Veraison to Harvest. Around New York... Statewide Vineyard Crop Development Update #5 October 2, 2015 Edited by Tim Martinson and Chris Gerling

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1 Veraison to Harvest Statewide Vineyard Crop Development Update #5 October 2, 2015 Edited by Tim Martinson and Chris Gerling Around New York... Statewide (Tim Martinson) Although the weather shifted to more seasonable cooler temperatures with the rainfall this past Tuesday and Wednesday, we still had highs in the 70s and lows in the 60s through last Monday when we sampled the grapes. While ripening slowed somewhat, some varieties notably natives Concord (+1.3 brix) and Catawba (+1.8 brix) still accumulated a lot of new soluble solids, and saw their acids drop by 2.0 g/l. Major vinifera cultivars Cabernet franc (+0.8 brix, g/l TA), Merlot (+0.7 brix, g/l TA), and Riesling (+0.5 brix, g/l TA) saw more modest changes. About 1/3 of our 'sentinal' sites in commercial vineyards have been harvested to date. Cooler weather this past week and possible hurricane-associated rainfall will slow things down next week as we return to more normal harvest temperatures in the 50s and 60s, along with cloudy weather. Most varieties are at or near optimal harvestable maturity numbers, so I suspect that the pace of harvesting will only be limited by labor and machine availability and how fast the wineries and juice processors can receive and process grapes. Finger Lakes (Hans Walter-Peterson) What a difference a couple of days makes. After almost ideal harvest weather through most of September, the Finger Lakes had a major change in the weather this week. The front that passed through much of the Northeast dumped anywhere from 3-5 of rain in the Finger Lakes on Tuesday and Wednesday, and dropped our temperatures by about degrees. After heavy rains like this, growers are going to be keeping their eyes open for splitting berries, which are Finger Lakes Community College's new Viticulture and Wine Center, located adjacent to the NYS Agricultural Experiment Station, opened this past April. It houses the Viticulture and Wine Technology program, which offers 2 year associates degrees to students. The program collaborates with Cornell Cooperative Extension's Finger Lakes Grape Program in running the Teaching and Demonstration vineyard. The student winery is undergoing its first crush, with fruit grown at the teaching vineyard. See story on p.5. Photo by Tim Martinson more susceptible to disease development. Fortunately, the majority of the crop that is still out there was pretty clean before the storm. Concord harvest continued on in the Finger Lakes this week. Yields are good, but not great as one grower put it to me, but most Concord blocks are coming off of two consecutive years of very high yields, so having crops closer to average is not unexpected, and perhaps not a bad thing from a vine health perspective either. Hybrids like Corot noir, Noiret, Traminette and Vidal are still hanging in most vineyards I expect that we ll start to see the two reds being picked within the next week or so, while Traminette and Vidal are often taken closer to the end of harvest. Any remaining Vignoles that will not be used for late harvest programs will probably be picked this week heavy rains like we had this week are not all that friendly to rot-prone varieties like Vignoles. The last loads of Pinot Noir and Gris were picked over the last week as well, just in time to beat the rains. Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc and Lemberger blocks were also being harvested this past week, along with the tail end of this year s Chardonnay crop. More Page 1

