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72 WINES&VINES April 2017 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS WINE EAST C harlottesville, Va.—In spite of temperatures in the 70s and bright sunny skies, nearly 300 grapegrowers and winemakers spent Feb. 24 and 25 listening to talks about grapegrow- ing challenges at the Virginia Vine- yards Association's annual winter technical meeting in Charlottes- ville. The session with the most immediate relevance to growers in the Mid-Atlantic region had the title "Potential of Sprayable Frost Protection Products and Recent Research Results." Dr. Michela Centinari, assistant professor of viticulture at Penn State University, began by saying, "When we get these crazy tem- peratures, growers start to get worried." Virginia growers re- member that temperatures fell to 22° F on April 9, 2016, after a warm March, and varieties such as Chardonnay and Viognier sus- tained significant damage. Centinari focused her remarks on a two-year study of two sprayable frost-protection prod- ucts, Amigo oil (a vegetable- based oil from Loveland Products Inc.) and KDL (Potassium Dextro- Lac, a potassium fertilizer from Agro-K), which were tested on two sites: a vineyard in State Col- lege, Pa., planted with the hybrid varieties Noiret and Traminette, and a vinifera vineyard in Lewis- burg, Pa., planted with Lem- berger and Riesling. The goal for the Amigo oil was to find out if the oil consistently delayed bud break in vinifera and hybrid varieties without impacting yield components, fruit composi- tion and perceived wine quality. The Amigo treatment was applied at a 10% concentration once dur- ing the dormant season to delay bud burst. KDL was applied within 24 hours before a predicted frost event to see if the product pro- vided frost protection to young grapevine shoots. The project results showed that Amigo oil application did delay bud break, especially for the vinif- era varieties. However, the Amigo- treated vines had a higher bud mortality and a subsequent reduc- tion in yields from lower numbers of berries and lower cluster weights. At harvest there were no differences in fruit composition nor wine sensory evaluation in wines made from the control, Amigo oil or KDL-treated grapes. During the study, there was o n e m a j o r f r o s t e v e n t . O n May 23, 2015, the temperature dropped to 27.5° F on Noiret and 26.5° F on the Traminette vines at the State College site. Because the frost was late in May, buds were already open, and nothing helped the reduction in yield. Centinari did note there was more damage on VSP vines than on vines trained to a high-wire cordon and sug- gested that the best alternative may be for growers to double- prune their vines. Winemakers conduct vineyard research Most conference attendees stayed a second day to participate in tast- ings and learn the results of the latest vineyard/winemaker re- search conducted by the Virginia Winemakers Research Exchange (WRE). Winemakers in the Mon- ticello AVA created a research col- laborative in 2014 and two years Wine East Covering Eastern North America Virginia Growers Hear Results of Frost Protection Trials 251 Gambee Road, Geneva, NY 14456 Phone: 315-759-2118 Toll free: 888-234-6752 Fax: 315-789-1848 Email: cjennings@vancemetal.com Website: www.vancemetal.com Quality Rugged 12 gauge, Custom & Stock Stainless Tanks Catwalk Systems • Pump Over Carts • Custom Hoppers, Chutes & Bins PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA 4 Distribution Centers: Quebec, California, Colorado ...and now British Columbia! 1.877.762.1867 www.unitedbottles.com Your most reliable source for distinctive and quality packaging in Canada since 1994… • Largest Selection of Stock Bottles • Kegs • Bulk or Pre-Packed • Fast Turnaround Time "It must be the packaging!"