News from Cornell's Viticulture and Enology Program, November 2019
RESEARCH FOCUS
Flavor Challenges of Breeding Disease-Resistant Grapes Using North American Vitis spp.
North American Vitis spp. provide disease resistance genes, but also bring unique and sometimes undesirable wine sensory attributes to new varieties. The VitisGen2 project's grape quality team, led by Gavin Sacks, is discovering DNA markers linked to flavor attributes to help breeders select for grape and wine quality.
FACULTY FOCUS
Five Questions for Catharine Young
Catharine Young, formerly representing western counties in the New York State Senate, became the first director of the New York State Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture in March. The center's primary goal is to help New York food and beverage producers to grow their industry through connections to expert resources.
EXTENSION FOCUS
NY Craft Beverage Industries Tap into Cornell Expertise
Extension associates Chris Gerling, Kaylyn Kirkpatrick, and Anna Katharine Mansfield lead the Cornell Craft Beverage Institute, the new umbrella name that encompasses the Cornell Enology Extension Laboratory, the Craft Beverage Analysis Laboratory (formerly the New York State Wine Analytical Lab), and the Cornell Brewing Extension Laboratory.
STUDENT FOCUS
From Cornell to New Zealand: Living and Working in the New Zealand Wine Industry
Many graduates of the Cornell Viticulture and Enology program have gone on to work or intern in the New Zealand wine industry. Three of them shared their experiences with us.
RESEARCH IN PLAIN ENGLISH
The Influences of Music on Perception of Oaked Wines - a Tasting Room Case Study in the U.S. Finger Lakes Region
Kathy Latour, associate professor of services marketing in the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, investigated how complementary music affected the tasting room experience and wine sensory characteristics at a Finger Lakes winery.
Modeling the Impacts of Weather and Cultural Factors on Rotundone Concentration in Cool-climate Noiret Wine Grapes
Justine Vanden Heuvel, professor of viticulture at Cornell, collaborated with Penn State colleagues to model the viticultural, soil, and weather variables that influence accumulation of rotundone, the compound responsible for the 'black pepper' aroma associated with the Cornell wine grape cultivar "Noiret".
UPCOMING EVENTS
Feb 26-28, 2020 B.E.V New York 2020 RIT Inn & Conference Center, Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY
Jan 8-9, 2020 Long Island Agricultural Forum Viticulture session, Suffolk Community College, Riverhead, NY
Mar 19, 2020 Lake Erie Grape Grower Conference Fredonia State University, Fredonia, NY
Feb 25, 2020 Eastern NY Fruit and Vegetable Conference Grape Program, Albany, NY - details to be posted
NEWS BRIEFS
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Grape Breeders Search for Reliable DNA Markers: Why the Pinot Noir PN40024 Reference Genome is not Enough
In this Wine Business Monthly article, Tim Martinson and coauthors Qi Sun, Cheng Zou, and Lance Cadle-Davidson describe the search for reliable DNA markers to map the position of genes in both V. vinifera and North American wild Vitis spp. -
Will Climate Change Impact Winemaking on Long Island?
This Long Island Newsday article highlights the key role that Alice Wise, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County viticulture specialist's efforts are playing in helping the Long Island wine industry cope with potential impacts of climate change. Alice's trials of over 40 different wine grape varieties over the past 30 years have provided options for the future. -
Good September Weather Helps Finger Lakes Grape Harvest
This Wine Business Monthly article summarizes the Finger Lakes grape harvest grape and the annual price list compiled by Hans Walter-Peterson's Finger Lakes Grape Program. -
Tim Weigle's retirement
Tim Weigle retired in November following 30+ years of service as Statewide IPM Grape Specialist. Kevin Martin, business management specialist, and Jenn Russo, viticulturist with the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program, give an overview of Tim's many contributions to the NYS grape industry. -
WineAmerica holds board meeting in Finger Lakes
The National Association of American Wineries held its annual Fall Retreat in the fabulous Finger Lakes of upstate New York November 11-13. The event was sponsored by the Seneca Lake Wine Trail and the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, with additional support from the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance. -
Research explores how grape pests sniff out berries
Researchers at Cornell Agritech investigated the link between volatile compounds and grape berry moth to determine how the insects locate grapes in the landscape.
FEATURED VIDEO
Cornell Craft Beverage Institute Highlights. This brief video highlights the work the Cornell Craft Beverage Institute does to support analytical needs of the wine, beer, cider, and distilled spirits industry in New York.