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Virginia Cooperative Extension -
 Knowledge for the CommonWealth

Viticulture Notes

Vineyard and Winery Information Series:
Vol. 20 No. 6, November-December 2005

Dr. Tony K. Wolf, Viticulture Extension Specialist

Table of Contents

  1. Current Situation
  2. Upcoming meetings
  3. Job announcement

I. Current situation

This issue of Viticulture Notes completes 20 years of continuous publication (120 issues). I hope that all of our readers enjoy a bright New Year and will stay tuned for Volume 21! TKW

A. Virginia Tech's 2006 PEST MANAGEMENT GUIDES are available on-line in PDF format and are divided into three volumes: Field Crops (456-016), Home Grounds and Animals (456-018), and Horticultural and Forest Crops (456-017), which includes the grapes component. Each of the volumes is divided into sections. The web site is: http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/pmg/#hort .

B. Virginia Vineyards Association Grower of the Year Award: The Virginia Vineyards Association (VVA) is pleased to announce the founding of a Grower of the Year Award to be announced during the Annual Technical Meeting to be held in Charlottesville in February 2006 (see upcoming events).

The VVA is therefore seeking nominations from its members for this prestigious award. At minimum candidates should be:

  1. Nominated by an active member of the VVA.
  2. Have managed or operated a vineyard in Virginia for at least seven years.
  3. Have a minimum of five acres of vineyard.
  4. Have contributed to the Virginia viticulture industry.
  5. Be an active member of the VVA.

Nominations should be sent to the VVA at P.O. Box 91, Clifford VA 24521 by Jan 15, 2006 for VVA Board consideration.

C. How cold-hardy are the vines?

Each year my assistant Kay Miller conducts routine measures of dormant bud cold hardiness under lab conditions. The ultimate purpose of this exercise is to evaluate how our treatment of the vines impacts their ability to tolerate cold temperatures, or how cultivars and clones differ in cold hardiness. Remember, despite our slow warming of the earth's climate, low temperature injury is still the prime constraint to vine survival in Virginia. The lab technique essentially simulates what vines might experience in the field during a killing freeze. We freeze a sample of buds and determine the temperature at which they are killed. This temperature is termed the MLTE temperature on the right-hand axis of Figure 1 below, where the temperatures are shown in degrees Fahrenheit. The figure depicts the MLTE values for Traminette grown in our training system trial at Winchester. Roughly speaking, the MLTE value is the temperature that would be predicted to kill approximately 50% of the buds in the field. The data were collected from the first of September through mid-December of 2005. The daily minimum air temperature (°F) is shown as a continuous line with values on the left-hand axis. Our first fall frost occurred on 6 November, which would be day 67 on the bottom axis of Figure 1 (red arrow). Coupled with a relatively warm, dry fall, the late frost date made for excellent cold-acclimation conditions.

The interesting part of the Figure 1 is the open and closed circles. These represent the MLTE values for Traminette grafted to C-3309 rootstock (open circles) and for Traminette grown on its own roots (closed circles), as measured on five different dates, from mid-October through mid-December 2005. For the last date shown (13 December), the MLTE values were -9.8°F (grafted) vs. -8.5°F (own-rooted). The spread between the two was even greater in November. Crop levels were similar with grafted and non-grafted vines - about 6.8 to 7.0 tons/acre with divided canopy training, and 5.0 to 5.5 tons/acre with VSP (non-divided canopy) training. Two points are made. For one, the Traminette vines, whether grafted or not, would tolerate sub-zero field temperatures at this point in winter and would not be expected to sustain significant bud injury unless temperatures approached -10°F. This pattern should persist unless we have prolonged (many days) periods of warm, deacclimating temperatures (> 50°F). The second point is that grafting appears to confer some added cold-tolerance to Traminette. I won't, for now, speculate on the mechanism of that increased hardiness, but it is interesting to note that grafting has also reduced the incidence of bunch rots with Traminette, a response that we discussed at the ASEV/Eastern Section meeting in St. Louis, MO this summer.

