Nebraska Vine Lines
University of Nebraska Viticulture Program
Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Editors: Dr. Paul Read, Professor of Horticulture & Viticulture
Donna Michel, University of Nebraska Viticulture Program
September 2002 Vol. V, Issue 4
An Exciting, Challenging Summer
By: Paul E. Read, Viticulturist
University of Nebraska
Summer 2002 will go into the record book as one of the most devastating in
recent Nebraska agricultural history. So how did the drought, grasshoppers,
birds and other stresses affect the Nebraska grape industry? Impact varied
considerably, depending on vineyard age and location. Established vineyards have
deep roots and for the most part were not seriously affected by the dry
conditions. Irrigated vineyards had good yields; non-irrigated vineyards’ yields
were somewhat reduced but wine-grape quality was excellent. Keeping newly
planted vineyards alive and growing was a significant challenge, since young
vines’ roots take time to become well-established. Drip irrigation has proven to
be helpful, especially for new plantings and for vineyards in dryer areas.
Our “Grasshopper Alert” early in the season helped many growers, since early
treatment is essential - large, mature “hoppers” are extremely difficult to
control.
Other “Good News”: The dry weather brought good news on the disease front, since
many of the common disease problems are exacerbated by wet, humid conditions.
This meant a greatly reduced need for fungicide sprays and thus a savings in
chemicals and labor.
As we move toward the dormant season (for grapes), remember to stay active (not
dormant!) – attend educational programs, workshops, and conferences. Note
especially our Disease Management Workshop, on November 16, 2002, featuring Dr.
Mike Ellis, renowned grape and fruit plant pathologist; the Winemaking School on
November 22 and 23, 2002; and our Sixth Annual Nebraska Winery and GrapeGrowers
Forum to be held in Kearney, February 28th and March 1st, 2003. Also note other
opportunities in the “Calendar” section.
Was Growing Season 2002 exciting? Yes! Challenging? Indeed! Successful? Time
will tell, but our winemakers are enthusiastic about the grape quality, which
should mean great wines from Vintage Nebraska 2002. I, for one, can hardly wait
to sample them!
Paul E. Read
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Summer Field Days Successful In Spite of the Heat
Paul E. Read, Viticulturist
For the first time this year, two summer Field Days were scheduled and both were
successful. Over 100 attended the Field Day held on July 6th at Mac’s Creek
Vineyards in Lexington, NE. Attendees rotated among four stations, where
speakers addressed topics ranging from cultivar selection and specialized
equipment to pest management. This was also an opportunity to see Mac’s Creek
Vineyards new winery building and to learn of plans for this exciting new
enterprise (scheduled to open soon!)
The second Field Day was held on July 20th as a “rolling field day” in which
attendees visited three vineyards before returning to James Arthur Vineyards for
lunch and a look at tests being conducted by James Arthur Vineyards’ vineyard
managers and the University of Nebraska Viticulture Program. In spite of
temperatures over 100° F, over 80 hardy souls turned out for the field day.
Trellising methods were observed at all four vineyards and special note was made
of the weed management/mulch study. Attendees had ample opportunity to visit
with vineyard owners/managers and University personnel.
Special thanks go to the McFarland family, Vaughn Hammond, Dave Fairbanks, Carol
Ringenberg, and Paul Read for facilitating the July 6th Field Day held at Mac’s
Creek Vineyards and to the July 20th Field Day Planning Committee (Dale Lilyhorn,
Matt Rayno, Tim Hrdlicka, Jim Ballard, Eric Nelson and Paul Read) and the host
vineyards: Whispering Vines (Dale Lilyhorn), St. Marie Vineyard (Al Benes), the
Bret Davis vineyard and James Arthur Vineyards. We will be examining the
possibility of having one or more Field Days in other parts of the state in 2003
– please let us know how you liked these Field Days and please give us your
ideas for 2003 Field Day(s).
_________________________________________________________________________________________
WINEMAKING SCHOOL
November 22-23, 2002.
