Vineyard Workshop at Veraison Held by Penn State Extension
Vineyard Workshop at Veraison Held by Penn State Extension
by Linda Jones McKee
When grapes start to go through veraison, many growers (and winemakers, too) think about what has already taken place in the vineyards and what may happen next. It’s a good time to bring growers and winemakers together to consider what has transpired in their vineyards since last harvest and what may be coming in the next weeks and months. The Penn State Extension at Pennsylvania State University regularly schedules hour-long webinars, but on August 14, the faculty of the viticulture program decided to hold an in-person meeting.
The Vineyard Workshop at Veraison took place at Setter Ridge Vineyards in Kutztown, PA, in the Lehigh Valley Appellation. Their 32 acres of vineyard are in an excellent location, on a hill facing southeast, south and southwest, and Richard and Carol Blair, the owners, produce 5,000 cases per year. Their outside tasting room is covered by a roof, and the sidewalls are garage doors with windows that can be raised for air-flow or closed individually to prevent wind or rain from entering.
Cain Hickey, assistant teaching professor of viticulture at Penn State Extension, moderated the sessions, which featured seven speakers from Penn State and two from Cornell University. The conference focused mainly on viticultural topics, but also included sessions on subjects such as “How to Boost Your Brand.” and “Wine Consumption and Purchasing Trends.”
