1

Wine-Grower-News #176 July 22, 2011

Midwest Grape & Wine Industry Institute: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Wine

Information in this issue includes:

Aug. 11 to 21, Volunteer for the IA State Fair “Wine Experience”

RAGBRAI 2011

Snooth - 20 part series on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Wineries

Late Season Grape Petiole Testing

7-30, Grape Harvest Workshop – Shelbyville, IL

International Cold Climate Wine Competition Call for Entries

7-24, MGGA Summer Picnic – St. Croix Vineyards - Stillwater, MN

8-13, WGGA Summer Vineyard Walk – Kewaunee, WI

10-(21+22) Small Scale Commercial Winemaking Course – Nebraska City

Marketing Tidbits

Show n Tell (Japanese Beetles, Homemade Press, Imperial Moth)

Comments from Readers (Rinieri Hedger)

Articles of Interest

Videos of Interest

Neeto-Keeno WWW Stuff

Calendar of Events

Aug. 11 to 21, Volunteer for the IA State Fair “Wine Experience”

Due to VERY popular demand, Iowa State Fair Board

has said YES again to the 3rd annual "Iowa Wine

Experience" display and events scheduled in and around

"Grandfather's Barn at the Iowa State Fair. Once again

the pressure in on to get the 88+ volunteers needed to pull

this off. For 2 years running The Wine Experience has

been listed in the top 10 things to do at the Iowa State Fair.

We estimated that 75, 000+ people walked through the

Wine Experience each of the last two years. Our daily

grape competition stomps have been a huge attraction.

We have increased from 9 to 12, the number of

Competitive grapes stomps we will be doing each day

this year.

144 rounds of competitive grape

stomps will be done this year. 3

stompers and 3 muckers per round.

12 rounds per day.

2

You do not have to be part of the Iowa vine/wine industry to volunteer.

What will you do: - smile - talk to people - serve wine & crackers - listen to music - help

with the grape stomping contests each day - other duties as assigned - Give directions

to other State Fair exhibits - tidy up the place

Suggested Attire: Typical casual State Fair clothes.

Working conditions: Best location at the fair. Grandfather's Barn is on top of the hill and

surrounded by large shade trees and out of the way of the huge crowds at the base of the

hill. The state fair shuttle has a "stop" right outside of Grandfather's Barn

Fringe benefits: - free parking tickets - free State Fair entry tickets - free bathroom

facilities - free water - free shade - free music - free to promote your vineyard

and/or winery with pictures, brochures, etc...

Why: To help promote the Iowa Wine Industry.

The State Fair starts on Thursday, August 11th and ends on Sunday, August 21st. We are looking to

fill the following shifts each day of the fair:

Day - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Evening - 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The Wine Experience is sponsored and financed by the Iowa State Fair. Barb Rasko (MakeMineWine

magazine) has once again agreed to be the superintendent of this display. I have also agreed to help

with many of the details and daily duties to make this a HUGE success again this year.

This is a GREAT opportunity to promote the Iowa grape & wine industry to the 1 million+ people

from around the world who attend this event. We are very appreciative of the Iowa State Fair Board's

efforts and support to make this happen.

Let me know if you can help by telling me what days and shifts you could be available. I will then

get back to you ASAP.

Aug. 11 to Aug. 21

Shift 1: Day - 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Shift 2: Evening - 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

I will need the mailing address you want your

tickets sent to and your cell phone # for

communication on the Fairgrounds.

Contact: Mike White mlwhite@iastate.edu or cell: 515-681-7386

PS1: Check out the Iowa State Fair here: http://www.iowastatefair.org/

PS2: 2010 Iowa State Fair grape stomp video, 8-21-10 – 9 min.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrG4wA0N7-U

(Right) There is

even a kid’s tent

at the Wine

Experience.

3

RAGBRAI 2011

The 34

th Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) starts this Sunday. The 2011

RAGBRAI host communities are: Glenwood, Atlantic, Carroll, Boone, Altoona, Grinnell, Coralville,

and Davenport, Iowa. Information on Alcohol vendor licensing along the route can be found here on

the Iowa Alcohol Beverage Division education WWW page here:

http://www.iowaabd.com/education/outreach/ragbrai

You can apply for one of their alcohol license permits via their licensing system here:

https://elicensing.iowaabd.com/

Snooth - 20 part series on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Wineries

Snooth does not sell wine. Instead they offer users an unique shopping experience that lets them

interact with wineries, merchants, fellow wine lovers, and wine professionals from all over the globe.

When users are ready to make a purchase, they can compare prices and shop from over 10,000 wine

merchants worldwide as well as review the wine and their buying experience to help others in the

future.