Aside from the Traminette cold hardiness comparison, Kay has also been testing Viognier cold hardiness on a bi-weekly basis. At mid-December, Viognier buds exhibited MLTE values of -7.0 to -9.0 °F, with some minor variation due to training system. These are good values - Viognier is, afterall, a vinifera cultivar and we would not expect much greater levels of cold hardiness than this with vines grown at Winchester

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II. Upcoming meetings

There are a lot of meetings and workshops coming up this winter, both within Virginia and regionally. I start by calling attention to several pruning workshops, followed by information on the upcoming Virginia Vineyards Association annual meeting, and then present a compilation of regional meetings that Mark Chien has tallied. Plenty to keep us all busy and up-to-date.

A. Virginia pruning workshops: The last of three Virginia pruning workshops of the winter will be held 11 January 2006 at Virginia Tech's Southern Piedmont AREC in Blackstone, VA. The pruning workshops are geared mainly to the beginner or to those who want to gain some experience with different training systems. Call in advance (540-869-2560 x18 or x11) if the weather is questionable to be sure the workshop is being conducted.

When: Wednesday, 11 January 2006; 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Where: Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Tech, Blackstone, VA.

Information: Fritz Westover, 540-869-2560 Ext. 11, westover@vt.edu

Program: Basic pruning workshop. Learn the basics of pruning grapevines including training of young vines, balanced pruning, assessment of and compensation for cold injury and bud necrosis, cordon vs. head training, pathogens of pruning wounds, demonstrations of Geneva Double Curtain (GDC), Vertical Shoot Position (VSP), Smart-Dyson training systems. No fees or registration required. Bring pruning shears, and dress appropriately for the day's weather.

Directions: Virginia Tech's Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center is located on 2375 Darvills Road near Blackstone, VA. In Blackstone, take Dinwiddie Ave. (also Highway 40 East), travel approximately 1.5 miles east on Highway 40 past the Fort Pickett main gate. Keep straight approximately 0.5 mile crossing two railroad tracks. Just past the second railroad track, turn left. The Center is immediately on the right. Meet in Center parking lot.

B. Maryland pruning clinics: There are three (3) clinics scheduled, each with a particular lesson or example for review. You may attend any or all of the clinics. Each clinic will;

Clinic #1: Southern Plain: 4 February Saturday 9am - noon; Upper Marlboro Farm Vyd, Upper Marlboro, (PG County); Contact: Dave Myers 410-222-6759. Instruction on 4-5 year old vines. Instructors: Pat Isles & Bob White

Directions from Annapolis: Travel 50 West to 301 South. Follow 301 South to Upper Marlboro. Turn right at the light (Shell Station). Go down the hill. Bear right at the bottom of the hill onto 202 West. Follow 202 approximately 3 miles. The farm is on the left. Look for the 4 large white tobacco barns lined up on the ridge. There is a chain link fence on the left as one approaches the entrance and a white sign at the entrance. We will meet at the buildings and then go to the vineyard. The lane to the vineyard is the first lane on the right after turning off 202.

Clinic #2: Catoctin Mtn Valley: 18 February Saturday 9am - noon. WMREC Vineyard, Keedysville, (Washington County). Contact: G.R. Welsh 301-432-2767 ext. 329. Instruction on mature vineyards and new plantings. Instructors: Dick Penna & G.R. Welsh

Directions from Interstate 70 at Hagerstown: Take Exit 29, Route 65 south, for about 7 miles to Keedysville Road, turn left and go about 1 mile to the Center entrance on the left. Proceed to parking area in front of buildings.

Clinic #3: Eastern Shore: 25 February Saturday 9am - noon. Golden Run Vineyard, Sudlersville, (Queen Anne's County). Contact: Jennie Schmidt, 410-739-7782. Instruction on young and new plantings. Instructors: Jennie Schmidt & Bill Rohrer

Directions from Annapolis/DC: Cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Rte 50/301 East. When Rte 50/301 divides, stay North on 301. Drive approximately 21 miles on 301 North. Turn Right on Route 300 East. Drive approximately 4 miles East on 300. Go straight through the light in Sudlersville. Once outside of town, you will pass a cemetery on your Left. Turn left immediately after the cemetery onto Sudlersville Cemetery Road. Vineyard is first farm on left (1 mile).

