Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/528936
July 2015 WINES&VINES 75 WINE EAST GRAPEGROWING Grape Variety Trials on Long Island Twenty-two years of research help shape the region's wine industry By Alice Wise T he Long Island grape variety trial has been in existence for more than half of this new indus- try's 40-year history. Established in 1993, the trial at Cornell's Long Island Horticultural Re- search and Extension Center in Riverhead, N.Y., has evaluated more than 50 Chardonnay, Merlot and Cab- ernet Sauvignon clonal selections as well as 46 novel grape varieties for their vineyard performance and wine quality under the unique local climatic and soil conditions of East- ern Long Island. Managed in close collaboration with an industry advisory group, the trial has identified superior Chardonnay and Merlot clones and eight novel varieties that are now grown commercially on Long Island. The grape industry has grown from a single planting in 1973 to 2,000 acres of premium wine grapes. Since the first premium vinifera wine grapes were planted in the 1970s, finding the right varieties and clones for Long Island's unique environment has been an industry priority. In a 1991 survey, Long Island winegrowers indi- KEY POINTS While clonal evaluation at the Long Island Horti- cultural Research Center has focused on Char- donnay and Merlot, 47 additional varieties have been screened in the past 22 years. The mix of varieties at the research vineyard changes from year to year. Varieties with poor vineyard performance or little interest to industry members are removed, and new varieties are planted based on input from an industry advi- sory group. Hybrids were added to the variety trials in the mid-2000s to document fruit quality and degree of disease tolerance. Ninety percent of growers surveyed in 2010 reported they used information from the trial in making their planting decisions. Merlot and Chardonnay grow side by side in a Long Island vineyard. TIM MARTINSON