Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/197145
WineEast References H tch, T.A., C.C. Hickey and T.K. Wolf. 2011. "Cover crop, rootstock and root rea striction regulate vegetative growth of Cabernet Sauvignon in a humid environment." Amer. J. Enol. Vitic. 62: 298-311. Rckard, Bradley, Jill J. McCluskey and Richard W. Patterson. 2012. "Reputation i tapping." American Association of Wine Economists working paper No. 119. nimss.umd.edu/homepages/home.cfm?trackID=4034 vmdev.cgit.vt.edu/vineyards/ arcserver2.iagt.org/vll/data.aspx arec.vaes.vt.edu/alson-h-smith/grapes/viticulture/research/scri-index.html model to assess what drives the restaurants to list New York wines. The Zagat Survey is a very rich and yet very under-utilized resource in restaurant data collection. As a premier and well-established rating group, Zagat contains a large amount of information across a wide variety of restaurants (approximately 5,000 restaurants in New York state). The analysis of this unique dataset showed that the type of restaurant, Zagat Décor score and wine list characteristics increased the likelihood of a restaurant serving New York wines. In particular, we found that restaurants serving New American cuisine and restaurants with many domestic wines on their lists were more likely to sell New York state wine (compared to restaurants serving European or Asian cuisine). Lastly, we also found that restaurants in Manhattan were less likely to serve New York state wines compared to restaurants in the outer four boroughs and notably when compared to restaurants on Long Island and in upstate New York. This last finding suggests that the definition of "local," as viewed through restaurant menus, may be more geographically concentrated than what others have suggested. Objective 4: Develop a range of resources including decisionassisting tools to encourage implementation of production practices that improve grape and wine quality, decrease production costs and improve the competitiveness of the eastern U.S. wine industry The solutions and resources created by this project have the potential to improve the profitability and sustainability of the eastern wine industry. However, those solutions must be transformed into practices and delivered to the industry in order to realize this potential. The extension objective of this project is aimed at transforming the knowledge created by this project into commercially sustainable practices using a variety of resources. Extension workshops and short courses are effective means of delivering research-based information to the wine industry. These workshops allow for direct contact between investigators and growers as well as important networking opportunities for the industry. For example, project investigators worked with the Virginia Vineyards Association in 2012 to host a canopy-management and vine-balance workshop attended by more than 140 growers in Winchester, Va. A series of four "research summits" is currently planned for February 2014. These summits will highlight some of the research coming to fruition with this project, and each will provide a forum for stakeholder feedback to gauge the value and potential impact of the project deliverables. The four meetings will be conducted in concert with regularly scheduled industry meetings in North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and New York. Educational events for Cooperative Extension agents/educators also are provided under the auspices of this project. For example, Virginia Tech hosted 31 extension agents from the southeastern U.S. for a June 12 in-service training workshop about grapevine canopy assessment and modification (see photo on page 105). While the project is not intended to directly train a labor workforce for the wine industry, it will deliver educational tools useful to that goal. Examples include the online site-suitability tool and the "Wine Production Guide for Eastern North America," which was published shortly before this project was conceived. The majority of project investigators are involved in the Grape Community of Practice, which develops material for eXtension's grape content. The site (eviticulture.org) has seen substantial traffic, and the grapes component has seen more than half a million visitors since its inception. Growth of the eastern wine industry will require new academic research and extension leadership. In fact, five of the original 21 investigators from our project have retired in the three years since inception of the project. The project currently has 15 graduate students and several post-doctoral research associates involved in various aspects of this project. Some of these researchers represent the future of viticultural and enological research, extension and teaching in eastern states. "Improved grape and wine quality in a challenging environment: An Eastern U.S. model for sustainability and economic vitality" is a multi-faceted, five-year project that will have an impact on nearly all current and future wine growers in the eastern U.S. Additional information and updates, including details about the research summits planned for February 2014, can be found at the project's website. WE Tony Wolf is a professor of viticulture at Virginia Tech's AHS Jr. Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Winchester, Va. Tremain Hatch is a research/extension associate at the center. Win es & Vin es N OV EM b er 20 13 111