C. Virginia Vineyards Association Annual Technical meeting

When: 9 - 11 February 2006

Where: Omni Hotel, Charlottesville, VA

Program: Thursday, 9 February will be geared towards beginning or novice grape growers, with the program of 10 and 11 February presented at a more advanced level. Please note that registration at the Omni Hotel must be done by January 19th, and that registration for the VVA meeting must be postmarked by January 27th.

Newcomers Session - Thursday February 9, 2006 - 1:00pm to 5:00pm.

The fee for this session is $40 per VVA member and $50 for non-members.

Topics: Economics, Site selection, Varieties clones and rootstocks, Training systems, Vine spacing, Machinery & Equipment requirements, Vineyard establishment, management, & maintenance, Introduction to vineyard diseases

Speakers Include: Fritz Westover - Virginia Cooperative Extension; Jason Murray - Chateau O'Brien at Northpoint and others, to be announced

Technical meeting and trade show - February 10th - 11th

Registration fee is $170 for VVA members and $230 for non-members. To avoid a late fee, registrations must be postmarked by January 27, 2006. The fee covers educational sessions on Friday and Saturday, coffee breaks, trade show, wine reception on Friday evening, and Saturday lunch.

To register, contact Kay Thompson at 434-277-5989, or email kayvines@ceva.net. You may also send registration payment to Virginia Vineyards Association, PO Box 91, Clifford, VA 24533.

Cancellation Policy:

Registration cancellations received by January 27, 2006 will be fully refunded. No refunds will be made after that date.

Hotel Reservations:

Call the Omni Hotel at 434-971-5500 and specify that you are attending the Virginia Vineyards Association meeting. Reservations must be made by January 19th to receive the special pricing of $109.00 for single/double per night. See the Omni web site for directions and more information about the hotel (http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/Charlottesville.aspx).

Technical meeting schedule (prepared by Jason Murray)

Friday February 10, 2006

8:00 On-site registration

9:00 Welcome: Rock Stephens, VVA President

9:05 Compost use in vineyards, Fritz Westover - Virginia Tech

10:00 Legislative update, Ann Heidig, President, Virginia Wineries Association

10:30 Break

10:45 Fungicide resistance research update, Anton Baudoin, Virginia Tech

11:00 Use of vineyard cover crops, Gill Giese, Surry Community College, NC and Virginia Tech

11:45 Experience with cover crops in northern Virginia, Jason Murray, Cht. O'Brien at Northpoint

12:00 Lunch on Your Own

1:30 Pierce's Disease in the Mid-Atlantic, Ashley Myers, North Carolina State University

2:00 Labor management solutions, Libby Whitley, Mid-Atlantic solutions

3:00 Break

3:30 Tasting of wines from training system comparison at Virginia Tech

4:15 Realities of taking the next step from vineyard to winery, Howard O'Brien, Cht. O'Brien at Northpoint

5:00 Nuts and bolts or home winemaking, Doug Fabbioli, Bella Luna Vineyards

6:30 Wine reception with the vendors

Saturday February 11, 2006

Continental Breakfast and All day Coffee Service Provided

8:00 Grapevine Nutrition - Paul Chu - A&L Eastern Labs - Richmond, VA

9:15 Knowing the right time to harvest your grapes

Andrew Hodson - Veritas Vineyards
Brad McCarthy - Blenheim Vineyards
Jim Law - Linden Vineyards

10:05 Break

10:30 VVA Annual Business Meeting
Presentation of the Grower of the Year Award

12:00 Buffet Lunch included with Registration

1:30 Strategies for Pricing your Grapes - Jim Corcoran - Waterford Vineyards

2:15 Vine Management for Producing High Quality Wines - Jim Law - Linden

3:00 Break

3:20 Insect pest management and research updates, Doug Pfeiffer, Virginia Tech

3:40 Growers' experience with organics and sustainable practices
Dean Gruenberg - Culpeper Virginia
Ed Boyce & Sarah O'Herron - Black Ankle Vineyards
Brad McCarthy - Blenheim Vineyards

5:00 Adjourn

D. Regional meetings

(Thanks to Penn State extension agent Mark Chien for compiling this listing of up-coming regional events)

January

6/7 2006 Annual Georgia-S. Carolina Muscadine Conference. Savannah International Convention Center, Savannah, GA. Topics include planting and care of muscadines, insect control, cultivar evaluation and juice blending. For more information, go to www.gfvga.org or call 877-9943842.

