                   University of Nebraska
                               Viticulture Program

Nebraska Vine Lines

University of Nebraska Viticulture Program
Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Editors: Dr. Paul Read, Professor of Horticulture & Viticulture
Donna Michel, University of Nebraska Viticulture Program

April 2003 Vol. VI, Issue 2

Sixth Forum “Best Ever”
With featured speakers from Michigan, New York, California and Rhode Island and over 325 in attendance, no wonder attendees were heard to remark, “this is the best ever” educational program that they have attended. The collaborative efforts of the University of Nebraska Viticulture Program and the Nebraska Winery and Grape Growers Association combined to make a very full and varied program. In fact, one of the few concerns raised on the evaluation sheets was that perhaps it was too full, so the Program Committee for next year’s Forum has already begun to address this and other concerns. As always, your suggestions are welcome for how we can improve the program, including ideas for topics, speakers and other aspects of the program for next year’s Seventh Annual Nebraska Winery and Grape Growers Forum and Trade Show. We are also looking for volunteers to serve on the several committees necessary to make a smooth-flowing and highly educational program. The Seventh Forum will take place at the Kearney Holiday Inn, March 5^th and 6^th, 2004, so save the date!

As in previous years, the Reception Featuring Nebraska’s Finest Wines was a highlight of the Forum and a great entree’ to the Gala Banquet. A special new feature of the Banquet was the presentation of the First C.J. Schweitzer “Friend of Nebraska Grape Industry” Award to Elmer Swenson, breeder of cultivars so important to Nebraska grape growers and winemakers, including ‘Edelweiss’, ‘Lacrosse’, ‘Saint Croix’, ‘Swenson Red’, ‘Prairie Star’ and ‘Brianna’, to name a few. Unfortunately, Elmer was unable to be present, so the award will be delivered to him later this year.

Special thanks to all of the volunteers that helped to make the Sixth Forum so successful and a really heartfelt “Thank you” to Cutthills Vineyards, James Arthur Vineyards, Lovers Leap Vineyards, Blue Valley Vineyards, Whiskey Run Creek Vineyards & Winery, Mac’s Creek Vineyards & Winery and Millenium Wines for their generous support in providing wines, advice and assistance. We look forward to another great Forum in 2004—will it again be the “best ever”? Only time will tell because the Sixth Forum will be a “tough act to follow”, but with the continued good will and ideas of volunteers, the Program Committee and the wineries, who knows? Perhaps we can learn from the ever-improving Nebraska wineries and “make the best better”.

GR-7 Can’t Be ‘Abundance’
A recent e-mail from Bruce Reisch says “...we must stop using the name ‘Abundance’ immediately, and remove the name from our electronic and print media. If you have previously received a document describing the ‘Abundance’ grape, please do not distribute any further. (Abundance Vineyards in Sonoma County, California claims ownership of that name.) I plan to re-start the naming process with the online industry committee I used previously. Thanks for your understanding. . . and please send in your name suggestions now!”

A note from the NWGGA Web-Master:
1.) I need all of the wineries that are not listed on the we-site to e-mail me their information. (GITRDUN@aol.com. That way we can get the web-site current.

2.) Now that the GrapeGrowers survey is on-line we would encourage all that have not yet filled out a survey or have changes since you last filled one out to please go to the web-site at NWGGA.org and fill out the survey. Thanks to everyone!!

Tim Hrdlicka
NWGGA Web-Master

WINERY UPDATES

Greetings from back east (Omaha). Once again, it has been a busy time for us. A number of our growers and Jim took a day trip out to Cuthills and enjoyed some good old Nebraska hospitality with Ed and Holly. The purpose of the trip was to review proper pruning techniques for the new growers. It was highly beneficial and educating. Thanks you guys!

Our vineyard building, which will be used as a temporary winery this fall, passed all the local building code inspections and the interior is ready to paint. Irrigation lines have been laid to all the rows so I can guarantee that it will be a wet summer in the eastern half of the state! All our posts are in and the wire will be going up soon.