2 than a couple vineyard managers and winemakers have commented on how good their Chardonnay is looking this year. A few early loads of Riesling have made their way to the crush pad so far, but I suspect we will start seeing some more in the next several days, depending on the impact of this week s rain on the quality of the fruit. Brix levels in Riesling may still be a little lower than some wineries would like them to be, but if the acidity and flavors are good, wineries are still able to make quality wines from fruit with slightly lower sugar content. At the Teaching & Demonstration Vineyard, we picked Chardonnay and Lemberger. Our Chardonnay crop was a bit lighter than we expected, but our Lemberger vines produced well. At this point, we have Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Corot Noir and Vidal Blanc left to pick at the Vineyard. We will have to wait and see what kind of impact the storm will have on this year s harvest. Hopefully, it will be minimal. Long Island (Alice Wise) The weather stayed in its warm, humid summer mode until Oct. 1, when cooler temperatures moved into the area. A morning rainfall on Sept. 30 will be followed by rain Oct. 2. Several days of rain are to be expected at this time of year. The bigger concern is the threat of tropical weather in the Sunday to Tuesday time period. The industry has endured these events in the past. This is a major reason that vineyard managers focus intently on vine health and pest management throughout the season. Balanced nutrition and water management (avoidance of major drought stress) are as important as a clean canopy and clean fruit. When significant rain events do occur post-veraison, losses in yield and quality tend to be more problematic in blocks with less than optimal management. Fortunately harvest started early this season and has proceeded at a fast pace. Harvest activities intensified recently with virtually every vineyard on Long Island picking something this past week. A majority of white fruit has been picked along with fruit for sparkling wine and rose. Pinot Noir and even blocks of Merlot have also been picked. A few lucky businesses are actually finished with harvest. We ll keep our fingers crossed for the next week and hope that our colleagues along the east coast get through the stormy weather as well. Lake Erie (Luke Haggerty) The weather in the Lake Erie region shifted from a long stretch of warm sunny days to cool wet conditions. The change in weather has added extra moisture to the canopy, slightly lowering brix levels. For most growers the rain has not slowed harvest down, however it has sent some searching for vineyard blocks that will meet the minimum 15 brix standard. Going into the third week of Concord harvest, we are seeing sugar accumulation slowing down, but still on the rise. The berry curve submitted by Dr. Bates (p. 3) indicates that brix have begun to plateau, so we are not expecting to see any large weekly increases in brix. Here at CLEREL the Concord harvest is underway. Last Thursday and Friday we picked two loads at the Fredonia lab that came in at 16.3 and 16.4 brix. The harvest equipment has been moved to the Portland lab where we have begun picking Concords this week and will continue next week. Sampling data for the cover crop trial was collected this week and results showed a large range of soluble solids among the 27 plots. The lowest sample was 14.7 brix and the highest was 17.5 brix. These results follow grower reports of extreme variability in brix. Regardless of the variation, over all, Concord soluble solids averages are looking good. Two area processors are reporting averages in the mid to upper 15 brix range. Hudson and Champlain Valleys (Jim O Connell and Anna Wallis) Hudson Valley. Many of us in the Hudson Valleyhave talked about the lack of rain and the need for more than just a passing shower. Well, I guess the old adage, Be careful what you wish for, is true. Weather forecasts predict that multiple storm systems, possibly including Hurricane Joaquin, will converge on the Eastern United States between late Thursday and Monday of this week. In the Hudson Valley, total rainfall amounts are predicted to range from 2-4. This week at the Hudson Valley Research Lab, Traminette, Pinot Noir, and Gewürztraminer were Page 2

3 harvested. Fruit quality was good, despite heavy bird pressure earlier in the season. Around the valley, the native harvest is mostly finished, with the exception of those being harvested for fresh fruit markets. With the prediction of heavy rain in the forecast and a potential hurricane with heavy winds, growers seized the opportunity Thursday to harvest varieties close to being ready. They will have plenty to do (i.e. cleaning, crushing, etc.) through the weekend. Northeastern NY. Rain dances in the Champlain Valley have also been answered this week. Over 2.5 fell in most areas from Albany to Chazy from Tuesday through Wednesday. Temperatures have also been significantly cooler they finally appear to be matching the season. Unfortunately, our prolonged ripening season appears to have come to an end. Multiple storm systems approaching Northeastern NY at the end of this week are bringing in cooler temperatures and high winds over the weekend. Highs are likely to be in the mid- to upper-50s, lows in the 40s. High winds on Thursday are expected to continue Friday increasing to mph in the afternoon. Gusts may be as high as 37 mph. It is a good idea to inspect and shore-up trellises, wires, and anchor systems if you have not already Lake Erie Concord Update: Terry Bates September 30, Concord harvest is in full swing this week in the Lake Erie belt. Fresh berry weight is fluctuating with precipitation and juice soluble solids continues to progress at a normal rate. While heavy rain is being predicted for other parts of the Mid-Atlantic this weekend, so far this is not being forecasted for Northeastern NY. Showers are more likely to reach our region early next week. Partly cloudy, cool conditions this weekend appear to be a good time to finish the bulk of harvest before inclement weather arrives. It is a good idea to continue watching multiple weather models as they track the storms. Page 3