11/12 Juice and Wine Analysis Short Course. Food Science and Technology Bldg. VATech, Blacksburg, VA. Offered by the Enology-Grape Chemistry Group this program will be a hands-on, practically oriented laboratory course. Analysis will be supplemented with a lab manual and discussions about practical winemaking. Limited to 14. $450/person, non-refundable. For more information, please go to http://www.vtwines.info/.

10/11 Kentucky Grape and Wine Short Course. Holiday Inn North in Lexington, KY. Speakers include UK extension agents Kaan Kurtural and Tom Cotrell and visiting Andy Allen from Missouri. A banquet and celebration of KY wines is included. For information, contact Dr. John Strang at jstrang@uky.edu or 859-257-5685.

11 Pruning workshop. Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center. Blackstone, VA. Basics of pruning including training of young vines, balanced pruing, assessment and compensation for cold injury and bud necrosis, cordon and head training, pruning wound pathogens and demonstration of VSP, GDC and Smart-Dyson trellis systems. Bring pruning shears. No fees or registration required. For information and details, please call Fritz Westover at 540-869-2960.

12 Wine Grape Session of the New Jersey Vegetable Growers Association meeting. Borgata Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, NJ. 1-4 p.m. Contact Gary Pavlis at Rutgers Cooperative Extension for information and registration. (609) 625-0056.

18 Morning: Pruning Workshop. Naylor Wine Cellars. Stewartstown, PA. 9 a.m. to noon. A pruning workshop geared towards commercial wine growers. Slide presentation and field demonstration of how to prune commercial grape training systems. Registration fee $15. Please contact Mark Chien for more information and registration at 717-394-6851. Directions at http://www.naylorwine.com/.

Afternoon: Wine maker Technical Workshop. Farm and Home Center. Lancaster, PA. 2 - 5 p.m. Open to all commercial wine makers and grape growers. Theme and invited speaker TBA. Is there anything more important to making good wine than to taste wines? And not just your own. Reference wines, other wine makers' wines, near and far. Tasting is the key to learning and improving. Meeting is free and no pre-registration is required. Directions at http://lancasterext.cas.psu.edu. Call Mark Chien or Stephen Menke for information.

20 Viticulture Session, Long Island Agricultural Forum. Suffolk Community College in Riverhead, NY. 9 a.m. to noon. Featured speaker is Dr. Doug Gubler, plant pathologist from UC Davis and Dr. Harold Van Es, soil scientist from Cornell. For more information, call Linda Holm at 631-727-7850, ext 341.

23 Indiana Grape and Wine Symposium. Adam's Mark Hotel. Indianapolis, IN. Concurrent with the annual horticulture congress, grape and wine sessions occur over the three days. Monday night reception and banquet. Trade show. For information, go to http://www.indianawines.org/.

24-26 Unified Grape and Wine Symposium. Sacramento Convention Center, Sacramento, CA. The largest wine and grape meeting and trade show of the year is sponsored by ASEV and CAWG. Seminars focus on practical wine growing information (http://www.unifiedsymposium.org/).

28/29 Getting a Vineyard Started and Wine Making Basics. Professional seminars geared towards commercial wine growers held at Linden Vineyards in Linden, VA and taught by winegrower Jim Law. Offering practical courses focused on small scale, high quality vineyard and winery management in the Mid-Atlantic region. Classes are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $150/person. Register by phone in advance at 540-364-1997. More information at www.lindenvineyards.com/..

31 Wine Grape Section of the Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention. Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, PA. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The focus of the meeting will be on late season/harvest disease problem such as botrytis, ripe rot, bitter rot and sour rot. Dr Turner Sutton from NC State University is the featured speaker. Weed control strategies are also on the program. A PA, NJ, MD grower panel on disease control and canopy management. A large trade show is part of the meeting. The meeting is sponsored by the State Horticulture Association of Pennsylvania, Penn State, Univ of Maryland and Rutgers Univ. Core pesticide credits will be available. Registration fee. For registration, call Maureen Irvin at 717-677-4184.

