News from Cornell's Viticulture and Enology Program
Issue 1 February 2010
Welcome to the first issue of Appellation Cornell. This quarterly newsletter will provide you with information about programs, projects, and people associated with Cornell's viticulture and enology program. Cornell has long been a leader in viticulture and enology research and extension serving New York's grape and wine industry, the third largest in the US. Recent establishment of an undergraduate major has expanded Cornell's teaching effort, and brought new faculty to the program. With over 40 faculty and staff involved with research, extension, and teaching on and off campus, we have a lot going on at Cornell. We hope to provide in-depth, accessible research articles, news about research, teaching, and extension, and profiles of faculty, students, and industry collaborations at Cornell. This is a group effort of the Viticulture and Enology Steering Committee and will be overseen by an editorial board representing research, teaching, extension and the USDA grape germplasm unit in Geneva.
We hope you enjoy this web browser-based newsletter, and encourage you to share it with others and link to it or any of the individual articles posted here. Please feel free to contact us at tem2@cornell.edu or cjg9@cornell.edu with feedback, comments or suggestions.
- Chris Gerling (Enology) and Tim Martinson (Viticulture), co-editors
RESEARCH FOCUS
Cornell Researchers Tackle Green Flavors in Red Wines
Red wines sometimes carry unwanted green flavors, attributed in part to chemical compounds called methoxypyrazines (MP) that come in with the fruit. Cornell researchers have discovered that early-season canopy management techniques may help growers reduce MPs in the vineyard.
FACULTY FOCUS
5 Questions for Anna Katharine Mansfield
Mansfield, assistant professor of enology, talks about her research and extension goals and acclimating to New York’s wine and grape industry since joining Cornell in January 2009.
STUDENT FOCUS
Erin Troxell Learns about Winemaking in Germany
Undergraduate Erin Troxell spent last summer learning to produce Spätburgunder and Sauvignon Blanc as an intern under the watch of a fourth-generation winemaking family in Nahe, one of Germany's famed Riesling regions.
INDUSTRY FOCUS
Tom Davenport Retires from National Grape Cooperative
Tom Davenport, director of viticulture at National Grape Cooperative, retired at a reception held on October 29 at the new Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory in Portland, N.Y.
GRAPES 101
The 2009 Grape and Wine Report
New York growers and vintners faced cool and sometimes rainy weather that reduced fruit set and often delayed ripening and harvest in 2009.
IN THE NEWS
- Research Looks at Wine Sales in New York Grocery Stores
Bradley Rickard, assistant professor of applied economics and management, finds that a proposal to allow grocers to sell wine would reap about $22 million annually for the state. - Industry Publication Features Cornell Viticulture & Enology Program
The September 2009 issue of California-based Vineyard and Winery Management highlighted Cornell’s expanding V&E program, including a look at its new teaching winery and undergraduate major. CALS Dean Susan Henry is interviewed.
BRIEFS
- Cornell Students Complete First Vintage at New Winery
Students in the new 1,800-square-foot winery—the hub for CALS’ new viticulture and enology undergraduate major—completed their first vintage. The lab hosted several classes and was used by graduate students for several research projects. - Viticulture 2010 and the NY Wine Industry Workshop Return to Rochester
The Viticulture 2010 convention and tradeshow, fourth in a series of statewide grape conventions that started with Viticulture 2000, will return to the Rochester Riverside Convention Center Feb. 17-19. - Cornell and University of Minnesota Organize Planning Workshops for Cold-Climate Grapes
Cornell research and extension scientists organized two cold-climate viticulture planning workshops in Vermont (November 12) and Minnesota (February 10) with representatives of 14 state winery and grower associations in the Northeast and upper Midwest.
AWARDS and HONORS
- Eight Cornell Graduate Students Receive Awards and Scholarships
Cornell graduate students received eight of the 15 scholarships awarded at the ASEV national meeting, and grad student Craig Austin received the best viticulture poster award at the national American Society of Viticulture and Enology (ASEV) meeting in Napa, Calif