4 Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle Tim Weigle It is that time of year where the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle (MALB) will move from soybean fields (where it has been acting as a beneficial insect by dining on soybean aphids) to other areas looking to stock up on carbohydrates for their winter hibernation. One of the areas they can flock to, (they use a aggregation pheromone to call others to the nice spot they have found) are vineyards where they become a pest, but only if they become part of the crush portion of the harvest process. When crushed or frightened, adult MALB release a noxious chemical that can taint the resulting wine. A working threshold of an average of 2 beetles per kilogram (2.2 lbs) of grapes is enough to taint the wine produced from those grapes. It is not as severe a problem in Concords, where the pasteurization process removes much of the chemical, but there is still a concern on the part of the processor if MALB is found during your harvest. The best bet is to speak with your processor or winemaker to determine what threshold they are using for MALB at the plant. It is important to remember that MALB is a secondary pest that we do not see every year in our region. And while there have been reports coming out of the Finger Lakes that MALB populations may be higher than normal in 2015, the Lake Erie region has not seen that to be true up to this point in the season. There are a number of products labeled in NY and PA for MALB which can be found in the 2015 NY & PA Pest Management Guidelines. They are Evergreen, Aza-Direct, Venom (PA only), Mustang Max. There are also two materials which have a 2(ee) FIFRA registration in NYS: Provado 1.6 or Admire Pro. The table below gives you the days to harvest interval (DHI) and reentry interval (REI) for each of the products. Table 1. Insecticides labeled for multicolored asian lady beetle in New York and Pennsylvania Material Days to Harvest Interval Reentry Interval Aza-Direct 0 12 hour Evergreen 0 12 hour Mustang Max 1 12 hour Venom (PA only) 1 12 hour Admire Pro (2ee) 0 12 hour Provado (2ee) 0 (foliar use) 12 hour Multicolored asian lady beetle feeding on injured grape berries. As soybean fields dry out at maturity, MALB can move into vineyards to feed on grapes - especially those that are already damaged. Photo by Tim Martinson Page 4

5 Collaboration... Fruit from Teaching Vineyard First to be Processed at FLCC Viticulture & Wine Center Hans Walter-Peterson It was a long time coming. But on Wednesday, September 16, students in the Viticulture & Wine Technology Program at Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) crushed the first grapes to be processed at FLCC s new Viticulture & Wine Center located at Cornell s Agriculture and Food Technology Park in Geneva. The classroom and lab facilities have been used by the program s students since it opened this past spring, but until two weeks ago, no grapes had been processed in the teaching winery. The first grapes to arrive at the crush pad were Marquette grapes harvested from the Finger Lakes Teaching & Demonstration Vineyard, which is a collaborative effort of Cornell Cooperative Extension s Finger Lakes Grape Program (FLGP) and FLCC, and is located on property owned by Anthony Road Wine Company. The vineyard is more than just a source of fruit it is also the hands-on laboratory where FLCC students get experience in vineyard practices like pruning, shoot positioning and thinning, cluster-zone leaf removal, pre-harvest sampling, and harvesting the fruit that they will be fermenting back at the Center. Other varieties that FLCC students will be working with this year include Chardonnay, Riesling, Corot Noir, Cayuga White, Lemberger and Cabernet Franc. In addition to providing a place where students can learn about vineyard practices and techniques, the partnership between FLCC and the FLGP gives the students exposure to applied research and resources from Cornell that they can lean on when they enter the industry as vineyard managers or winemakers. Once the first phase of their education in viticulture and enology is finished at FLCC, students know that they still have access to educational resources through Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell University to help them continue to grow in their careers in New York s grape and wine industry. FLCC students crush Marquette, the first grapes ever processed at the new Viticulture & Wine Center in Geneva. The grapes were grown at the Finger Lakes Teaching & Demonstration Vineyard in Dresden, a cooperative effort between FLCC and Cornell s Finger Lakes Grape Program. Photo by Hans Walter-Peterson FLCC students come to the Teaching & Demonstration Vineyard to pick the grapes that they will be fermenting as part of their education in winemaking. Photo by Hans Walter-Peterson Along with standard varieties like Riesling, Cayuga White and Marquette, the Teaching Vineyard is also experimenting with potential new varieties like Chenin Blanc and a Cornell breeding selection, NY Photo by Hans Walter-Peterson The first load of Marquette grapes crushed at the FLCC Viticulture & Wine Center being pumped into a tank. Photo by Hans Walter-Peterson Page 5

