Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/718029
8 WINES&VINES September 2016 A member of Wine Communications Group Inc. President & Publisher Chet Klingensmith Chairman Hugh Tietjen Publishing Consultant Ken Koppel Associate Publisher Tina Vierra Publishing Assistant Tiffany Maxwell EDITORIAL Editor Jim Gordon Managing Editor Kate Lavin Senior Editor Andrew Adams Senior Correspondent Paul Franson Contributing Editor Jane Firstenfeld Northwest Correspondent Peter Mitham Columnists Grapegrowing: Cliff Ohmart and Glenn T. McGourty Contributing Writers Laurie Daniel, Richard Smart, Richard Carey, Chris Stamp, Andrew Reynolds, Craig Root, Ray Pompilio, Andy Starr, Fritz Westover Practical Winery & Vineyard (PWV) Editor Don Neel Wine East Editor Linda Jones McKee DESIGN & PRODUCTION Graphic Designer Rebecca Arnn Design & Production Bridget Williams DATABASE DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Vice President—Data Management Lynne Skinner Project Manager Liesl Stevenson Database & Web Development James Rust, Peter Scarborough EDITOR'S LETTER THE END OF SUMMER BRINGS, of course, the Wine Industry Finance Issue, of which this is the fifth annual edition. Yet there is something else happening, too. It's on the tip of my tongue… Oh yes, crush! These pages will run the gamut of topics from the top 20 sources of financing to a preview of the 2016 harvest (page 42), plus in-depth articles about tannin maturity and the progress of clean plant certification in the eastern United States. Regarding finance, lenders are so happy with growers and vintners as borrowers that capital is flowing freely to well-run companies that are acquiring new properties and need money for other growth and expansion. That's the gist of what author Ben Narasin found in reporting the cover story that begins on page 32. Narasin revisits the evolution of the current sunny finance picture from the first report in 2012 to present day, then gets the particulars on the current finance situation from four leading lenders with specialties in the wine industry. What he heard was so positive (and even effusive) that it raised the issue of whether the generous finance market has been too good for too long to continue. Be sure to read his analysis if you are thinking about major investments for your wine business. On a different front, long-time Vineyard View columnist Cliff Ohmart explains (page 26) everything you probably didn't know about one of the most important national institu- tions in the grape and wine business, the National Grape & Wine Initiative (NGWI). This nonprofit organization has been operating largely under our radar, and does its work to en- courage research quietly, perhaps too quietly. A California winemaker with sizeable production and vineyard acreage recently confided that he, too, had little idea what the NGWI is and does. It seemed logical to get Dr. Ohmart, who was involved in the creation of the association, to fill us all in on its status. Read his column for the details, but I can tell you that while your tax dollars are not funding this group, you as a grower or wine producer are most likely benefiting from its work. I also want to point out two articles among many others in the issue that reflect how sci- entific research is helping our industry grow healthier vines and make higher quality wines. The first (on page 55) is from Dr. James Harbertson at Washington State University with co- author Federico Casassa. Practical Winery and Vineyard editor Don Neel worked with the two to share their fascinating and relevant study about balancing tannin maturity and extraction with a special focus on the role of seed maturity. The second is a very worthwhile wrap-up (page 62) by Tim Martinson of Cornell University about the National Clean Plant Network's progress in developing and delivering to wine grape growers disease-free planting stock, par- ticularly in the eastern states. Wine East section editor Linda Jones-McKee recruited Martinson to write this article. It has great detail about the costs and benefits of testing and certification, and it helps provide im- portant transparency needed around industry-wide efforts like this one. That wraps it up. All of us at Wines & Vines want to wish good luck to all of you out there checking sug- ars, looking for brown seeds, destemming truckloads full of grapes and smelling those beautiful fermentations that will create vintage 2016. —Jim Gordon Two articles in the issue reflect how scientific research is helping our industry grow healthier vines and make higher quality wines. CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS Email: subs@winesandvines.com Online: winesandvines.com/subscribe Phone: (866) 453-9701 EDITORIAL Email: edit@winesandvines.com MAIL 65 Mitchell Blvd., Suite A San Rafael, CA 94903 CONNECT WITH US facebook.com/WinesandVines twitter.com/WinesandVines youtube.com/WinesandVines1919 Everything From Finance to Seed Tannin