2/9/2011
New York Grape Production
The Finger Lakes Wine Industry
Reinvents Itself
History of the wine industry through 3 waves of variety introductions
Tim Martinson
Senior Extension Associate - Viticulture
Wine Grape Varieties Grown in the
Finger Lakes
• Native American
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–
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Concord
Niagara
Catawba
Delaware
»
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–
–
–
–
Diamond
Isabella
Fredonia
Dutchess
Ives
E
l
v
i
r
a
• Interspecific Hybrids
(‘French Hybrids’)
Hybrids’
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Aurore
Baco noir
Dechaunac
Seyval blanc
Marechal Foch
Leon Millot
Chancellor
Rougeon
Chambourcin
Cascade
Colobel
Chelois
Vignoles
Vidal Blanc
Vincent
Ventura
Climate - Burgundy vs NY
• Interspecific Hybrids
(Geneva)
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–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Cayuga White
Traminette
GR-7 (numbered)
Melody
Chardonel
Noiret ((2006))
Corot Noir (2006)
Valvin Muscat (2006)
• Vitis vinifera
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–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Chardonnay
White Riesling
Cabernet Franc
Pinot Noir
Cabernet Sauvignon
Gewurztraminer
Merlot
Lemberger
Viognier
Sauvignon Blanc
Grape Phylloxera
Daktulosphaira vitifoliae
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Vitis vinifera
Vitis riparia
Vitis linecumii
Vitis aestivalis
Vitis rupestris
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Vitis labrusca
Vitis berlandieri
Photo:The Wines of the East
Photo:The Wines of the East
Male
Female
Perfect
1816
Photos by Bruce Reisch
Hedrick, Grapes of New York
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2/9/2011
1849
1802
Hedrick, Grapes of New York
Hedrick, Grapes of New York
1850
Hedrick, Grapes of New York
1868
Hedrick, Grapes of New York
Photos: Crooked Lake and the Grape
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2/9/2011
Photos: Crooked Lake and the Grape
Photos: Crooked Lake and the Grape
Photos: Crooked Lake and the Grape
Photo:Culture in a Glass
Pleasant Valley Wine Company
Great Western Champagne - 1865
Urbana Wine Co
Gold Seal
Photo:Culture in a Glass
Photos: Crooked Lake and the Grape
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2/9/2011
Carrie Nation
Ax
Eastern Production:
10,000,000 Gallons by Early 1900’s
Surviving Prohibition
Photos: Crooked Lake and the Grape
Photos: Crooked Lake and the Grape
After the War:
Search for New Varieties
Prohibition Ends!
The Taylor Brothers
Adhemar deChaunac
Bright’s Winery
Canada
Photo:Culture in a Glass
Photo:The Wines of the East
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France’s Response to Phylloxera: Rootstocks
France’s Response to Phylloxera:
The French Hybrids
V. berlandieri
•Combine Phylloxera resistance
and Wine Quality
•1,000,000 acres in France by
1958
V. riparia
V. rupestris
Photo:The Wines of the East
Photo:The Wines of the East
Seyval blanc = Seyve-Villard 5276
Seyval blanc
Philip and Jocelyn Wagner
1948 Tasting at Geneva Experiment Station
Photo:The Wines of the East
Photo:The Wines of the East
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Baco Noir
(Baco 1)
Aurore
(Seibel 5279)
Geneva Hybrids
Dechaunac
Seibel 9549
Cayuga White
Cayuga White
Photo:The Wines of the East
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2/9/2011
Traminette
Traminette
Konstantin Frank
V. vinifera Pioneers
• Obstacles
–
–
–
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Cold Hardiness
Disease Susceptibility
Short growing season
2 centuries
t i off failure
f il
• Solutions
Charles Fournier
Gold Seal Winery
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–
–
–
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Rootstock testing
Early ripening varieties
Burying canes
Fungicides
The Wines
Photo:Culture in a Glass
Photo:The Wines of the East
Vinifera varieties – White
Riesling
Riesling
• Good hardiness for
vinifera
• Late
L t ripening
i i
• Susceptible to disease
– Botrytis
• Becoming signature
wine in NY
Chardonnay
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Vinifera varieties - Red
Cabernet Franc
• Most winter hardy
of V. vinifera
• Ripens
i
late
l season,
earlier than C. Sauv.
– Later budbreak
Pinot Noir
• Black rot/mildews
• Supply in NY seems
balanced
Industry Transitions
Vinifera varieties - Red
• 1980’s
– Demise of the Large Wineries
– Oversupply of grapes
– 1/3 of acreage abandoned
Cabernet Sauvignon
• Good winter hardiness
• Late season ripening
• 1990’s
– Crop level control
– Often last variety
harvested in NY
– Small wineries come into their
own
– Bulk wines to Premium Wines
– National markets to local markets
• Good disease
resistance
– Cluster structure
Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars
Native & Bulk
Hybrids
• $250-400/Ton
• Growing costs $10001200/acre
• Breakeven yield: 6-7 T
• Net/acre: $300 - $600
V. vinifera
• $1100 - $1700/Ton
• Growing costs $20003000/acre
• Breakeven yield: 2.5 T
• Net/acre: $1000 $2000
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Cabernet franc
Canopy Management
Small Wineries
• 1/2 < 10 years old
• 10-20% growth per
year (through 2005)
• 40-80,000
tastings/year
• Size
•Vertical Shoot Positioning
Basal leaf removal
•Basal
•Cluster thinning
– 6 > 30,000 cases
– many 3-6,000 cases
Heron Hill
Disease Management
Winemaking
Techniques
•Better spray technology
• Cornell’s Enology
Program key
•New Fungicides
– Wine Diagnostic Lab
– Industry tastings
– Research
•Canopy Management
Acknowledgements
The Wines
• Premium Vinifera
varietals (27%)
• Proprietary Hybrid
blends (50%)
• Native-based (23%)
• Bottle prices
– Riesling $12-30
– Reds $14-25
– Generic $9-$15
Fred Frank
Konstantin Frank Vinifera Wine Cellars
• Richard Figiel and Hudson Cattell
• Bruce Reisch, Bob Pool, Peter Cousins
• NYS Agricultural Experiment Station
Library at Geneva
References
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•
•
•
The Grapes of New York - U. P Hedrick
The Wines of the East - H. Cattell & L. Miller
Crooked Lake and the Grape Culture in a Glass - Richard Figiel
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