6 Fruit Composition Report - 10/2/2015 Samples reported here were collected on Monday, September 28. Where appropriate, sample data from 2014, averaged over all sites is included. Tables from 2014 are archived at We are again reporting berry weight, brix, titratable acidity and ph, and yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN). Cabernet Franc Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 E. Seneca Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 W. Seneca Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Cayuga Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Dresden Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Wayne County Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Geneva Hudson Valley 9/28/2015 HVRL Vyd Highland Long Island 9/28/ Long Island 9/28/ Average 9/28/ Prev. Sample 9/21/ Average 9/30/ Catawba Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Keuka Prev Sample 9/21/2015 Keuka Sample 9/30/2014 Keuka Cayuga White Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Keuka HARVEST.... Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Cayuga HARVEST.... Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Dresden HARVEST.... Final Sample 9/21/ at Harvest 9/23/ Chardonnay Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Cayuga HARVEST.... Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 W. Seneca HARVEST.... Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Dresden Cl Long Island 9/28/2015 LI Average 9/28/ Prev. Sample 9/21/ Average 9/30/ Concord Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Keuka Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 W. Canandaigua Lake Erie 9/28/2015 Portland Lake Erie 9/28/2015 Fredonia HARVEST.... Average 9/28/ Prev Sample 9/21/ Sample 9/30/ Corot Noir Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Dresden Prev Sample 9/21/2015 Dresden Sample 9/30/2014 Teaching Vyd Page 6

7 Frontenac Champlain Valley 9/28/2015 Willsboro HARVEST.... Thousand Islands 9/28/2015 Clayton Thousand Islands 9/28/2015 Clayton Thousand Islands 9/28/2015 Clayton HARVEST d.... Average 9/28/ Prev Sample 9/21/ * 2 nd crop sample not included in average, late due to spring frost Frontenac Gris Champlain Valley 9/28/2015 Willsboro HARVEST Finger Lakes 9/21/2015 Trumansburg HARVEST Final Sample 9/21/2015 Willsboro Prev Sample 9/21/ Gruner Veltliner Finger Lakes 9/14/2015 Dresden HARVEST Final Sample 9/8/2015 Dresden at Harvest 9/16/2014 Teaching Vyd La Crescent Finger Lakes 9/21/2015 Geneva HARVEST Thousand Islands 9/21/2015 Clayton Champlain Valley 9/21/2015 Willsboro Finger Lakes 9/21/2015 Trumansburg HARVEST Average Prev. Average 9/21/ Lemberger Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Keuka Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Dresden Average 9/28/ Prev. Average 9/21/ Sample 9/30/ Malbec Long Island 9/28/ Prev Sample 9/21/2015 LI Sample 9/30/2014 LI Merlot Hudson Valley 9/28/2015 HVRL Highland Long Island 9/28/2015 LI Long Island 9/28/2015 LI Average 9/28/ Prev Sample 9/21/ Average 9/30/ Page 7