As noted in earlier communications, Murli Dharmadhikari, Director of the Midwest
Viticulture & Enology Center, Southwest Missouri State University, and Kim Rey,
Assistant to the Director, MVEC will be leading a team of experts in presenting
a winemaking school to be held in Lincoln on November 22 and 23, 2002. There are
only a few places left for additional participants, so if you wish to attend,
please send your check for $440.00 (make your check payable to the University of
Nebraska Viticulture Program) to:
Donna Michel
University of Nebraska Viticulture Program
377 Plant Science Hall
Lincoln, NE 68583-0724
Details of schedule, location, and parking permits will be sent before November
1, 2002. We will look forward to seeing you there.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Registration Form
Winemaking School, November 22-23, 2002
Name___________________________________________
Address____________________________City_______________State_____Zip____________
Telephone________________________________
Make checks payable to UNL Viticulture Program
_____________________________________________________________________________________
GRAPE DISEASE MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
November 16, 2002
University of Nebraska East Campus Student Union
Dr. Mike Ellis, Plant Pathologist, Ohio State University, will headline the
program for the Grape Disease Management Workshop, sponsored by the University
of Nebraska Viticulture Program and the Nebraska Winery and GrapeGrowers
Association to be held on November 16, 2002, at the East Campus Union,
University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Dr. Ellis, a widely acclaimed expert on grape
disease management, will present practical information along with discussing
principles of disease control. After lunch, a panel of Nebraska growers will
join Dr. Ellis to present their insights and experience. Following their short
presentations, questions will be taken from those in attendance. Get up-to-date
information and become better prepared to produce quality grapes by attending
this workshop. A Registration Form is provided below. Cost, including lunch,
break and a wine-tasting reception will be $25 per person
Registration will start at 8:30 a.m. with coffee and rolls. (On-site
registration will cost $35). The program will begin at 9:00 sharp.
Pre-registration $25.00 for NWGGA members and $30.00 for non-members. Includes
break, lunch, hand-outs, and our ever-favorite wine-tasting reception featuring
our great Nebraska Wines.
Send Check and Form to:
Donna Michel
University of Nebraska
Viticulture Program
377 Plant Science Hall
Lincoln, NE 68583-0724
______________________________________________________________________________________
Registration Form
GRAPE DISEASE MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
November 16, 2002
Name:____________________________________________________________________
Address:_________________________________City_____________________State_____Zip______
Telephone:_________________________________
Amount enclosed:_______________________
Additional attendees: Name_____________________________________
Make check payable to: UNL Viticulture Program - 377 Plant Science Hall,
Lincoln, NE 68583-0724
__________________________________________________________________________________
POST HARVEST VINEYARD CARE
The grapes are harvested, now you can relax-right? WRONG! Next year’s crop will
be affected by post-harvest vineyard practices. Some important Do’s and Don’t’s
are:
DO:
*∙ Clean up debris - prunings, litter, dropped fruit. These materials may harbor
disease inoculum.
* Remove “grow-tubes”, if not already off. (They should have been removed by
mid-August.)
*∙ Apply non-nitrogen fertilizers and lime if need is indicated by soil and/or
tissue tests. (Remember, petioles for tissue analysis should be taken at veraison.)
* Continue disease management to maintain healthy leaves until they’re killed by
frost.
* Order planting stock for 2003 plantings, if not already done. Many cultivars
that are in high demand may already be sold out or soon will be. (e.g.
‘Brianna’, ‘Prairie Star’ ‘LaCrescent', etc!).
∙* Plan to attend educational programs (See “Calendar” section).
DON’T:
* Apply nitrogen fertilizer
* Irrigate
* Prune. Fertilizing with nitrogen, irrigation and pruning late in the growing
season may promote soft new growth that will be vulnerable to winter injury.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
NEBRASKA WINERY & GRAPE GROWERS ASSOCIATION
Greetings from the distant northwest. Hope all of you have had a great summer.
Fall is arriving and so are the grapes. I am very excited for the fall meeting
to visit with everyone about how their grapes are doing. It is a very exciting
time here in Nebraska for this new industry. I would like to extend my personal
thank you to all those that helped make the State Fair booth a huge success.
Also, a big thank you to those who have been working on filling the vacancies in
this organization. As many of you have been following, the state is broke, so it
is fair to say that we are not in a position to acquire any funding from them at
this time. However, we still have some very serious issues to deal with, such as
the 15,000 gallon distribution figure. My district will have a new
representative come November and so will some of you as well. Now is the time to
talk with the new people and get them steered in the right direction. This is
one of the topics we will need to address this fall as we prepare for the
upcoming session. Contact Jim Ballard or myself if you have any questions,
comments or suggestions. Have a great fall and see you in Lincoln on November
16th for the Disease Management Workshop and in Kearney, NE on February 28th and
March 1st, 2003 for the Sixth Annual Forum.