Since its launch in June 2007 Snooth has become the world's largest and most comprehensive online

wine destination, featuring millions of reviews and hundreds of thousands of wines. Snooth also

powers the wine results for many other major sites including Epicurious (Conde Nast) and my

Recipes (Time Inc), and, through its extended network, reaches an audience of over 10M unique

users per month.

You can read “An SEO Guide for Wineries Part 1” and sign up for their Blog to receive the other 19

as they are written here: http://blog.snooth.com/2011/07/21/an-seo-guide-for-wineries-part-1/

Late Season Grape Petiole Testing

Petiole tests are an additional method to use along with soil tests to determine fertility needs once the

vineyard is established. It is commonly recommended to take soil samples of a vineyard every 3-5

years. Most soils have a buffering capacity that does not allow their fertility status to change abruptly

from year to year. Petiole tests can change each year. They are more of a snapshot in time.

Comparing petiole tests to their respective soil test will give a vineyard manager a much better

picture of what “REALLY” is happening in the vineyard.

Petiole tests can be used as a trouble-shooting tool to determine what may be wrong with individual

vines. It is always good to take separate samples from both the vines in question and the normal

vines to have a comparison. Petiole tests are often taken on a regular basis to monitor the fertility

status of the individual areas and cultivars in a vineyard.

Petioles (stem portion of the leaf) are 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

4

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

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

5. Grape Petiole Analysis, 8-12-11, Dr. Imed Dami, Ohio State University: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeweb/OGEN/08122005/Grape%20Petiole%20Analysis_Dami.pdf

6. Petiole Gathering Video, 8-20-08 – Cornell Univ. Lake Erie Regional Grape Program:

http://www.youtube.com/user/LERGPvids#p/u/12/5gAp9gwl4rs

7-30, Grape Harvest Workshop – Shelbyville, IL

When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with lunch afterwards, Saturday, 7-30-11

Where: Willow Ridge Vineyards & Winery, Rt. 2, Box 343-A. Shelbyville, IL 62565

Ph: 217-738-2323

5

Cost: $20

Sponsored by: Viticulture Enology Science & Technology Alliance (VESTA)

Illinois Department of Agriculture

University of Illinois Extension

RSVP: Dr. Elizabeth Wahle, 618-650-7050 x-17 or wahle@illinois.edu

International Cold Climate Wine Competition Call for Entries

What: 3rd

Annual International Cold Climate Wine Competition

(Commercially Bottled Wines Only)

When: Thursday, August 18, 2011

Where: University of Minnesota

Deadline to send in entry Fees: 4:30 p.m. CST, Monday, 8-8-11

Deadline to receive Wines: 4:30 p.m. CST, Friday, 8-12-11

Cost per Entry: $40

Primary Sponsor: Minnesota Grape Growers Association

Details here: http://mngrapegrowers.com/competition

7-24, MGGA Summer Picnic – St. Croix Vineyards - Stillwater, MN

What: Minnesota Grape Growers Association’s Annual Summer Picnic

Education Sessions: - membrane press, trellis systems, UMN ultivar

research trials

Winery tours at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m and 1:30 p.m.

Live Music from noon to 3 p.m.

When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, July 24, 2011

Where: St Croix Vineyards & Winery, 6428 Manning Ave., Stillwater, MN

55082 Ph: 651-430-3310

Lunch: Potluck – bring a covered dish

Online Flyer: http://mngrapegrowers.com/summer-picnic

Volunteer Opportunity: Assist with grilling or parking. If you can help out, please contact

Missy@mngrapes.org or (612) 203-3969

8-13, WGGA Summer Vineyard Walk – Kewaunee, WI

What: Wisconsin Grape Growers Association (WGGA) Summer Vineyard Walk

When: 4 p.m., Saturday, August 13, 2011

Where: Parallel 44 Vineyard & Winery, N2185 Sleepy Hollow Road, Kewaunee, WI 54216

Ph: 888-932-0044

Agenda: 4:00 p.m. Registration

4:30 p.m. Welcome & Parallel 44 Wine Tasting

5:30 p.m. Vineyard Walk with Dr. Rebecca Harbut, UW-Extension Fruit Specialist

6:30 p.m Dinner & Social Hour

Cost: $45 each for WGGA members and $55 each for non-members. Includes wine tasting, dinner

and two tickets for glasses of wine.

6

Register by contacting: Becky Rochester, Grape Marketing Coordinator at becky@wigrapes.org or

503-428-6331 by Friday, August 5th

, 2011. You can pay at the door.

