New Cornell wine grape varieties: Protecting the environment and improving the rural economy.

2007 Impact statement
  • Reisch, Bruce Irving

abstract

Cold hardy, disease resistant wine grape varieties are helping fuel the rise of the grape and wine industry in New York and other regions of the United States. Along with expansion of this agricultural industry comes a significant boost to the economy through tourism (retail, restaurants, winery visitors, hotels, tasting room sales of related products, etc.). There is continuing demand for new, high quality wine grapes that can reduce pesticide applications, reduce the cost of production, and expand the range of sites on which grapes can be grown. New varieties that fit these needs and also produce high quality wines are now being planted rapidly.

submitted by

issue being addressed

The New York State wine industry has grown dramatically in the past 20 years. Yet, many of the varieties used suffer from one or more deficiencies in areas such as wine quality, cold hardiness, disease resistance, and more. Finding the right variety suitable for a particular planting location is of great importance when you consider that a vineyard is expected to remain productive for 30-50 years. New York, and many other states, need new varieties that produce grapes reliably and economically, with reduced pesticide inputs, and make products that the consumer/tourist will enjoy.

response

The grape breeding program at NYSAES-Geneva responded by engaging in a long term effort to study grapevine genetics while designing crosses to develop improved, better-adapted grape varieties. Germplasm was screened for traits of interest, and the best germplasm was incorporated into the breeding process. Cooperative efforts with faculty in enology (for wine quality evaluation) and plant pathology (for development of disease resistance) were strengthened to accelerate progress. Growers within New York, as well as researchers in other states, cooperate with our project to evaluate promising selections at multiple locations. The program named the ‘Cayuga White’ grape, its first wine grape release, in 1972. The grape caught on slowly at first, but one success led to another, and soon it became widely planted throughout the Finger Lakes. More than 25 wineries each year produce wine using Cayuga White. It has become a staple in the industry – it produces a spectrum of wines from dry to sweet to sparkling, and the productivity and price per ton have turned Cayuga White into a cash crop for grape growers. Cayuga White is also cold hardy and disease resistant, so pesticide applications can be reduced. Significant new acreage has been planted in the last 3 years. Three new wine varieties (two red and one white) were released in 2006, and thousands of vines have been sold and planted since release. Varietal wines of all three grapes can be found already in the marketplace.

impact assessment

In New York alone, approximately 800-900 tons of Cayuga White are produced annually, for which growers are paid over $300,000. The price paid per ton has been increasing. The value of wine sold each year averaged $7.5 million dollars between 1992 and 2006. More than 400 acres of Cayuga White are cultivated in the United States. Cayuga White has played an important role in the 30+ years since its release. It has helped the growth of the New York wine industry, and has helped attract a growing number of tourists to the wine trails, restaurants, and accommodations in New York’s wine regions. The variety requires relatively low amounts of pesticide input. The 1990 release, ‘Chardonel’, is already the number 2 grape in Missouri. The ‘Traminette’ grape, released in 1996, is following a similar path to success, being planted since release at the rate of more than 30,000 vines per year. There are already more than 400 acres of Traminette being grown in the United States. Varietal and blended wines from all four new wine grapes released by the program since 2003 are already being sold in the marketplace. A strong wine industry contributes to the rural economy in agricultural areas, and helps resist the pressures to sell land for development.

academic priority area

has geographic focus

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funding source description

  • Special Grants
  • Unrestricted funds
  • New York State Grape Production Research Fund
  • Hatch
  • Multistate
    • more links 2 more

collaborators

  • Lake Erie Grape Research Center
  • Michigan State University
  • Dept. of Food Science, Cornell-Geneva
  • Univ. of Nebraska
  • Univ. of Arkansas
  • Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
  • Southwest Missouri State Univ.
  • Virginia Polytech
  • Purdue University
  • Univ. of Missouri

key personnel

  • R. S. Luce
  • Wayne Wilcox
  • LuAnn Preston-Wilsey
  • R. Mira de Orduna

department, unit, division

mission focus

From CALS annual faculty reporting. Imported on August 5, 2008