February

2-4 Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) annual conference. Penn Stater Hotel, State College, PA. ÒFarming for the FutureÓ. This amazing event is PASA's signature and our main vehicle for community building. Widely regarded as the best of its kind in the East, this diverse 3-day spectacular brings together an audience of over 1,500 farmers, processors, consumers, students, environmentalists, and business and community leaders annually. For complete information and registration, go to the PASA web site at http://www.pasafarming.org/

3-5 Cold Climate Wine and Grape Conference. Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester, MN. The theme of this year's meeting is Northern Viticulture Coming of Age: The Business of Growing Grapes and Making Wine in the North. Sponsored by the MN Grape Growers Assoc. For information, please go to http://mngrapes.org/ccgw_conference.html.

4 Pruning clinic. Upper Marlboro UMD Center. Maryland. Contact Dick Penna for information at 301-432-2338.

4-6 21st Annual Mid-America Grape and Wine Conference will feature a symposium on grapevine rootstocks at the Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, MO. For information and registration, please contact Gloria Smith at 417.926.4105 or visit http://mtngrv.smsu.edu/mvec/.

5-10 Sixth International Cool Climate Symposium for Enology and Viticulture. Christchurch, New Zealand. The theme is Òwinegrowing for the futureÓ. Program includes a long list of international speakers. ICCS started in New York and has become a great success. Yes, there are cool areas of PA that make this meeting relevant. Remember, it's summer down there! Many organized vineyard tour options. Visit their web site at http://www.iccs2006.org.nz.

10/11 Virginia Vineyard Association Annual Winter Meeting. Omni Hotel, Charlottesville, VA. Two days of practical information for growers and wine makers and research information from VA Tech. For more information, please visit http://www.virginiavineyardsassociation.com/.

15/16 Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention. Brock University, Ste Catherines, Ontario. Dr. Terry Bates, viticulturist from Cornell is a featured speaker. For more information, please go to http://fruitveggie.hortport.com/Current_Issue.htm.

18 Pruning clinic. Western MD Research and Extension Center, Keedysville, MD. Contact Dick Penna for information at 301-432-2338.

22 Pruning Workshop. Manatawny Creek Vineyards. Douglassville, PA. Please see Jan 18 entry. Directions at www.manatawnycreek.com/.

25 Pruning clinic. Golden Run Vineyard in Maryland. Contact Dick Penna for information.

March

1-3 Michigan Wine Industry Annual Meeting. Crystal Mountain Resort. Thompsonville, MI. Wine marketing writer Elizabeth Slater will offer two workshops and provide individual consulting. Other sessions include Scott Labs on finishing wine for bottling and wine makers' tasting. Find more details at http://www.michiganwines.com/index.html.

3/4 56th Annual Finger Lakes Grape Growers Convention and Trade Show. Holiday Inn. Waterloo. NY. Practical information for growers and wine makers as well as latest research from NYSAES. Breakout sessions on soil health and root biology, grower technology innovations, sprayer technology, business management issues and 'the basics' for new growers on Friday, research, pest management updates and trade show on Saturday. For more information, please call 315-536-5134 or visit http://www.cce.cornell.edu/programs/finger-lakes-grape/. .

4 Maryland Grape Growers Association Annual Meeting. Turf Valley Resort, Ellicott City, MD. Alice Wise from Cornell Cooperative Extension on Long Island will talk about sustainable viticulture practices. Ed Boyce from Black Ankle Vineyard will talk about the development of their vineyard using biodynamic principles and Phil Roth from Roth Vineyard in Fairfield, PA will speak on his experience using compost in his vineyard. A panel discussion with wine makers and growers will discuss this important relationship. For more information, visit the MGGA web site at www.marylandwine.com/mgga/ or contact Dick Penna at 310-432-2338 for information.