Justin Moody, President
Winery Updates
JAMES ARTHUR VINEYARDS
It’s been a crazy..but fun harvest season at James Arthur
Vineyards. We're excited to see the fruition of the hard work in the vineyards.
We're also excited to celebrate our 5th Anniversary at James Arthur Vineyards.
On September 13, 1997 we first opened our doors. A lot of people thought we were
crazy then (some still do), but we've made a lot of good friends and hopefully
created a fun and unique experience for thousands of people who have visited us
over the last five years. We can't wait to see what the next five bring! In
celebration of our anniversary, we just released three new wines, each with
limited production. They are St. Vincent, St. Pepin, and a blush blend called
Bravo. We can't wait to see what people think of our new anniversary releases.
Finally, James Arthur Vineyards recently made the Wine Spectator, as our 2000
Edelweiss received a rating of 81. Apparently, only 100 wines from the Midwest
were invited to be sampled by the Spectator. Those that received ratings were
then featured in a special section in the July issue. Our Edelweiss was one of
only a handful to receive a rating. This is not only a big boost for JAV, but
the Nebraska wine industry as a whole, and hopefully just the beginning of
bigger and better things to come!
Jim and Barb Ballard
Cuthills Vineyards
The 7th Annual Wine & Wings Festival went well this year despite rain Saturday
morning and the football game Saturday night. The numbers were down a bit this
year, but still very successful with visitors from 13 states. A big thank you to
the 44 volunteers who helped everything run smoothly. The 8th Annual Wine &
Wings Festival is set for August 23, 24, 2003.
Cuthills Vineyards started harvest August 31st and so far the quality of the
deChaunac, Marechal Foch, St. Croix, Leon Millot, and Chancellor look very
good.. The quality of the Seyval Blanc, Traminette and Edelweiss harvested at
our grower, Geo. Spencer Vineyards also look to be good. Quantities this year
are looking to be better than last year. The LaCrosse was harvested September
14th & 15th. The few vines of Brianna at Cuthills have not been picked yet, but
if anyone is wondering what the sugar potential is of this grape, it is at 24
brix at this time.
Cuthills Vineyards Mead is going international! Working with an exporter,
Cuthills Vineyards Mead will be shipped to Korea in just a few weeks. The
semi-sweet wine pairs well with Asian cuisine and spicy foods.
Ed and Holly Swanson
Lover’s Leap Vineyard
It has been a long hot summer, but a very good one. From Memorial Day to Labor
day we saw a 61% increase in guests at our winery tasting room. The grapes have
done very well this summer despite the heat. No hail, no wind and lots of drip
irrigation have made for some nice yields on some of the grapes. Our harvest
started in the southern panhandle around the 2nd week in August at Ellen
Burdick’s Edelweiss patch, nice fruit and good numbers. We will try to wrap up
harvest this weekend (Sept 20-22) with our Ventura and Concord. Due to new rules
regarding ice wine we have to now freeze them on the vine so we have left about
1/4 of an acre of LaCrosse to see if they will indeed hang that long. With bird
nets in place we sit and wait, hopefully it will be before turkey day. Our 2001
Harvest White is still doing very well in competitions, with the latest medals
coming from Indy and Colorado where it took Silver and Gold. Watch for the 2001
Chancellor which should be released in October or November. After a lengthy
fight with the state over access to our new property along hwy 20, it has been
resolved and dirt should be flying soon, projected opening for new winery and
tasting room is now May 2003. Hope everyone had a great summer!
Justin Moody
Millenium Wines, Inc.
Lexington, NE
Harvest to be completed soon. We will open the winery to the public later this
year, 2002. Millenium Wines is located near Lexington. From the Lexington I-80
interchange go ½ mile south, 2 miles west and ½ mile south on U.S. Hwy 283. It
is only a short 3 miles from the Interstate on the way to Johnson Lake. We will
have Reds and Whites for sale upon opening. The hours are planned at this time
to be from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. We had our Annual
Millenium party on July 21st with over 100 people in attendance. Although a
windy evening, those in attendance enjoyed visiting the vines, tasting the
wines, excellent food and a live band. We also had our first “Millenium Stomp
Party” September 8th. It was a harvest party with guests and some of our harvest
crew celebrating our first true harvest. We have our licenses and will be
putting finishing touches on the winery as we approach opening day. Our vineyard
is south of the winery 1.5 miles and is open to the public for viewing. So far
lots of interest from friends, neighbors, and wine enthusiasts in general.
