Wine-Grower-News #138 August 13, 2010 Midwest Grape & Wine Industry Institute: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Wine Information in this issue includes: Computer Crashed – Operator Survives! Remember to use the Iowa Wine Growers Assn’s “FREE” Grape Exchange Online Kirkwood Offers Wine Facility Management Courses Pre-harvest Petiole Testing Latest Gallup Poll on American Drinking Habits Latest CPR Procedure – a video worth watching Growing Students and Harvesting Knowledge (MO Center for Wine, Food and Hospitality) 8-17, Northwest Iowa Grape Growers Association Grape Harvest Workshop 9-2, Hands-on Berry & Wine Sensory Analysis Seminar 9-3, Hands-on Berry Sensory Analysis Seminar, Springfield, IL Comments from Readers Show n Tell Notable Quotables Articles of Interest Neeto-Keeno WWW Stuff Calendar of Events U.S. % of Normal Rainfall Map Computer Crashed – Operator Survives! You are receiving this newsletter over one week late due to the death of my computer hard drive on Thursday (8-5-10). Luckily, the attempts of our great crew of ISU Extension computer geeks on campus proved successful. They were able to save my computer files and replace the hard drive. Thank You Lord!! I am now back Online! Dell Computer Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). I will be working day and night at the Iowa State Fair from August 11th through August 22nd . I will not have much extra time to return e-mails and phone messages or work on this newsletter. Expect delays. Mike White 1 Remember to use the Iowa Wine Growers Assn’s “FREE” Grape Exchange Online I see that many buyers and sellers have already posted their “Grapes For Sale ” or “Grapes Wanted” on the Iowa Wine Growers Association’s website. There is no charge to post on the Grape Exchange. To post you only need to register as a user first (if you haven't already). Once you have confirmed your registration and log in you will see the instructions on how to Post FREE Ads in the User Menu Kirkwood Offers Wine Facility Management Courses For those interested in entering the growing vineyard and winery markets in Iowa, Kirkwood Community College will offer a six-part Winemaking & Winery Facility Management course series. In the next year Kirkwood Continuing Education will hold a six-course series, with a certificate awarded upon completion. The courses begin with “Winemaking 101,” then continue with classes on fermentation and post- fermentation management; winery facilities, marketing and regulation, then a finale course on wines from pre-bottling to sales to the consumer. Each course is taught in four evening classes, with a mixture of classroom and working winery instruction at Kirkwood’s new teaching winery in Washington Hall on the Cedar Rapids campus. Much of the students’ time will be spent in direct winery experience under close guidance of instructor Lucas McIntire, a professional winemaker with nearly a decade of contracted wine production at several eastern Iowa commercial wineries. During his career McIntire has produced thousands of gallons of wine in many varieties for sale to the public. Ideally, students will complete all six courses to earn the Winemaking & Winery Facility Management Certificate. Class tuition is $49 for each of the classes. Students who enroll for the six- course series will receive a discount. For flexibility of student schedules and needs, each class may also be taken separately with unique attention given to each student’s background and interests. All courses are scheduled for completion in early 2011. More information on the Winemaking & Wine Facility Management courses is available by calling Kirkwood Viticulturist Tom Moore at (319) 398-5899, Ext. 4010; or Instructor Lucas McIntire, (563) 599-9608. Pre-harvest Petiole Testing Petiole tests are the primary tool used to determine fertility needs once the vineyard is established. Petioles (stem portion of the leaf) is the tissue recommended for determining the nutritional needs of grape vines. Obtaining a representative sample is critical. Optimum nutrient ranges are based on petioles sampled at specific times during the season. The following guidelines can be used for proper sampling and handling procedures: 1. Full bloom and veraison (approx. early August in Iowa) are the two times of the season to sample grapes. The full bloom sample is primarily used for nitrogen and boron. The 2 veraison sample is more reliable for all the other nutrients. 2. At least 25-50 vines should be selected for a sample collection. Vines not typical of the vineyard should be avoided. 3. Vines should be of the same age, cultivar, and rootstock growing on similar soil/site conditions. 4. For full bloom sampling, take the petioles from leaves opposite the bottom flower cluster. For samples taken at veraison, take the petioles from the most recently developed matured leaf. 5. Collect 75-100 petioles. Short petioled varieties like Marechal Foch will need 150 to 200 petioles collected. Do not pick more than one petiole from any one shoot and do not sample any petioles connected to heavily diseased, insect or mechanical damaged leaves. 