Lodging: Kewaunee Inn: 866-264-5744 or Harbor Lights Lodge: 866-267-9053

Full Details and Flyer here:

http://wigrapes.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/WGGA-Summer-Vineyard-Walk-2011.pdf

Notable Quotables

“90-95% of winery websites stink because they say little about the winery and even less about the

wines.”

From: Why Most Winery Websites Stink, 7-21-11 – Washington Wine Report

“According to the Beverage Information Group's recently released 2011 Liquor Handbook, total

spirits consumption rose 1.9% in 2010 to 192.1 million 9-liter cases. This marks the 13th straight

year spirits consumption has gained ground.”

From: U.S. Spirits Consumption Continues 13th Year of Growth; Consumers Slowly Return to On-

Premise, 7-19-11 – PRN Newswire

Marketing Tidbits

1. Building a Wine Brand, 7-21-11 – Hein on Wine Blog

Show n Tell

(Left) Picture of grape press Rob Anderson,

Central City, IA constructed. The basket is

made out of 1”x2” red oak and measures 22”

high and 19” in diameter which would make it

27 gallons. The whole thing is held together

by stainless steel bolts. The jack is a 12 ton

pneumatic that will hook up to an air

compressor. I has an off/on switch. The

bottom tray has a ¾” hole that will drain intot

a 5 gallon bucket.

Rob has a 1 acre 4 year old vineyard of

Brianna called “Broken Bridge Vineyards”.

7

I stopped by the ISU Entomology Department on the ISU campus this week. Dr. Donald Lewis

showed me their two Japanese Beetle traps that they put behind their building shown in the (Lower

Left) picture. Note the crabapple tree in the background that has been almost completely defoliated

by the adult Japanese Beetles. Different types of attractants were being used in the two traps. They

replaced the small catch basin that was attached to the trap on the right with a 30 gallon plastic trash

can because of all the beetles they were catching. You can read the latest information from ISU

Horticulture on Japanese Beetles here in the 7-13-11 issue of ISU Horticulture Home Pest News:

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2011/7-13/japanesebeetle.html

Japanese Beetles are also becoming a problem in Iowa corn and soybean fields. See “Japanese

Beetle Activity Increases in Iowa , 7-22-11 ISU Integrated Crop Management News here:

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/CropNews/2011/0722hodgson.htm mlw

(Right) I found this Imperial Moth (Eacles

imperialis) on the “ISU Extension – Warren

County” sign in from of my office in

Indianola, IA. The larva feed on Oak, Maple,

Sweet Gum, Sassafras and pines. There is a

high amount of variation within the colors of

the adults which are always yellow and purple

but can vary. Generally there is more purple on

the forewing and more purple on males. Adults

emerge before sunrise and mate after midnight

the next day. Females lay eggs at dusk singly

or in groups of 2-5 on both surfaces of host

plant leaves. The eggs hatch in about 2 weeks,

and the larva are solitary feeders. Pupation

takes place in underground burrows. There is

one generation per year. Adults do not feed.

7-22-11

(Above and Below) Sweet Cherry

tree at ISU Horticulture Research

Station showing the top leaves

defoliated by Japanese Beetles.

Joe Hannan – 7-19-11

8

Comments from Readers

Hi Mike;

Here are a few pictures I took last night. I was running this machine in my Somerset seedless

grape rows. The 1st picture is actually LaCrescent rows I had done some days earlier. This machine

has been rather expensive to buy and setup. All things being relative and my situation as being

generally the lone worker in my vineyard, it has been my salvation! I can get the vines trimmed in a

timely manner with minimal effort. I trim about 1 acre per hr. Last year it took me days of hard

physical effort to accomplish this work with almost the same results. I am also now able to keep on

top of my spray program. I have also less canopy to penetrate with my simple boom sprayer and I

keep good airflow with most of the laterals being cut off. I highly recommend not drinking and

driving while operating this machine. It does require one pay attention. 7-19-11

Brian Nordschow - (Prairie View Vineyard)

Windridge Implements L.L.C, Decorah, Iowa 52101

office: 563-382-3613 ext. 109

cell: 563-380-1330, fax: 563-382-2820

(Above) Rinieri hedger and vertical boom

sprayer mounted on Brian’s Farmall

tractor.

(Above) Front view of Rinieri hedger

mounted on Farmall tractor.

(Left) Close up

of Japanese

Beetle trap

hanging over 30

gallon plastic

trash can. The

bait is connected

to the top portion

of the trap.

