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W i n e s & V i n e s M AY 2 0 1 4 97 WineEast Vance_Jan11.qxp 11/23/10 9:29 AM Page 1 Lakes region of New York, to understand how cluster thinning can be justified as part of a sustainable viticulture program for late-harvest winemaking. Despite having higher soluble solids at harvest, which are not valued economically in the Finger Lakes as they are in other regions, lower yields generally correlated to negative financial net returns for the grapegrower. According to surveyed New York City wine industry professionals, wines made from fruit grown at varying crop levels were neither preferred nor likely to garner higher bottle prices. Since cluster thinning did not result in enhanced quality ratings or higher elicited willingness to pay, the grower could not recoup costs associated with cluster thinning, and the practice in this vineyard would not be financially sustainable for the grower. We Justine Vanden Heuvel is an associate professor of viticulture at Cornell University. Trent Preszler is a former Ph.D. student in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University. The authors wish to thank Linda Lawry, director of the International Wine Center in New York City, for coordinating the expert sensory panel participation by the sommeliers and wine industry profes- sionals and allowing us to host the panel trials in their classroom. We also thank Todd Schmit for assistance with the eco- nomic analysis and Steven Lerch for techni- cal field support. LiTERaTuRE CiTEd Cliff, M.A., D. Yuksel, B. Girard, and M.A. King. 2002. "Characterization of Canadian Ice Wines by Sensory and Compositional Analyses." Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 53:46-53. Gedeon, J. 2012. "Two-Year Deal Sets Bulk Prices for Most Popular Varietals in Ontario." Wine Busi- ness Monthly, April 11. Preszler, T., and T.M. Schmit. 2009. "Factors Affecting Wine Purchase Decisions and Presence of New York Wines in Upscale New York City Restau- rants." J. Food. Dist. Rsrch. 40:16-30. Preszler, T., T.M. Schmit, and J.E. Vanden Heuvel. 2010. "A Model to Establish Economically Sustain- able Cluster-Thinning Practices." Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 61:140-146. Wine Market Council. 2009. The U.S. Wine Market: Consumer Trends and Analysis. Wine Market Coun- cil, San Francisco. White, G.B. 2008. Cost of establishment and pro- duction of vinifera grapes in the Finger Lakes region of New York–2007. Cornell University Department of Applied Economics and Management Extension Bulletin 2008-05. Yang, N., J.J. McCluskey, and C. Ross. 2009. "Will- ingness to Pay for Sensory Properties in Washington State Red Wines." J. Wine Econ. 4:81-93.