11 Grape Expectations: A Viticultural and Enological Symposium. Forsgate Country Club. Monroe Twp, NJ. A full day of viticulture and enology topics focusing on practical aspects of wine growing in New Jersey. Mystery wine and awards for NJ wines are presented. For information and registration, please contact Dr. Gary Pavlis at 609-758-7311.

13 Grape Disease and Pesticide Applicator's Core Credit Workshop. Lancaster Farm and Home Center. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The morning session will focus on fungal disease prevention and grape berry moth control for the upcoming season. Dr. Jim Travis and Dr. Mike Saunders will provide their latest research. The afternoon session will offer 6 core credits for PA licensed applicators. Pre-registration required. Call Mark Chien for information 717.394.6851

12-15 30th Annual Wineries Unlimited. Lancaster Host Resort. Lancaster, PA. Trade show dates: March 13-14. The largest trade show and seminar program in the East will have a special anniversary program, with Decanter Man of the Year Ernst Loosen to give keynote address and speak in seminars on the major varietal theme, Riesling. Sustainability is the conference theme, with one day workshops for newcomers (3/12) and for bottling issues (3/15). Trade show features 175 exhibitors, 250 booths. For more information and online registration, visit www.vwm-online.com/wu.

14 Winemaker Technical Meeting. Lancaster Host Resort. PA. Room to be announced. 2-5 p.m. See entry for January 18. Regional wine makers are encouraged to attend and bring wines from the 2005 vintage. Problem wines are especially encouraged.

15 New Grape Grower Workshop in association with Wineries Unlimited. Host Resort. Lancaster, PA. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This intensive, full-day overview is directed at people who have just started a vineyard or plan to start a commercial vineyard in the Mid-Atlantic regions. It is team taught by Dr. Joe Fiola (U Md), Mark Chien (Penn State) and Fritz Westover (VA Tech). It covers all topics associated with developing and operating a commercial vineyard including site selection, grape market, vineyard economics, equipment and supplies, site preparation, varieties and rootstocks, trellis systems, disease, pest and weed control and management into the first year. Registration fee is $135 and includes lunch, breaks and handouts. Register through Penn State Coop Ext. Contact Mark Chien at 717.394.6851 for more information and registration.

19-22 Terroir 2006: A Dialogue between Earth Scientists and Winemakers. Davis, California. This international conference will explore how aspects of terroir can be studied scientifically in ways that are of use to the wine industry. Planned sessions include * What is Terroir? * Terroir Around the World * Geology, Soils, Nutrients and Terroir * Climate, Water, and Terroir * Expressions of Terroir in Vine and Grape Physiology * Marketing the Romance of Terroir * Terroir and the Sensory Characteristics of Wine * Impact of Global Climate Change * New Techniques for Studying Terroir * Terroir and Cuisine. For more information, go to http://terroir2006.ucdavis.edu

24 Tentative: Viticulture Workshop with invited speaker(s) from France and the Mid-Atlantic region addressing soil, water and vine relations. Site to be announced. Please hold the date. For more information, please call Mark Chien.

30 Lake Erie Grape Growers Convention. Fredonia State University, Fredonia, NY. Breakout sessions with information on process and wine grapes with a trade show. For information call Linda Aures at 715-672-5296 or visit http://.lenewa.netsync.net/public/lergphom.htm .

April

5-7 35th Annual New York Wine Industry Workshop. NYSAES, Geneva, NY. The program includes seminars on wine marketing hosted by NY Wine and Grape Foundation and the annual Unity Dinner. Also included is a trade show and technical seminar focus on wine bottling. Information and registration at http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/fst/faculty/henick/events.html.

8 Pennsylvania Association of Winegrowers Spring Vineyard Walk Around and Annual Meeting. Spyglass Hill Vineyard in Northumberland County. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The program will have a sustainable focus with Alan York, a well-known organic consultant from Sonoma as the featured speaker. The annual meeting is an important opportunity for PA growers, independent and estate, to set the agenda for the coming year. Please join and support PAW. For more information, please visit the PAW web site at http://www.pawinegrowers.com/.