David Hanna
for
Millenium Wines, Inc.
FOUR WINDS VINEYARD, LLC and WINERY
Ashland, NE
It has been an exciting year so far for Four Winds. Construction on the Winery
was completed early this Spring, so work on the inside has begun. We are now in
the process of signing growers (interest has been good). We hope to complete our
licensing this fall so processing can begin. We plan on a Spring opening of the
Winery Gift Shop and a Fall 2003 grand opening for the Winery.
Edward & Teresa Kresak
Ashland, NE
BLUE VALLEY VINEYARDS
Crete, NE
Blue Valley is right in the midst of finishing their harvest, crushing and
fermenting. Please join us on our website.
SOARING WINGS VINEYARD
Springfield, NE
Greetings from Soaring Wings Vineyard:
Nearly all of our time this spring and summer was taken up with the
establishment of the vineyard. It has been a difficult summer to start up a
vineyard in which we learned some valuable and sometimes hard lessons. As most
of you know we planted over 2700 vines which was quite a chore all by itself. A
good portion of those vines were greenhouse plants, which tend to have a higher
mortality rate. Throw in one of the hottest and driest summers in a number of
years, a large infestation of beetles that took up residence when I was out of
country for three weeks, swarms of grasshoppers taking just a bite or two, and a
persistent weed problem that I had a very hard time getting a handle on, and
flooding rains of over 10 inches in just a couple of days, and you have one
intense summer. Two of our varieties are looking at a 10% loss. Some others only
had a 0.3% loss. I must admit I thought the losses were going to be much higher.
The rains, although they did an enormous amount of erosion damage, helped save
most of the plants. Plants that looked dead for several weeks re-budded. We do
have a significant amount of plants that have totally overgrown their bamboo
support, which is good. We will complete the trellising during the fall and
winter. By the way, a couple valuable lessons. I was told that pre-emergent may
slow down root growth, which it might, but the competition of weeds, and grass
in particular will slow down the root development much more. Most of the plants
that I lost were in areas of weed pressure. It makes a big difference. So when
establishing your vineyard use a pre-emergent. I read that the use of growth
tubes will result in less root development. This is also probably true, but the
time saved in trimming and the ability to liberally use herbicide is worth the
loss. Trust me on this.
As for the winery, we still hope to begin making wine next fall. It all depends
on the growers. If we can make at least 2500 gallons, which looks very likely,
we will start-up the wine making process in a temporary facility in the fall and
open the winery for sales in the spring. There has been a steady stream of
curious folks coming out to see if that crazy guy can get grapes to grow in a
cornfield! Most of the people in the area seem to be excited about the prospect
for a winery in this area.
Cheers,
Jim and Sharon Shaw
Soaring Wings Vineyard
Mac's Creek Vineyard
Lexington, NE
The inspiration for Mac's Creek Vineyards & Winery comes from a true love of
family and community. Our family has lived in central Nebraska for well over
one-hundred years. It is our hope to give back to the people of this area a
business they can be proud of. We invite you to be a part of our family and join
us in promoting our home!
The McFarlands
The harvest is now complete, the grapes are in the tank and are fermenting. We
are still looking for a mid-November opening. The July Field Day went extremely
well with over 100 people in attendance. We are all now looking forward to the
Disease Workshop in Lincoln and the spring Forum in Kearney.
Whiskey Run Creek Winery
Brownville, NE
Memorial Day week-end we opened up for tours. Although as of yet we don't have
wines to sell, we thought people might be interested in seeing the "almost"
final buildings. Approximately 2,600 people came through our tours. More than
pleasantly surprised, we never estimated that much interest. We now look forward
to seeing all of you on September 28, 2002 for our grand opening at 11:00 a.m.
Bob Curttright
SIXTH ANNUAL NEBRASKA WINERY & GRAPEGROWERS
FORUM AND TRADE SHOW
February 28, 2003 and March 1st, 2003.
Ramada Inn, Kearney, NE
Plans are already underway to make this the best Forum
and Trade Show ever. We already have several exhibitors signed up. Some of the
states represented are Minnesota, New York, Washington, Kansas, Missouri and
Pennsylvania. Three main speakers have accepted to speak G. Stanley Howell,
Michigan State University, Grape Specialist, the “Father of the Modern Michigan
Industry”; Bruce Reisch, Professor, Cornell University, Geneva, NY., grape
breeder and genetists;”; and Anne Fennell, Professor and Specialist -- cold
hardiness research, South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D.
