University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Paul Read, professor of horticulture and viticulture in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, was invited to present a featured lecture at the joint Enology/Viticulture Session at the Eastern Winery Exposition held March 12–14 in Syracuse, New York.
Co-authored by fellow agronomy and horticulture colleagues Stephen Gamet and Benjamin Loseke, Read presented “Does Crop Size Reduction Make Better Wine,” to an audience of over 150 grape and wine experts attending the conference.
Read’s team initiated a study to assess the potential benefits of crop size reduction on the quality of grapes and wines derived from hybrid cold climate varieties in Nebraska. They examined two crop reduction treatments (25% and 50%) against a no-reduction control across various cultivars, notably Marquette (red) and Itasca (white). Following harvest, grapes from each group underwent laboratory analysis, and wines produced were subjected to sensory evaluations. Aside from the anticipated decrease in yield, they observed minimal variations in berry attributes and found no significant disparity in wine quality.
The research presented provided guidance to growers of cold-climate grape cultivars, which is important to not only Nebraska growers but also states in much of the upper Midwest and Northeastern United States.
“Audience questions and comments reflected a high level of interest and will be instructive for future research,” Read said.
The Eastern Winery Exposition, which includes workshops, is the largest grape and wine conference east of the Pacific coastal states and embodies the largest trade show focused on grapes and wine in eastern North America.