6. Dusty or dirty petioles should be rinsed with distilled water and patted dry with a paper towel. Place the collected samples in a paper bag and send into a testing laboratory. Make sure to record all the necessary information required by the testing laboratory. 7. Make sure to contact the testing laboratory prior to sending in the petiole test. You want to do it right the first time! Many factors can affect the nutrient composition of plant tissue. Soil moisture, soil fertility, diseases, insects, crop load, weather, and cultural practices can directly affect petiole tests. When properly used, petiole testing will provide the most reliable method to determine fertilizer needs for established vineyards. Comparing petiole tests from year-to-year will show a more reliable trend over time. Charges will vary between laboratories, but most fees will range between $25 - $35 for a complete petiole analysis. Additional Resources: (Above) Petiole identification – UC Davis 1. Midwest Small Fruit Pest Mgt. Handbook: http://ohioline.osu.edu/b861/index.html 2. ISU Petiole Sampling Guidelines with a list of plant analysis labs: http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/info/pdf/leafsampling.pdf 3. Iowa Dept. of Ag list of soil test labs certified to do business in Iowa. Many of them will to petiole tests: http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/feedAndFertilizer/certifiedSoilTesting.asp 4. Midwest Grape Production Guide, p. 139 Plant Analysis, Ohio State Univ..: http://ohioline.osu.edu/b919/index.html Latest Gallup Poll on American Drinking Habits Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted July 8-11, 2010, with a random sample of 1,020 adults, aged 18 and older, living in the continental U.S., selected using random-digit-dial sampling. Here are some highlights of this 2010 annual poll: 1. 67% of adult Americans consume alcohol. This is the highest since 1985. 2. 33% of adult Americans totally abstain from alcohol consumption. 3. The highest adult American alcohol consumption rate was 71% from 1976 to 78. 4. The lowest adult American alcohol consumption rate was in 55% in 1958. 3 5. Those who seldom attend or do not attend church are significantly more likely to drink alcohol. 6. Catholics and non-Christians are more likely to drink alcohol than Protestants. 7. Higher income correlates with higher alcohol consumption: 46% of adults making less than $20,000/year drink alcohol, while 81% of those making more than $75,000/year drink alcohol. 8. 72% of 18-54 year olds drink alcohol versus 59% for those over 55 years of age. 9. Of adult drinkers 41% prefer beer, 32% prefer wine and 21% prefer liquor. 10. Drinkers 55 and older clearly choose wine as their preferred beverage. 11. Overall, 54% of men prefer beer over wine (17%) and liquor (22%). 12. Overall, 48% of women prefer wine over beer (27%) and liquor (21%). 13. Beer remains the most popular in the Midwest. Full details of this Gallup Poll can be found here: http://www.gallup.com/poll/141656/Drinking-Rate-Edges-Slightly-Year-High.aspx Latest CPR Procedure – a video worth watching Here is a 5:59 minute video worth watching. There has been a big change in Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation CPR procedures. Much simpler than the old technique! Check it out by viewing this 5:59 minute video by the University of Arizona College of Medicine: http://tinyurl.com/2fx8r59 Suggest sharing it with others. Growing Students and Harvesting Knowledge (MO Center for Wine, Food and Hospitality) --- Taken from Inside Missouri Wine, August 2010 newsletter Efforts are underway to create the University of Missouri Center for Wine, Food and Hospitality, a 51,000 square foot facility to house the wine, food and hospitality programs in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) at the University of Missouri Columbia campus. When completed, the Center will be the only place in the nation that offers the academic and research disciplines of food science, hospitality management, viticulture and enology as an integrated program under one roof. The Missouri Wine & Grape Board has partnered with CAFNR and the University of Missouri to develop the Center. The proposed facility will be made up of three buildings: Teaching and Research Teaching Winery Food and Wine Education The Teaching and Research building (~20,000 square feet) will house faculty and staff offices, a training room, and research labs for viticulture, enology, sensory analysis and microbiology. The (~9,000 square feet) Teaching winery will be a hands-on facility for fruit processing, fermentation, wine making, bottling and storage. The Food and Wine Education building (~22,000 square feet) will include a sensory and food educational theater, banquet dining facility, conference room, kitchen, and regional food product showcase and retail area.