MU Show Me Grape and Wine Conference offers wine tasting, trade show, workshops
Missouri grape growers and winemakers can learn from peers, researchers and industry experts at the University of Missouri Show Me Grape and Wine Conference and Symposium.
The event is March 8-10 at the Hampton Inn, 1225 Fellows Place, Columbia.
Viticulturists and enologists will have learning and networking opportunities at the event, says Dean Volenberg, assistant extension professor and director of the MU Grape and Wine Institute.
There will be educational sessions for growers on cover crops and disease and weed management.
Volenberg says he is particularly interested in learning about the latest research on the sour rot complex. Sour rot causes ripening fruit to become soft and watery. Infected berries smell similar to vinegar. Growers will learn how to prevent damage to fruit and control insects as part of an integrated pest management system.
Enologists will hear about new techniques in winemaking oxygen management. Discussion topics include tips for identifying and counteracting wine faults in the winemaking process.
Volenberg asks attendees to bring three bottles of their wine to the event for evaluation and feedback by the Missouri Wine Technical Group.
“This is a great opportunity for viticulturists and enologists to network with other successful people in the wine industry,” he says.
The Missouri Wine and Grape Board and the Missouri Grape Growers Association sponsor a Missouri wine-tasting event on the first night of the conference. More than 15 vendors will showcase supplies at a trade show.
Researchers from MU and collaborating Missouri universities will speak at the free March 10 morning symposium. They will talk on a variety of topics, including emerging diseases and grapevine genetics.
Preregistration is required. Conference registrants receive a copy of the 2017 Fruit Pest Management Guide. Register at cafnralumni.com/showmegrapewine2017.
MU’s Grape and Wine Institute conducts research on the best winemaking and grape-growing practices available in Missouri. Areas of research include cultural practices for Missouri soils and climates and the evaluation and development of grape cultivars. Faculty and students also evaluate rootstocks and study methods of fermentation and wine production.
For more information, go to gwi.missouri.edu/about.
Source: Dean Volenberg, 573-882-0476
For more than 100 years, University of Missouri Extension has extended university-based knowledge beyond the campus into all counties of the state. In doing so, extension has strengthened families, businesses and communities.