“Young Persons” evening available banquet night!
We hope you are all as excited as we are to have our first-ever “Young Persons
Evening” at our Sixth Annual Nebraska Winery and GrapeGrowers Forum and Trade
Show. Max McFarland has arranged for the “Graduate Students Association of
School Psychology” from the University of Nebraska-Kearney to head our “Young
Persons Evening” during the wine tasting and banquet. Supper and activities will
be planned for our “young persons” so mom and dad can attend the wine tasting
and banquet. There will be a small fee for “supper”. Of course, they are always
welcome to accompany you at the Banquet. However, this will give you a chance to
have a relaxing wine tasting experience and a wonderful banquet too. Activities
will be planned for all ages.
Committee Volunteers
Thanks to all of you who have offered to participate on a Committee. The
response has been great! We’ll be putting the names of committees and what
additional assistance we could use in our next issue. Again, thank you for
volunteering!
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA - VITICULTURE PROGRAM DATES TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR
November 16th, 2002. - University of Nebraska - “Disease Management Workshop”
will be held at the University of Nebraska - East Campus Union. Mark your
calendars.
November 22nd and 23rd, 2002 . Beginning Winemaking School will be offered. We
still have a few openings, let us know of your interest. (Send form found
elsewhere in this issue).
February 28 and March 1, 2003. Sixth Annual Nebraska Winery & GrapeGrowers Forum
and Trade Show. More information will be forthcoming in our next issue!
Planning Ahead - Future Forums
2004 - March 5 and 6 - Holiday Inn, Kearney, NE
2005 - March 4 and 5 - Holiday Inn, Kearney, NE
FOR YOUR CALENDAR
October 11, 2002. Food Processing Center Announces 2002 Entrepreneur Seminar
Dates. The Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, announces the
2002 “From Product to Profit” seminar, October 11, 2002. Designed exclusively to
help entrepreneurs succeed in the food industry. To receive a Food Entrepreneur
Assistance Program informational packet and seminar registration form, please
contact: Arlis Burney, Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska, 143 H.C.
Filley Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583-0928. Phone: 402/472-8930, E-mail: aburney@unlnotes.unl.edu
or Web Site: http://foodsci.unl.edu/fpc/market/ent.htm.
October 21, 2002. Horticultural Crops Direct Marketing Workshop - Extension
Resource Center, Brookings, SD. Topics to include State Services and Resources,
Marketing Horticulture Specialty Crops, Farmers Markets, Sioux Falls Farmers
Markets. New Ideas, Native Fruit Wines: what a processor looks for from
producers; Organic Production; Agritourism and more!! For more information
contact Dr. Burrows at Rhoda_Burrows@sdstate.edu or 605/688-4731.
January 28-30, 2003. Mid-America Fruit Growers Conference, Olathe, KS. For more
information contact Michele Warmund, 573-882-9632.
February 8-10, 2003. Midwest Grape & Wine Conference, TanTara, Lake of the
Ozarks, for more information contact: Jim Anderson 573-751-6807.
March 16-18, 2003. Wineries Unlimited 2003. Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Publication Available:
Growing Table Grapes in a Temperate Climate, Extension Bulletin E-2774, from
Michigan State University Extension. Cost $8.50 and can be purchased by sending
your request and check to: Paul Read, University of Nebraska, Viticulture
Program, 377 Plant Science Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583-0724; or by calling Donna
Michel at 402/472-8747.
And last but not least – We want to introduce Steve Gamet, Assistant
Viticulturist, for the University of Nebraska, Viticulture Program. He has a
Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from the University of Nebraska. Steve comes to
us after years as supervisor in Landscape Services for the University of
Nebraska. He will be assisting in our cold hardiness research, cultivar
evaluations, rootstock studies, weed management studies and others as they are
developed. Steve and his family have an operating vineyard in Ogallala, NE.
Steve is married to Kimberly and they have 2 beautiful children. Meredith is 10
months and Mikayla is 10 years. Join us as we welcome Steve and his family.
University of Nebraska
Viticulture Program
377 Plant Science Hall
Lincoln, NE 68583-0724
The Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. It is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to
discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion and
marital status, veteran’s status, national or ethnic origin or sexual
orientation.
*************************************************************************************
University of Nebraska
