The Trade Show will open at 9:00 am. The morning vineyard workshops will start at 10:00 am and the afternoon vineyard workshops will begin at 2:45 pm.

There will be trade show presentations at 12:30 pm and equipment demonstrations at 1:15 pm.

Area Extension Agents along with Michigan State University specialists will be conducting the vineyard workshops.

The wine hospitality will begin at 4:45 pm, with local wineries contributing to the wine tasting and the steak cookout will begin at 5:15 pm.

Early bird registration is $20 per person and is due by July 15. Registration after July 15th will be $25.

The Top-wire Cordon (Hudson River Umbrella) training system commonly used for Concord grapevines has major advantages in the ease of vine pruning and a minimal need for tying in the spring. However, the concentration of shoot growth and fruiting along this top wire also has some major disadvantages to include a congested canopy in the fruit zone, which on large vines will contribute to reduce the maturity of fruit and reduce the fruitfulness and buds to be retained for the following year's crop. This is especially true of mechanical pruning strategies that tend to leave large numbers of shoots per vine along this cordon. Therefore, the positioning of shoots so they hang down the trellis rather than piled up in layers on the top of the trellis can help to reduce these negative effects of cordon training. The problem is that positioning these shoots by hand is too costly, especially with current grape prices. Efforts to develop mechanical approaches to shoot positioning have brought only fair results and grower interest over the years. Therefore, with the help of resources from the National Grape Cooperative, the Michigan Ag Experiment Station and Project GREEEN work has been underway for the past three years to develop an improved mechanical approach to shoot positioning. We think we've made considerable progress with a unit that aggressively but gently works to reorient shoots. The basic design is a pair of rotating cylinders with metal tines (Figure 1) that insert themselves briefly into the vine canopy while making a downward motion.  The earliest time this can be done effectively is at bloom when the influence of the positioning to reduce canopy congestion is apparent (see Figure 2). Growers will have an opportunity to view this prototype machine in action on the Hinkleman farm at 7010 E. Napier Ave on Wednesday, June 22, at 4:00 pm. The location of this farm is between I-94 and M 140. We will have a large grape cluster out by the road at the entrance to the drive.

A prototype mechanical shoot positioner in a Concord vineyard on June 9, 2005.
There are metal tines on the rotating cylinders to perform the positioning. (Figure 1)

June 23rd Meeting: Domaine Berrien, under the leadership of Tom Fricke and Wally Mauer, has emerged as a new Michigan winery with many innovative dimensions. As always, the wine begins in the vineyard, where Tom Fricke has planted an impressive array of plant material. At this meeting Tom will share the philosophy of the Domaine Berrien business plan. He'll indicate which of the many varieties that he has planted shows promise for Southwest Michigan and also those that do not. Tom is particularly interested in the varieties of the North Rhone Valley. He will share will us, both in the vineyard and the tasting room, varieties to include Viognier, Marsanne, Lemberger, and Syrah. Several other varieties will be viewed in the vineyards and you'll see many viticultural practices, which for Southwest Michigan vineyards, are unique. Wally has made arrangements for a delicious luncheon to compliment his fine wines. Call Al Gaus (269) 944-4126 for details on registering (Cost is $15).

July 19^th Meeting: We decided at the May meeting that it would be informative to have at some of our meetings, a focused wine tasting on our Southwest Michigan production of a specific varietal wine so we could appreciate the diversity of wines we make from a particular grape variety. Our first effort will be with one of our backbone varieties, Chardonnay. We will taste these wines in the two categories: 2004 Chardonnays, and "Others". The "Others" category may include any vintage and should illustrate a particularly good or unusual vinification of this grape. We'll ask each contributor of a wine to talk about the viticulture and winemaking details that resulted in the particular wine. To help us in our planning would you please call Tom Zabadal at 944 -1477 x206 to let him know if you'll be bringing one or more Chardonnays to this tasting. This should be interesting and educational. Location will be Tom Zabadal’s vineyard. Call Al Gaus (269) 944-4126 for details on registering