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Viticulture Short Course on Site Selection
2007 Ohio Wine Competition
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Viticulture Short Course "Advances in Vineyard Site Selections"
By: Imed Dami, HCS-OARDC

When:           May 22, 2007, 1 pm - 5:30 pm

Where:  Shisler Conference Center on the OARDC campus in Wooster, Ohio. 

What:           "Recent Advances in Vineyard Site Selection”. -- OSU Viticulture Short Course

Why:            With the tremendous expansion of the Ohio grape and wine industry, many novices and entrepreneurs have contemplated starting a new vineyard. Currently, 5 to 10 people establish a commercial vineyard and become new growers each year in Ohio.  The key to successful vineyard operation is consistent production of high quality grapes of a marketable variety. The most important decision a prospective grower will make is site selection. Determining the suitability of a site is complex and requires the considerations of several factors.  The purpose of this short course is to educate new, and existing grape growers, and teachers on the concept of site selection and factors to consider that lead to good decision-making and long-term economic success. New technologies and research advances in the field of site selection used in the Eastern and Midwestern US and that can be applied in Ohio will also be presented in this short course.
 
Topics:  will cover: macro- and meso-climate considerations for site selection; soil chemical properties and fertility; soil physical properties and water drainage; other crop hazards; matching sites with grape varieties; and the use of GIS and GPS technologies as tools to assist with vineyard site selection.

Speakers:

• Dr. Tony Wolf, State Viticulturist, Virginia Tech University
• Dr. Kaan Kurtural, State Viticulturist, University of Kentucky
• Dr. Larry Brown, Extension Agricultural Engineer, The Ohio State University
• Dr. Robert Mullen, Extension Soil Fertility Specialist, The Ohio State University
• Dr. Imed Dami, State Viticulturist, The Ohio State University

Registration:   attached  or check our website: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeweb/

Join us at this unique and very comprehensive short course on site selection developed specifically for grape growers.  We hope to see you then!



 

The 2007 Ohio Wine Competition – Last Minute Entries!

By: Todd Steiner, Competition Coordinator, HCS-OARDC

Entries into the 2007 Ohio Wine Competition are continuing to come in at a rapid pace. A number of the entries have also been identified for submission into the Ohio Quality Wine Assurance Program in trying to achieve seal designation. Even though the entry deadline was set for Monday, April 23 2007, there is still time to enter into this year’s competition if you desire.
 
 As mentioned in a previous article in the March 22^nd 2007 issue of OGEN, The Ohio Wine Competition will take place May 14-16, 2007 at Fisher Auditorium on the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) campus located in Wooster Ohio. The competition is open to all Federally (TTB) bonded, Ohio A-2 permit holders operating in the state of Ohio. A panel of seven highly trained experienced judges will evaluate the wines submitted on a standard twenty-point scale. The high and low scores are dropped for each wine forming an average score from five out of the seven judges. I excited and pleased to announce the panel of seven highly trained experienced wine judges of the 2007 Ohio Wine Competition who are listed below:
 
The 2007 Ohio Wine Competition and Ohio Quality Wine Assurance Program Judges:

•  Ken Bement, Owner, Whet Your Whistle Wine Store, Madison, OH
• Peter Bell, Winemaker, Enologist, Fox Run Vineyards, Penn Yenn, NY
• Nancie Corum, Assistant Winemaker, St. Julian Wine Company, Paw Paw, MI
• Ellen Butz (Harkness), Enology Specialist, Competition Coordinator – Indy International Wine Competition, Department of Food Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
• Johannes Reinhardt, Winemaker, Anthony Road Winery, Penn Yan, NY
• Dr. Andy Reynolds, Professor of Viticulture and past Interim Director, Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, Brock University, St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada
• Sue Ann Staff, Director of Oenology, Niagara Vintners Inc., Virgil, Ontario, Canada

 
If you have been busy in the vineyard and wine cellar and have not yet had the opportunity to enter into the 2007 Ohio Wine Competition, you can still enter by contacting Todd Steiner at (330) 263-3881 for entry details and information. It would be appreciated to have all late entries placed by Wednesday, May 2, 2007 to allow enough time for entry, organization and proper placement into this year’s competition. A copy of the entry form can also be found on the Ohio Grape Web at the following address http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/grapeweb/ for you to view.