News from Cornell's Viticulture and Enology Program
Issue 15 September 2013
RESEARCH FOCUS
Sanitation of Wine Cooperage using Five Different Treatment Methods: An In Vivo study
Oak barrels are expensive, made of porous wood, and harbor micro-organisms. Sanitizing them can be a challenge. Randy Worobo's lab tests five sanitation methods.
FACULTY FOCUS
5 Questions for Chris Gerling
As enology extension associate, Chris works with the New York wine industry to provide beginner and continuing educational programs and applied research.
EXTENSION FOCUS
Luke Haggerty Joins the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program
The newest member of the four-person Lake Erie extension team hails from the University of Minnesota.
STUDENT FOCUS
Alumni Spotlight: Cornell Alumnus helps Finger Lakes winery win Governor's Cup award
Keuka Spring Vineyards won their second Governors Cup this year. Cornell MPS Alumnus August Deimel '11, winemaker at Keuka Spring Vineyards, credits the MPS program for providing a solid foundation for his winemaking skills
GRAPES 101
Powdery mildew: How important is overwintering inoculum?
The number of mature overwintering 'cleistothecia' you have at Labor Day can influence how well your management program works next year.
IN THE NEWS
- Tasting Wine Cultivars by Region
In this Wines and Vines article, Linda McKee highlights an industry and research evaluation of wines from the multi-state NE-1020 coordinated grape variety trials, organized by Cornell enology professor Anna Katharine Mansfield and Penn State's extension enologist Denise Gardner. - Mapping the Way to the Next Generation of Grapes
Cornell extension viticulturist Hans Walter-Peterson writes about the USDA-funded VitisGen project, which "marks an important advance in traditional grape breeding programs and will speed up development of new grape varieties" - Grape Prices Drop Slightly in the Finger Lakes
Wines and Vines reporters Hudson Cattell and Linda Jones McKee report on the annual grape price survey compiled by the Cornell Cooperative Extension Finger Lakes Grape Program. - Grand Opening of the Lake Erie Grape Discovery Center
The Lake Erie Grape Discovery Center, located on Route 20 near Westfield, NY held its grand opening on September 13. The center features exhibits and displays that tell the story of over 150 years of grape-growing in the Lake Erie Concord grape region.
RESEARCH IN PLAIN ENGLISH
- Preharvest Prediction of Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen in Finger Lakes Riesling
Nitrogen: When there's too little, fermentations can be sluggish, but too much can lead to microbial instability and spoilage. Who has time to measure it in the rush to crush? Here, we describe a method that uses measurements taken two weeks before harvest to predict yeast assimilable nitrogen at harvest in Riesling grapes.
- Cluster Thinning Reduces the Economic Sustainability of Riesling Production
Cluster thinning to improve fruit composition also reduces yield and affects vineyard economics. This cost to benefit analysis details economic and quality impacts, from vineyard to wine sensory attributes.
FEATURED VIDEO
- Cornell Grape Breeder Bruce Reisch Describes Grape Breeding Process
In this six-minute video, Bruce Reisch, professor of horticulture at Cornell University, describes the complex process of breeding new, disease-resistant grapes as part of the Multi-state USDA-funded VitisGen project,