U of M researchers join multistate effort to help cold-climate wine industry thrive

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/01/2011) —Wine grapes can be grown in cold climates; that’s been established since the University of Minnesota began releasing cold-hardy varieties in the 1970s. But how can the wine industry in the Upper Midwest and Northeast take the next steps toward economic viability?

That’s the focus of a new $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative. Researchers from the University of Minnesota are part of a multistate team tackling obstacles in vineyards, wineries, tasting rooms and tourism to bring cold-hardy grapes to a wider market.

The challenges ahead include determining the best growing conditions; how to modify the grapes’ higher acidity and showcase their aroma; and how to build tourism networks to draw visitors to tasting rooms, where a majority of sales take place.

Minnesota’s wine industry has been growing rapidly and now includes more than three dozen wineries, some of which are cooperatively marketing to tourists.

“Minnesota’s grape industry has made enormous strides, but there’s still room for much more growth,” said Jim Luby, professor in the university’s Department of Horticultural Science. “This project will help take the industry to the next level, through research-based tools and practices to help them grow, vinify, and sell quality wines to local and regional markets.” Because most Minnesota wineries are in rural communities, helping them thrive will in turn help the greater Minnesota economy.

The practices that work in other parts of the world won’t work with cold-climate grapes because of differences in their genetic background and fruit chemistry, said Tim Martinson, project director and senior extension associate at Cornell University, where the project is headquartered.

The project will partner with grower organizations from across the northern United States, including the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, the largest cold-climate grower organization in the country.

Along with U of M scientists, the 13-state interdisciplinary consortium includes researchers from Cornell University, Iowa State University, Michigan State University, Oklahoma State University, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and the Universities of Illinois, Massachusetts (Amherst), Nebraska, Vermont and Wisconsin.

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• Last modified on November 1, 2011