Wisconsin Grape Growers Association

Spring Vineyard School 2010

admin — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:07:08 +0000

The Spring Vineyard School is planned for March 25, 2010 and is again being hosted at Wollersheim in Prairie Du Sac, WI. The morning presentations will be: Clifford Ohmart of the Lodi, California Winegrape Commission will be speaking on Sustainable winegrowing. Mike White of the Midwest Grape and Wine Institute in Iowa will be speaking on Weed Management. Dick Weidman of the Peninsular Research Station and Dean Volenberg Extension Agent with Door County will be speaking on Vineyard Nutrition Management.

In the afternoon, we will be out in the vineyard (dress warm!) with Bruce Reeve, vineyard manager at Wollersheim, will be talking about and demonstrating pruning practices in first, second and third year vineyards. Philippe Coquard, Winemaker at Wollersheim will be covering vineyard trellising and equipment.

Additional information and the registration form are located at the link below (PDF file).

Spring Vineyard School Brochure and Registration

Table Grape Research Article

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:38:23 +0000

The Country Today has an article covering the Seedless Table Grape research trial being done by the West Madison Research Station. Click this link to read further.

http://www.thecountrytoday.com/story-news.asp?id=BM7NBTPC0BO

First Annual WGGA Wine Dinner

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:33:03 +0000

Our First Annual WGGA Wine Dinner was a great success! There were over 100 attendees at the event savoring twelve Wisconsin Grown wines and eating a four course meal skillfully prepared by the exception chef’s of Chula Vista. We’ve set a high standard for this event, but that just means you won’t want to miss it next year! The event was held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference (WFFVC) of which we are a part of for our annual conference. Check out the images below for an idea of the fun had by all.

2010 WFFVC Conference

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:48:18 +0000

The Wisconsin Grape Growers Association is proud to announce the details for the 2nd annual WGGA Conference held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Conference. The conference is scheduled to be held Sunday, January 3rd – Tuesday January 5th at the Chula Vista resort in Wisconsin Dells. This year, we have a great lineup including Annemiek Schilder, Peter Hemstad from Michigan and Minnesota and many Wisconsin state employees including Judy Reith-Rozelle, Dean Volenberg, Dick Weidman, Al MacKenzie and Tim Rehbein.

New this year is a four-course wine pairing dinner, featuring Wisconsin Grown wines, planned for Sunday evening. There is also a tradeshow area this year that is roughly three times larger than last year’s. The Monday night Wine Social is also planned featuring Wisconsin Wines and a selection of fine cheeses provided by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Make sure to check out the schedule listed in the links below and sign up for what will be a great conference.

WFFVC 2010 Conference Website
WFFVC 2010 Brochure
WFFVC 2010 Registration Form

NBC15 TV Interview

admin — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:04:25 +0000

WGGA President Ryan Prellwitz met with NBC15 News Anchor Carleen Wild for the 11:00am news. The topic was grape growing in Wisconsin and some of the challenges that are faced.

IPM Field Days 2009

admin — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 03:02:53 +0000

This year’s IPM Field days are to be hosted on August 17th, 26th and 27th at three different locations throughout the state – Viroqua, St Croix Falls and Sturgeon Bay. There is a great lineup of speakers including Rufus Isaacs from Michigan State, Tim Martinson from Cornell and our very own Dan Mahr, Patty McManus and Steve Jordan from the UW System. These events will be a great refresher for the more experienced and a great introduction for those just starting out. I encourage everyone to make time in their busy schedules to attend. See the attached PDF for the agenda, registration form and speakers list.

IPM Field Days Brochure

Summer Vineyard Walk

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:07:52 +0000

You know its summer when it’s time for our vineyard walk.

Saturday, August 8th, 4:00 p.m.

The Wisconsin Grape Growers Association is pleased to announce that our hosts this year are Gene and Therese Bergholz of Westby. They have a newer vineyard establishment of Marquette along with a few other varieties. This is the 3rd year for the Marquette which means they will be hanging some fruit for us to see. Their vineyard also has a deer fence installed to protect the vines.

I will start out the program with a growing season update and discussion of current events in the grape and wine industry. We will also have a report from the leadership team of the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association on the association’s activities.

Our guest presenter for the event will be the one and only John Marshall of Great River Vineyard and Nursery from Lake City, MN. John is a licensed nursery for Marquette and has been growing it even before it was officially released. John will share his experiences with Marquette and his management recommendations. Following his presentation, he will lead the group through the vineyard for a tour and critique of the vines. We will be going out into the vineyard – rain or shine – so dress appropriately.

At the conclusion of the vineyard walk, we will have our wine tasting and meal. The only items you MAY wish to bring would be a bottle of wine to share during the wine tasting and grower sharing and a lawn chair.

Please call in your reservations to my office at 608-637-5276 and give your name, phone number and number of reservations to my secretary Brenda. Please call by the end of the day on Wednesday, August 5th so we can order the right amount of food.

The registration fee for the walk is $20 per person to cover the meal and function expenses. We will having a picnic style meal.

Directions to the Bergholz Vineyard:

From La Crosse, take Highway 14 east to Coon Valley. Continue east on 14 going towards Westby for another 3 miles or so. As you get to the top of the hill, the Coon Valley Sales Barn will be on your right. Just past the sales barn will be the left hand turn onto Mathison Lane. The Bergholz home and vineyard is at the very end of the lane. From Westby, travel about 5 miles west on highway 14 and just before the sales barn, you will turn right on Mathison Lane. The street address is S1098 Mathison Lane, Westby, WI 54667.

If you get lost, Gene’s cell phone is 414-587-0588.

As always, if you have any questions please call.

Grapefully Yours,

Timothy K. Rehbein /s/

New Classified Section available!

admin — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:47:02 +0000

Are you looking for a buyer for your grapes this season? Don’t wait until harvest to locate a purchaser. Wineries who will need grapes this year will want to contact growers now to discuss their requirements and to make arrangements with you.

Now is the time to advertise the availability of your grapes. Your ad can be placed on the WGGA web site classifieds section free of charge. Simply go to the classified section of this website, choose a category, click “Add a new Ad in this category” and place an ad with the following minimum information:

•    Name & location of your vineyard
•    Grape varieties offered for sale.
•    Number of vines expected to produce for each variety.
•    Your contact information.

Additional information that would assist the winery to make a decision to contact you includes the age of vines, estimated harvest quantity (number of pounds or tons), estimated harvest date and information regarding last year’s harvest such as Brix, quantity harvested and date harvested.

This is a tool that can also be used for “Wanted” ads for grapes along with “Equipment” and “Employment” ads - anything related to the grape and wine industry in Wisconsin. Each classified ad posted will be approved before it shows up on the website. If you have any questions, please contact info@wigrapes.org.