Michigan Grape Spring Kickoff set for April 26

Don’t miss your chance to get ahead of this season at the Statewide Michigan Grape Spring Kickoff on Friday, April 26, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and see Brock University’s Belinda Kemp speak on cool climate red wine making. Michigan State University Extension and Parallel 45 Vines and Wines, Inc. have organized the 2019 Grape Spring Kickoff event that will be Zoom linked between Michigan’s two main grape production areas, Benton Harbor and Traverse City.

Early spring is an excellent the time of year for vineyards and wineries to prepare, adjust and incorporate new practices and products to improve their business’ sustainability and profitability. In the vineyard, calibrating sprayers for optimum dormant/ early season application for disease prevention is a critical practice for improved vineyard sanitation, plant health, fruit quality and profitability. In the cellar, understanding the type of oak barrels that are available and how they can interact with your wines can drastically expand the range of flavors your wines can express. This event will focus on a range of timely early season topics for grape and wine producers including dormant and early season preventative sprays, wine barrel types and practices, and cool climate red wine making.

Locations

Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center, 6686 S Center Hwy, Traverse City, MI 49684 Phone: 231 946-1510. Contact: Thomas Todaro, todaroth@msu.edu

Southwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center, 1791 Hillandale Rd, Benton Harbor, MI 49022 Phone: 269 944-1477. Contact: Mark Longstroth, longstr7@msu.edu

Speakers and subjects

• 9 – 10 a.m. Sprayer calibration and dormant sprays, tips before the season. Mark Longstroth, MSU Extension)
• 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Oak forests, types of oak, toast levels and practical uses in winemaking. Guided tasting so participants can experience the influence of different oak treatments. Robert Crandell, a representative from the TFF Group, and Steve Burch, a representative from Pronektar and Radoux.
• 12 – 1 p.m. Lunch from Nada’s Gourmet Mediterranean Cuisine (Traverse City)
• 1 – 2 p.m. Dormant/ Early season sprays, including research on “softer chemical inputs”. Tim Miles, MSU.
• 2 – 4 p.m. Cool climate red winemaking: Phenolics, green and fruity flavours Belinda Kemp, Brock University. Each participant should bring along a couple questions with them regarding this topic.
• 4 – 5 p.m. Social hour.

Registration

The cost is $20 for P45 members, $30 for non-members. Please RSVP with your online payment by April 19. Register online at Statewide Michigan Grape Spring Kickoff.

For more details, please contact Thomas Todaro at todaroth@msu.edu or Mark Longstroth at longstr7@msu.edu.

– Thomas Todaro, Michigan State University Extension