Now for the major news, we just ordered most of our winemaking equipment from three different suppliers. All the deals were finalized at the Wineries Unlimited convention in Lancaster PA. So let me let the cat out of the bag. We will be making wine this fall! Supplies are still iffy until we see how all the plants look after this winter. Some of the growers we had counted on for this fall will not be producing due to the drought setting back the young vines. But we lined up a couple of new growers to help us through this fall. We will have tank capacity in place to handle 3000 gallons, but anticipate something closer to 2300 gallons plus some apple wine. This puts us on target to open in the spring of 04 with our shelves full.

All our paperwork is at the BATF and they have been in contact with us. I was surprised when they asked to come out and see my “wine making operation” so that they could permit us. I explained that we are a startup and that we had very little equipment yet. He explained that he would not come out until everything was in place including pumps and all the extraneous equipment. So I asked my suppliers how soon they could get it too me. What the heck, it is only 6 more months of interest on the stuff and if it makes the ATF happy it makes me happy!

Cheers,

Jim and Sharon Shaw
Soaring Wings Vineyard LLC

Lovers Leap Vineyards
The Lovers Leap Vineyards crew has just returned from its annual trip to Lancaster, PA. and the Wineries Unlimited Trade Show. We were again honored to have had 2 wines selected in the top 100 wines east of the Rockies. We poured our 2001 Harvest White and our 2001 Chancellor at this Gala dinner. The results are just starting to come in for the 2003 competitions and several of our wines are reaping the awards, as our Harvest White has struck Silver in Florida, Texas and South Carolina and our Chancellor has had luck in these same states along with California and New York. Please check out our web site for the new awards as space here is limited for listing all of them. With pruning and spring on its way we are excited about the new year and invite everyone to stop in for a visit.

Justin Moody
Lovers Leap Vineyards

James Arthur Vineyards

It's nice to finally see some sunshine (and a little rain) as Matt Rayno and his crew hit the homestretch in their pruning efforts here at JAV. We're also gearing up for a fun and busy event filled season, which includes our 6th Annual Renaissance Festival to be held May 17th at the winery. Last years one-day event drew close to 6,000 folks, so we're all preparing for another busy day. Check our web site for a complete list of all the activities we have planned for the rest of the year. In the tasting room, we're proud to announce the 2002 Edelweiss recently won a Double Gold and Best-of-Class at the New World International Wine Competition. Also medaling were the 2002 Vignoles and the 2001 LaCrosse. The Edelweiss and Vignoles also earned bronzes in the Dallas Morning News Wine Competition as well. We would also like to congratulate Val Peterson, our director of distribution, for her own Gold Medal in the International Amateur Home Winemaking Competition. Val earned the honor for her Kiwi wine. Not only is she a world-class salesperson, she can also make great wine!

Jim and Barb Ballard
James Arthur Vineyards

Cuthills Vineyards

Cuthills Vineyards was presented with the 2003 Nebraska Distinguished Entrepreneur Award for Entrepreneurial Company of the Year, March 1 at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln. The award was given by the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship UNL. “As Nebraska's first commercially licensed winery, Cuthills Vineyards has made a real impact since its beginning in 1994, producing 18 different wines, from 100% Nebraska products. Over 90 international medals, "Best Winery Improvement" from Vineyard and Winery Management magazine, 1996 Outstanding New Attraction in Nebraska and 1996 Rural Development Initiative Award for Nebraska, and the installation of Nebraska's first automated bottling line for wine testify to the ground-breaking success of young entrepreneurs Ed and Holly Swanson. With over 60 grape cultivars on trial plus over 500 new hybrids from their own breeding program, Cuthills is a reliable and helpful resource for those interested in propagating and growing grapes in Nebraska and western Iowa (including commercial nurseries) and/or establishing wineries, including granting apprenticeships to four future wineries and sponsoring workshops at Cuthills. A dairy barn built in the 1920's was remodeled in 1994 and added on to in 1998 to expand available space from 2,800 square feet to over 5,000. The annual Wine & Wings festival attracts nearly 3,000 visitors from 14 states. Cuthills Vineyards was a founding member of the Nebraska Winery and Grape Growers Association; Ed serves on the Nebraska Grape and Winery Board; Holly (who created Jewels by Holly Eve, a line of handmade jewelry) is a member of the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism Advisory Committee.”

