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76 W i n e s & V i n e s A P R i L 2 0 1 4 WineEast miwinebarrel.com Stainless Steel & Oak Wine Barrels... Midwest, East Coast, Great Lakes, Canada... miwinebarrel 734.398.2028 We now also provide... Custom Stainless Steel Tanks! Sales Representatives Chris & Liz Stamp info@lakewoodcork.com Lakewood Cork 4024 State Route 14 Watkins Glen, NY 14891 lakewoodcork.com 607-535-9252 607-535-6656 Fax Natural Corks Champagne Corks Twinline Corks Bartops VISION ® Wine Stopper G-Cap ® Screw Cap As good As it gets. Impact of Cold-Climate Grapes Hits $401M Cold-hardy varieties boost economy in 13 states S t. Paul, Minn.—Cold-climate grape- growing is based primarily on four cultivars—Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, La Crescent and Marquette—that are prod- ucts of the grape-breeding program at the University of Minnesota. The first of the four, Frontenac, was released in 1996, and the last, Marquette, was introduced 10 years lat- er. Because these grapes can grow in places where winter temperatures regularly drop below -20°F, a new farm winery industry developed in northern states where growers cannot reliably grow vinifera or even French hybrid grapes. A new study, based on data from 2011, shows that the economic impact of the cold-climate wine industry on the U.S. economy has reached $401 million. Two University of Minnesota Extension researchers—professor William Gartner in the Department of Applied Economics and Brigid Tuck, economic impact analyst for the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality—conducted the economic contribution study as part of the USDA-funded Northern Grapes Project. Researchers, extension specialists and industry professionals from 13 states are part of this project, with the goal of addressing viticulture, enological, business-management and marketing issues as they relate to growing cold-climate grapes and wines. In 2012, Gartner and Tuck surveyed growers and winery owners in those 13 states about growing practices (vineyards), operating practices (wineries), and sales and production (both vineyards and wineries). Full answers to the surveys came from 345 vineyards and 199 wineries. Tuck presented the results of the study Feb. 22 at the Minnesota Grape Growers Association's 10th annual Cold-Climate Grape and Wine Conference in St. Paul, Minn. Among the key findings of the research were the following: • The cold-hardy wine grape and locally sourced winery industries contributed $401 million to the economies of the states in the project, including $130 million of labor income, and generated 12,600 jobs. Overall, the wine grape and locally sourced winery industries contributed a total of $1.5 billion to the economy, including $409 million of labor income, and created 28,200 jobs. • Wines made from cold-hardy grapes at locally sourced wineries contributed $215 million in economic activity and 5,000 jobs. • Wine vineyards growing cold-hardy grapes generated $46 million in economic activity and 5,900 jobs. • Winery tourists visiting wineries using cold-hardy grapes in their wine production created $140 million of economic output and 1,700 jobs. winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Cold-climate impact."