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WineEast YEAST & ENZYMES - - OA K A LT E R N AT I V E S - B E CO PA D 1/22/09 9:47 AM Page 1 - Y HOSE - C R U S H PA D E Q U I P M E N T EasternWineLab_Mar09.qxp S T E R I L E F I LT R AT I O N - WINER EASTERN WINE LABS Serving the Analytical needs of East Coast Wineries WWW.EASTERNWINELABS.COM Ph 609-859-4302 Cell 609-668-2854 chemist@easternwinelabs.com AOAC Member S a le s Company – Mist Sprayers – Motor Models available American Made We offer a complete line of low volume mist blowers. Low Maintenance High Performance Excellent for spraying: VINEYARDS, vegetables, orchards, nurseries, Christmas trees, mosquitoes, cattle, chicken houses, etc. For free brochure contact: Swihart Sales Co. 7240 County Road AA, Quinter, KS 67752 78 W in es & V i ne s F E B R UARY 20 14 References available in your area 785-754-3513 or 800-864-4595 www.swihart-sales.com Economic survival In the Great Lakes region a strong argument can be made for the value of mixed viticulture. In the third week of January 1994, two winter freeze episodes below -18o F occurred in the largest grape production region of Michigan. As a result, all vinifera cultivars except Cabernet Franc and Riesling were killed to the snowline, and the productivity of these vines was significantly reduced. Because the graft unions were protected by soil coverage, no vines were lost and full production was regained in the 1995 growing season. However, the production for the 1994 season was non-existent. If Michigan had been 100% vinifera wine-grape culture, there would have been no Michigan grapes to put in tanks and zero cash-flow based on local grapes. Notably, all hybrid grape vines in the same research vineyard plot produced full crops in 1994. In Michigan and the Great Lakes region, every winter poses the risk of such losses, and losses influencing vine productivity occur every winter. Consequently, hybrids play a significant role in the economic sustainability of the region's wine industry. This episode has not been repeated, but it points to the efficacy of having some freeze-tolerant grape cultivars in the mix to moderate the economic downside risk. Ontario has recognized this and makes allowances for hybrids in their VQA system (see table on page 79) (Schiller, 2010). Future pest control It seems clear that the viticulture of the future will require the management of vine pests with fewer chemical inputs. The western section of the United States—particularly California, Oregon and Washington—already boasts very active sustainability movements among growers and producers alike. These programs are likely to continue to grow and spread geographically as consumers pay increasing attention to negative environmental impacts and growers experience rising application costs. One way of coping with the sustainability movement is to employ advanced grapevine breeding, including mixed-species hybrids. The challenge will be to be ruthless in the selection of those mixed offspring, so that even the most critical wine aficionado will find the resulting wines of fine quality when bias is removed via blind tasting. One common argument against mixed-breed hybrids is the impact of "classic varieties," the result of which is a selection based more on perceived marketability and less on wine quality. Those who point to this "classic variety" phenomenon must also recognize the current reality in the U.S. wine market. Cultivars unknown in the U.S. 20 years ago—except to oenophiles—are now available and selling off supermarket shelves. Examples of such varieties include Tempranillo, Aglianico, Dolcetto, Vermentino, Verdicchio, Verdejo, Prosecco, Nero d'Avola, Montepulciano, Verdelho, Teroldego and Lagrein. Wines from districts previously unknown to consumers in the United States—Tuscan Sangiovese, Piedmont Barolo and Barbaresco from Nebbiolo, Asti's Moscato—are now widely available. Similarly, these new, quality inter-specific cultivars could find markets and also have the ability to call attention to their environmentally friendly culture, and they will do so at much lower costs of