Ed and Holly Swanson
Cuthills Vineyards

Mac’s Creek Vineyard & Winery

Lots of activity at Mac's Creek Vineyards and Winery. Pruning is in full swing and planting is about to begin. Business has been good. We're starting to have many events at the winery such as dinners, special tastings, private parties, etc. Our summer hours will begin on May 1; Wed. - Sat. Noon to 6:00 pm, Sundays Noon - 5:00 pm. Some selected Fridays we will remain open until 9:00 pm. For other hours, call for appointment. Watch our website: wwwmacscreekvineyards.com for upcoming summer events.

Max McFarland
Mac’s Creek Vineyard & Winery

Blue Valley Vineyard

We will be bottling more of our 2002 vintage wines and they will be available for tasting and purchases by May 1^st. Watch our website, www.bluevalleyvineyard.com for a special tasting event and preview of the new wines, hopefully the first weekend in May.

The New Wines
“Rose” – a blend of LaCrosse and Marechal Foch, semi-sweet, with a lovely strawberry fragrance and taste.

“Seyval Blanc” – a light body, semi-dry white with refreshing, fruity flavor that will pair beautifully with many foods.

“Fiesta Red” -- this is our 2001 vintage of Marechal Foch, a dark red, fairly heavily oaked, and very mellow

“White Delight” – our much-sought-after sweetened Edelweiss. Limited quanity available of this delightful, very crisp and sweet white wine.

“Ruby Red” -- our 2002 vintage deChaunac, a heavy-body, semi-dry, a very mellow red wine, the color of fine rubies and lightly oaked

June 20, 21, 22, 2003 is Crete’s “Blue River Festival” with lots of “happenings” (log on to the Crete Website for details) and we are coordinating a special event at the winery called “Swing into Summer”, Saturday, June 21^st. Live swing and big band sounds to enjoy along with our “Blue River Festival Special,” a bottle of Blue Valley wine accompanied by a half-pound loaf of homemade bread and a quarter-pound package of Nebraska cheese. (All for $15.00 plus a small tasting fee).

New Winery hours for a great summertime escape

June 21 through July 19
Fridays: 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Sunset Saturdays: 1:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Live music, a summer sandwich buffet and
Blue Valley wine (No charge for sunsets).
Sundays: 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Pruning is in process; the vineyard survived the winter with little or no damage. Last year’s new plantings will have the benefit of a trellis this year. We are looking forward to another very busy year in the vineyard and winery!

Jim and Marlene Johnson
Blue Valley Vineyards

NWGGA
From the President’s Keyboard:

Happy spring to all. Pruning season is in full swing and it looks to be an interesting start to the growing season. I write this on March 24^th, with 70 degree temps, vines pushing sap, trees budding out and there is still plenty of time left for another freeze, you gotta love Nebraska! Let’s all hope for the best. The annual NWGGA spring forum held in Kearney was a huge success. Attendance was up dramatically and all who were there would agree that the speakers, trade show and social events and wine were all excellent. Thanks to everyone from both UNL and NWGGA who helped make this another huge success.

The new officers have had their first organizational meeting. We have decided on two items to focus on in the upcoming months. The budget and membership will be our highest priorities. The NWGGA has been very fortunate to obtain some wonderful grants from the Department of Agriculture in the past. Those grants have helped us to develop a website, produce wonderful brochures and even fund festivals and events among other things. The NWGGA is now at the point where we need to look at securing more grant funding or other sources of income in order to continue our marketing and educational efforts for the industry. The board will be meeting soon and will be developing a plan for how this will be done. In the meantime, we will be asking each of the committee to develop a budget for the upcoming year.