7-20-11

9

Articles of Interest

1. IA Wapello Couple Pops the Cork on Their New Business, 7-15-11 - Muscatine Journal

2. IL Remembering Fred Koehler, pioneer winemaker, 7-18-11 – Chicago Tribune

(Founder of Lynfred Winery in Chicago suburb away at 83 years)

3. MO Grape Phenology and GDD Accumulation, 7-18-11 – Missouri State University

4. Craft Brewers will share tent at the Iowa State Fair, 7-19-11 – Des Moines Register

5. US wine company introduces new wine dispensing system, 7-20-11 – DBR Catering Equipment

6. Is organic wine better for you than regular wine, 7-20-11 – Wine Spectator

Videos of Interest

1. Everything Grape Video Library, Univ. of Vermont:

http://pss.uvm.edu/grape/GrapeVideoGallery.html

Neeto-Keeno WWW Stuff

1. Univ. of Vermont’s 2011 Grape Phenology WWW site:

http://pss.uvm.edu/grape/UVMvineyard/2011UVMphenology.html

2. Veraison to Harvest, 24 p., 7.56 mb PDF, Riverina Vineyards, Australia

http://www.wgmb.net.au/uploads/media/Veraison_to_harvest_growers_guide_Riverina.pdf

(Above) Somerset Seedless vines right

after hedging with the Rinieri hedger. (Above) LaCrescent vines recently

hedged with Rinieri hedger.

10

Calendar of Events

7-24, 11 am to 3pm Minnesota Grape Growers Association’s Summer Picnic at St Croix Vineyards

& Winery, Stillwater, MN. Flyer: http://mngrapegrowers.com/summer-picnic

7-(26-28), Iowa Wine Growers Association’s bus trip to the 22nd Annual Michigan State University

Viticulture Day on 7-27-11at the Southwest Research & Extension Center near Benton Harbor, MI.

Details & Flyer: http://iowawinegrowers.org/2011/06/iwga-michigan-wine-tour/

7-27, 22nd

Michigan State University Viticulture Field Day at the Southwest Michigan Research &

Demonstration Farm near Benton Harbor, MI. Full details here:

http://www.agbioresearch.msu.edu/swmrec/news.html

7-30, University of Nebraska Viticulture Field Day on Petiole Sampling, Crop Estimation and

Summer Vineyard Management, Prairie Creek Vineyards, Central City NE. Details will be

announced here: http://agronomy.unl.edu/viticulture/

8-4, ISU How to Attract & Maintain Beneficial Insects, Ames, IA. Full Details here:

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/article/upcoming-workshop-spotlights-beneficial-insects

8-13, WGGA Summer Vineyard Walk – Parrallel 44 Vineyard & Winery, Kewaunee, WI. Details

and Flyer: http://wigrapes.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/WGGA-Summer-Vineyard-Walk-2011.pdf

8-24, Seedless Table Grape & Winegrape Field Day, Univ. of WI – Madison, West Madison Ag

Research Station, Questions: Please check blog at: www.universitydisplaygardens.com for more information e-mail Judy at jreithrozell@wisc.edu or Rebecca at harbut@wisc.edu

8-27, University of Nebraska Mechanical Harvester Field Day, Ida’s Vitas Vineyard, Ogallala, NE

The western NE growers associated with the 5 Trails Winery have taken delivery of a machine

harvester and will be discussing and demonstrating its merits at this field day. Details will be

announced here: http://agronomy.unl.edu/viticulture/

10-(21+22), Small Scale Commercial Winemaking Course, Kimmel Education & Research Center,

Nebraska City, NE. Details & Registration: http://www.nercd.com/r/p/119/

11-(16 & 17), 1st North American Wine Tourism Conference – Napa Valley. Details HERE.

4-(17-19)-12, License to Steal at the Lodge at Geneva, Ohio. Details soon here:

http://nationalwinemarketing.com/

Post your “FREE” classified ads here at ‘Winedustry”

http://www.winedustry.com/classifieds.php

11

Total Circulation of 1,350+ recipients in AZ, CA, CO, FL, OH, IA, IN, IL, KS,

KY, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NV, NY, OK, OR, PA, SD, VA,

VT, WA, WA DC, WI, Australia, Canada, Israel, Nepal, Norway & Turkey

Michael L. White,

ISU Extension Viticulture Specialist

909 East 2nd Ave. Suite E, Indianola, IA 50125-2892

ph: 515-961-6237, fax: 6017, cell: 515-681-7286

mlwhite@iastate.edu

Y

Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin,

sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a

U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280

Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

Past issues archived as html and/or pdf here:

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Wine/Resources/winegrowernews.htm

To Subscribe to this FREE e-mail newsletter, just

include the word “subscribe” in the Subject Line. To

Unsubscribe Please reply with the word

"unsubscribe" in the Subject Line.

Like what we do?

You can help by donating to the Midwest

Grape & Wine Industry Institute HERE.