
Iowa State University

Lorraine Lanningham-Foster, Ph.D

Department Chair of Food Sciences and Human Nutrition

Iowa State University

Jeffery Iles, Ph.D

Professor and Chair
Department of Horticulture
Iowa State University

Christie Jensen

Marketing Director
Iowa Wine Growers Association

Katie Kenne

 Tourism Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, Iowa Economic Development Authority

Paul Ovrom, Ph.D.

Bureau Chief
State Horticulturist
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Chris Larsen

President
Iowa Wine Growers Association
Owner of Compass Hill Vineyard

Doug Bakker

Winery Representative

Owner of Madison County Winery
St. Charles, IA

Kevin Fifo

Winery Representative
Owner of Covered Bridges Winery

Winterset, IA

Bob Wersen

Winery Representative

Owner of Tassel Ridge Winery
Leighton, IA

Mason Groben

Winery Representative
Owner of Jasper Winery

Des Moines, IA

Dorothy O’Brien

Winery Representative

Owner of Wide River Winery
Clinton, IA

Anne Zwink

Winery Representative
Winemaker of Soldier Creek Winery

Fort Dodge, IA

Brian Jones

Vineyard Representative

Owner of 3 Sons Vineyard
Columbus Junction, IA

Attend an Advisory Board Meeting

Meetings are open to audit by all interested parties. Please contact us if you would like to attend.

Contact the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute

To learn more about the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute, find out about our research projects, or to attend a board meeting, please reach out to us.

Contact Us
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Contact Us

Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute

2312 Food Sciences Building
Ames, IA 50011-1061

Email us at wine@iastate.edu
Call us at 515-294-3308
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