In addition to focusing on finances and budgeting, we are trying to update our membership lists. There are still many members on our list who have not paid their dues for 2003/2004. In the past, each membership had a different renewal period. We would like to make this standard that all memberships will be up for renewal at the annual conference each year. For this year, memberships are effective April 1, 2003 through March 31^st, 2004. If you have not paid for that period, we are asking that you please send your dues to:

Deb Barnett
2865 County Road I
Tekamah, NE 68061
(402) 374-2656

Memberships are $45 per person or per couple. Each $45 membership receives only one vote during elections and one conference discount. If you purchase a membership as a couple only one vote will be allowed and only one person will receive the conference discounts. If you are unsure if you have paid your dues or have paid them and the check has not cleared or have any other questions, please contact Deb. We appreciate your patience during this transition period.

Please feel free to contact any of the officers or board members with any questions or feedback you may have. We all need to participate to continue to make this organization a success.

Officers:

DeeAnn Hrdlicka, President
Teresa MacFarland, Vice President
June Simpson, Secretary
Deb Barnett, Treasurer

Board:
Terry Ryan
Rick Barnett
Dale Lilihorn
Eric Nelsen
Vaughn Hammond
Carol Ringenberg
Justin Moody

DeeAnn Hrdlicka
NWGGA President

Effect of Time of Pruning

By Paul E. Read

While researching the literature for a review article entitled “A Century of American Viticulture”,* I found some interesting publications that addressed the impact of time of pruning on subsequent grapevine development and performance. As early as 1939, Loomis demonstrated that late pruning “delays foliation”, that is delays spring bud break. Late pruning, when buds had begun to swell, delayed bud break and flowering, but did not delay harvest maturity, nor did it have any noticeable effect on vine growth as measured by subsequent weight of prunings. In 1953, Edgerton and Shaulis stated that pruning in northern regions (their work was done in New York) should be delayed until late winter and early spring. This recommendation was based, in part, on the fact that it is then possible to select the most desirable canes, avoiding those that might have been poorly matured in the fall. (Editor’s note: Nelson Shaulis developed the now widely used Geneva Double Curtain trellis system.) More recently, reports by Stan Howell’s research program in Michigan (Stergios and Howell, 1977; Wolpert and Howell, 1984) have pointed out that pruning in the fall causes greater winter injury to buds when compared with vines not yet pruned. They also demonstrated that hand defoliation would also lead to more bud damage from cold temperatures in the winter. The moral of the story? Delay pruning as late as feasible – it will help with delaying bud break and bloom (possibly after last frost occurrence) and likely contribute to the overall health of the vines.

*The complete article will be available in the near future – it has over 200 references.

The Classifieds

Four Acreages for Sale
3+ ACRES IN Meadow Wood Subdivision
*Adjacent to Blue Valley Vineyard in Crete
*Ideal for country estate home
*Three of the sites are ideal vineyard locations
*Underground telephone and electric services
*Good water
*10 minutes from Crete and 25 minutes from Lincoln

If you want to grow grapes and/or build a home in the country,
call Jim Johnson, 402/826-5607.

The Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion and marital status, veterans status, national or ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR 2003 and Beyond!!
University of Nebraska Viticulture Program Dates to Mark on Your Calendar

May 31, 2003 – Nebraska Wine Festival – 12:00 pm – 8:00 p.m. – Omaha Riverfront.
June 27-28, 2003 – Barry, IL – Illinois Summer Horticulture Days – for more information cal 618-453-1782
July 19, 2003 – Regional Grape Field Day – Mac’s Creek Vineyard and Winery, Lexington, NE. More information to follow.
July 26, 2003 – Regional Grape Field Day – Kimmel Education and Research Center, Nebraska City, NE. More information to follow.
November 8, 2003 – Fall Grape Growers Workshop on (tentatively) Water Management and Irrigation Technology. To be held at the Cornhusker Hotel, Lincoln, NE.

Planning Ahead - Future Forums

2004 - March 5 and 6 - Holiday Inn, Kearney, NE

2005 - March 4 and 5 - Holiday Inn, Kearney, NE

2006 –March 3 and 4 - Holiday Inn, Kearney, NE

The InThe Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion and marital status, veterans status, national or ethnic origin or sexual orientation.l Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion and marital status, veterans status, national or ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

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