Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/111102
EAST COAST WATCH MARGUERITE THOMAS very difficult for smaller wineries to secure a wholesaler. Consequently, the potential for growth and subsequent success can be tough, so the Wholesaler Reimbursement Program was created to aid small farm wineries and the wholesalers distributing the wines. Wholesalers can receive a $20 per-case reimbursement for distributing the wine products of a licensed small farm winery." Pennsylvania has two extension programs, although there are dozens of other statewide resources available, said Mark Chien, viticulture educator at Penn State Cooperative Extension. At www.pawinegrape. com, Chien incorporates his own compilation of references (which includes a comprehensive reading list); a wide-ranging catalog of websites devoted to viticulture, winemaking and wine; and eight newsletters Chien described as being essential for Eastern growers, containing time- and topic-sensitive materials relevant to specific growing-season conditions. His list of resources also includes data relating to the economics of vineyards and wineries, consultants and vineyard development services, an assortment of places to go for training, and – well, you get the idea. In Georgia and in many other southern states, the modern era of winegrowing is blossoming. Home to a flourishing vineyard industry until Prohibition knocked it off the map, Georgia is undergoing a vinous renaissance, which brings with it a host of educational, commercial and other enterprises, including nonprofit ventures. Among the most promising nonprofits is the Vineyard & Winery Association of West Georgia, which was born in 2009 at a meeting at the Carroll County Agricultural Center to discuss the possibility of starting a viticultural and wine industry. Going into 2012, the organization had more than 160 members from 21 Georgia counties, as well as from Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Texas. Among its goals, the association serves as an educational group working with area extension agents on projects to create general public interest via wine tastings and field trips, and to offer workshops for potential growers. It also works on agritourism promotion and has launched a campaign to develop winery co-ops, in order to expand business opportunities in southern regions. Among the most active university wine-related programs east of the Rockies are the ones at Michigan State University and the University of Minnesota. If you want to learn the ins and outs of winemaking, or investigate complex issues such as virus-vectoring nematodes, photosynthetic carbon assimilation, or anything else that will optimize grape productivity, Michigan State may be the place for you. The University of Minnesota is recognized as one of the top grapegrowing programs in the United States, with a goal of developing cold-hardy and disease-resistant wine and table-grape cultivars. One of the most exciting trends in the East involves multiple university and disciplinary collaboration. Perhaps the most dynamic is the Northern Grapes Project w w w. v w m media.com (NGP), funded in 2011 by NIFA. Dedicated to integrating the viticulture, winemaking and marketing of cold-hardy grapes, NGP involves 12 universities and 19 producer groups, ranging from Nebraska to New Hampshire. The NGP basic premise is that new varieties (from the University of Minnesota and private breeders) have made it possible to grow grapes in regions previously considered too cold to support them. Since the 1990s, these cultivars have spawned a new industry. Based on a survey of producer organizations, more than 3,000 acres of cold-hardy grapes are now grown, stretching from the upper Midwest through New England, and support more than 330 small wineries in 12 states. Another recent NIFA-endowed, multistate project designed to stimulate the Eastern wine industry is based at Virginia Tech, in partnership with several other entities, including the Ohio State University and University of Maryland, and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The project is headed by Virginia Tech viticulture professor Tony Wolf, who said that research will address the challenges of quality grape and wine production in the East: the unpredictable and often excessive rains during the growing season, for EDUCATION RESOURCES + State Cooperative Extension offices (click on a state on the map to find local offices): www.csrees.usda.gov/ extension + Appalachian State University Enology & Viticulture: www.wine.appstate.edu + Appellation Cornell: www.grapesandwine.cals.cornell. edu/appellation-cornell/issue-8/index.cfm + Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sci- ences/Viticulture and Enology Program: www.grapesandwine.cals.cornell.edu + Finger Lakes Community College: www.flcc.edu/academics/viticulture + Georgia: www.vinewinewga.com + Kentucky: www.kyagr.com/marketing/grape-wine.html + Michigan: www.grapes.msu.edu + Minnesota: www.grapes.umn.edu + New England: www.newenglandwinegrapes.org + North Carolina: www.nccommerce.com/wine/resources/ education + Northern Grapes Project: www.northerngrapesproject.org + Ontario: www.brocku.ca/ccovi + Pennsylvania: www.pawinegrape.com and www.extension. psu.edu/enology + VESTA: www.vesta-usa.org + Virginia Tech: www.cals.vt.edu M a r - A p r 2 0 13 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 31