8 Marquette Champlain Valley 9/28/2015 Willsboro HARVEST.... Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Keuka HARVEST.... Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Trumansburg HARVEST.... Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Dresden 3309 HARVEST.... Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Dresden Own HARVEST.... Lake Erie 9/28/2015 HARVEST.... Thousand Islands 9/28/2015 Clayton Thousand Islands 9/28/2015 Clayton Thousand Islands 9/28/2015 Clayton HARVEST.... Average 9/28/ Prev. Average 9/21/ at Harvest 9/2/2014 Harvest * 2 nd crop sample not included in average, late due to spring frost Niagara Lake Erie 9/28/2015 Portland HARVEST Lake Erie 9/21/2015 Fredonia HARVEST Final Sample 9/21/ at Harvest 9/23/2014 Portland Noiret Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Wayne County Hudson Valley 9/28/2015 HVRL Highland Average 9/28/ Prev Sample 9/21/ Sample 9/30/ Pinot Noir Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 E. Seneca Harvested.... Final Sample 9/21/2015 E. Seneca at Harvest 9/23/2014 E. Seneca Riesling Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 E. Seneca Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 W. Seneca Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 E. Seneca Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 CL 90 Cayuga Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Keuka Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 W. Seneca HARVEST.... Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 W. Canandaigua Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Dresden Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 E. Seneca Cl Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 E. Seneca Cl Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 E. Seneca Cl Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Wayne County Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Geneva Hudson Valley 9/28/2015 HVRL Vyd Highland Long Island 9/28/2015 HARVEST.... Average 9/28/ Prev. Sample 9/21/ Sample 9/30/ Page 8

9 Sauvignon Blanc Long Island HARVEST Final Sample 9/14/2015 LI at Harvest 9/16/2014 LI Seyval Blanc Finger Lakes 9/8/2015 Cayuga HARVEST Lake Erie 9/8/2015 Fredonia HARVEST Final Sample 8/31/ at Harvest 9/9/ St Croix Finger Lakes 9/15/2015 Geneva HARVEST Final Sample 9/8/2015 Geneva Traminette Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Keuka Hudson Valley 9/28/2015 HVRL Vyd Highland HARVEST.... Average 9/28/2015 Keuka Prev Sample 9/21/ Sample 9/30/ Vidal Blanc Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 Dresden Prev Sample 9/21/2015 Dresden Sample 9/30/2014 Teaching Vyd Vignoles Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 VSP Keuka HARVEST.... Finger Lakes 9/28/2015 W. Seneca Average 9/28/2015 W. Seneca Prev Sample 9/21/ Sample 9/30/ Zweigelt Finger Lakes HARVEST Final Sample 9/14/2015 Dresden at Harvest 9/16/2014 Teaching Vyd Page 9

10 Before and After the Rain: Fruit Rots on Riesling Tim Martinson Our Riesling block at the Loomis Farm at NYSAES has a modest amount of fruit rot in some of the leaf removal treatments. I was curious how the two days of rain this week affected severity of Botrytis and sour rots (aggrevated in our case by deer feeding in our small 5 row x 9 post length plot). Photos at the left were taken on September 22, and those on the right were taken September 28, following recent rains. We are collecting data there on fruit rots as affected by 'cluster compactness'. September 22 October 1 Photos by Tim Martinson This newsletter was made possible with support from the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, the Lake Erie Regional Grape Program, Inc. and the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Cornell University. Veraison to Harvest is a joint publication of: Cornell Enology Extension Program Statewide Viticulture Extension Program Long Island Grape Program Finger Lakes Grape Program Lake Erie Regional Grape Program Eastern New York Regional Horticulture Program Copyright 2015 Cornell University The information, including any advice or recommendations, con-tained herein is based upon the research and experience of Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel. While this information constitutes the best judgement/opinion of such personnel at the time issued, neither Cornell Cooperative Extension nor any representative thereof makes any representation or warrantee, express or implied, of any particular result or application of such information, or regarding any product. Users of any product are encouraged to read and follow product-labeling instructions and check with the manu-facturer or supplier for updated information. Nothing contained in this information should be interpreted as an endorsement expressed or implied of any particular product. Page 10