May

8-10 Pennsylvania Wine Association Annual Meeting. Wyndham Hotel Harrisburg/Hershey. Harrisburg, PA. Invited speakers focus on current topics important to the PA wine industry. Enology, wine marketing and viticulture topics are all on the program. Pesticide credits available. Awards banquet and annual PWA business meeting. For information, please call Jennifer at 717-234-1844.

16/17 Erie Region Vit/Enol Workshop. Location to be announced. Offered by Penn State and Cornell. Full day of vineyard visits. Please call to get your vineyard on the schedule. Speakers include Dr. Jim Travis, Dr. Stephen Menke, Hans Walter-Peterson, Andy Muza and Mark Chien.

TBA Twilight meeting. Chester County. Vineyard to be announced. Free. No pre-registration required. Pre-bloom disease and pest control. Canopy management and weed control. Vineyard tour by owner.

June

Summer vineyard meetings are offered periodically in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Western NY and the Finger Lakes. Please look for further announcements about these important field days or contact the viticulture extension agent in each region.

7 Summer Vit/Enol Workshop. Please hold the date! Location and speakers to be announced. Blending in the field and cellar will be the focus with wines. Pre-registration required. Registration fee. Call Mark Chien for information.

7 Maryland Grape Growers' Association Field Day. Upper Marlboro UMD Center. Visit the MGGA web site for details. www.marylandwine.com/mgga/

25 Vineyard Management Seminar. Linden Vineyards. Linden, VA. The focus on this session is the finer points of day to day management of a producing vineyard. Canopy management to impact quality and flavors is the main emphasis. Horticultural decisions such as pruning, training, pest management and vine nutrition are also covered. Pre-registration required. Limited space. http://www.lindenvineyards.com/.

28-30 American Society for Enology and Viticulture Annual Convention. Sacramento, CA. ASEV is the professional association of the U.S. wine industry. The focus is on viticulture and enology research with a large trade show. For more information, go to www.asev.org.

July

9-12 American Society for Enology and Viticulture Eastern Section Annual Meeting. Rochester, NY. This is an important opportunity for non-western states growers to hear the latest research results from their regions include student papers and Viticulture Consortium projects. Pre-conference tour of Finger Lakes wineries is available. For more information, visit the ASEV-ES web site at http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/fst/asev/

August

13 Advanced Wine Making Workshop. Linden Vineyards. Linden, VA. The finer points of artisan winemaking are covered is this seminar with time spent in the vineyard, cellar, classroom and tasting. Style and quality issues are the focus. Participants should have some winemaking experience or have taken the Winemaking Basics Seminar. Pre-registration required. Limited space. http://www.lindenvineyards.com/

17 Pennsylvania Association of Winegrowers Annual Summer Vineyard Walk Around. At the Fruit Research and Extension in Biglerville, PA. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tour of variety and pathology experiments run by Dr. Jim Travis and his team at FREC and tasting of research wines by extension enologist Stephen Menke. Registration and pre-registration required. Pesticide credits are available. For information, call Mark Chien or Stephen Menke.

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Job position announcement

Linden Vineyards has an apprentice opening beginning late winter 2006. The position includes training and eventual responsibility in all aspects of grape growing and winemaking under the supervision of winegrower Jim Law. This is a full time position. No experience is required, but a passion and intellectual curiosity for wine is necessary. For more information about Linden Vineyards visit www.lindenvineyards.com. Inquiries should be directed to Jim Law at jimlaw@crosslink.net or call (540) 364-1997.

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"Viticulture Notes" is a bi-monthly newsletter issued by Dr. Tony K. Wolf, Viticulture Extension Specialist with Virginia Tech's Alson H. Smith, Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Winchester, Virginia. If you would like to receive "Viticulture Notes" as well as Dr. Bruce Zoecklein's "Vinter's Corner" by mail, contact Dr. Wolf at:

Dr. Tony K. Wolf
AHS Agricultural Research and Extension Center
595 Laurel Grove Road
Winchester, VA 22602

or e-mail: vitis@vt.edu

Commercial products are named in this publication for informational purposes only. Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, and Virginia State University do not endorse these products and do not intend discrimination against other products that also may be suitable.

Visit Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Visit Alson H. Smith, Jr., Agricultural Research and Extension Center.