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EAST Virginia VINTAGE 2012 February 6-8, 2013 Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Rochester, NY Learn, Shop, Network Viticulture 2013 is your chance to learn, shop, and network with industry colleagues from over 20 states and several foreign countries. Three days of seminars cover viticulture, enology, legal/regulatory, finance, and marketing, starting with a huge ���Big Picture��� overview and the Northern Grapes Symposium supplemented by lots of topics covered by the world���s top experts. And it���s only $295, which includes all seminars, planned meals and receptions, and trade show access. growing season in Virginia allowed Cabernet Sauvignon to achieve good mal across the state. Minimal spring frost damage allowed most Virginia vineyards to pull in a full crop. Hot weather was prominent through the summer months, but in September and October the weather was considerably cooler. Weather: Hot weather prevailed during the growing season, but in early September it cooled down to more pleasant ripening temperatures. Two large storms caused some trellis and fence damage���the derecho (a sudden and violent wind storm) in June and Hurricane Sandy in late October. Neither storm impacted fruit quality. Pests/diseases: Spotted wing drosophila is a fruit fly with the ability to deposit eggs in sound fruit. A handful of vineyards reported devastating damage from these fruit flies. Warm, wet weather events in late August caught some growers off-guard with downy mildew, but overall diseases were generally manageable in 2012. Supply/demand: All indications point to high demand and rising grape prices. Technology/techniques: Sorting tables are now common at wineries across the state, and improved quality in challenging vintages is attributed to these sorting tables. Logistics: Labor availability is a chronic hurdle for completing harvest and other vineyard tasks. Varieties: Early season whites and late-season reds generally seemed to ripen optimally in 2012. Growers reported some flattening of ripening rates of mid-season reds; some, as previously noted, felt harvest was forced by spotted wing fruit flies. Growers in Virginia use Cabernet Sauvignon as an indicator for the length of growing season, and 2012 was a year that this variety ripened adequately to allow high wine quality potential. The Big Picture: Past, Present & Future ���The Big Picture��� will kick off the conference on Wednesday morning with presentations in the first session by John Gillespie, President of the Wine Market Council; Danny Brager, Vice President of The Nielsen Company; and Dr. Greg Carpenter of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. The three are widely regarded as the best market researchers in the country, and their combined presentations will yield valuable insights into the main trends of today���s wine market and how to take advantage of them. In a separate breakout session that afternoon, the trio will again team up to offer insights on how to market wine to both Millennials (20-somethings) and Baby Boomers (their parents). The second portion of ���New York in the Big Picture��� will feature California wine journalist Dan Berger providing a perspective on where New York stands in terms of reputation and distribution; a representative of Constellation Wines U.S. on that company���s status and plans; and Steve Kronberg from National Grape Cooperative/Welch Foods discussing the evolution of the market for grape juice. Northern Grapes Symposium A special feature of Viticulture 2013 is the Northern Grapes Symposium beginning with a luncheon featuring cold climate varietal wines. The Symposium throughout the afternoon is the result of a special grant which involved collaboration among scientists in many states which grow extremely cold hardy grapes, including in New York���s ���North Country��� regions of the Thousand Islands and Champlain regions. Three different sessions on viticulture, enology and marketing will be presented by collaborating scientists from various states. Register today: www.vit2013.com Tremain Hatch Viticulture associate, Virginia Tech Viticulture Resources Win es & Vin es JA N UA RY 20 13 127