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from the issue of December 16, 2004
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Read helps state
BY KELLY BARTLING, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Just over 10 years ago, Nebraska wine-making was nonexistent.
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| | | Paul Read, director of the University of Nebraska's viticulture program, prunes grapevines at a research site in Nemaha County in this 2000 file photo. Read's work at the university since his arrival in 1987 has helped the state's wine-making industry grow from nearly nonexistent to more than a dozen wineries and more than 100 vineyards expected within the next year. IANR Photo by Brett Hampton.
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Today, there are 12 Nebraska wineries and more than 100 vineyards.
Within the next year, there could be as many as 15 wineries and many new vineyards.
The successful establishment and growth of a wine-making industry in Nebraska is due in no small part to the University of Nebraska viticulture program and its director, Paul Read. Arriving at the university in 1987, he helped initiate the program in 1997 and has watched it blossom through the establishment of Nebraska's first wineries and vineyards.
Watching the fledgling industry develop has been exciting, said Read, professor of agronomy and horticulture in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. And the future of wine-making in Nebraska looks bright.
"I'm cautiously optimistic. Some of our vineyards and would-be owners think the future is extremely bright," he said. " I think it's important to realize that we won't be competing directly with California or Australia. They provide high-quality wines and often very inexpensively. But our wines are also very high quality; there is just a different character to them. They're uniquely Nebraskan and very good with food."
The concept that Nebraska wine goes well with Nebraska food is one that Read uses to promote wine as something to enjoy every day.
"Nebraska wines are food-friendly. What (growers and promoters) would like to do is demystify the concept of wine as a snob beverage, but rather as a day-to-day and routine part of a meal. Many of our Nebraska wines fit that description beautifully. They make outstanding wines that are very pleasant and in many cases these wines match up well with foods we like to eat."
Despite the success of the growing industry, Read still often encounters surprise and amazement that Nebraska is home to a wine and grape production industry. As a member of the UNL Speakers Bureau, his talk, "Nebraska: The Next Napa Valley," challenges Nebraskans to change their perspective.
"When we look at the Napa Valley, they're doing something we can do too," he said. "They grow good grapes and make good wine. Then they market it well. Marketing is going to be the key to successes of our wineries and grape-growers in Nebraska. We can grow very good grapes. We have rich soil and water resources and our sunlight in our growing season exceeds some regions of the world. Turning sunlight into wine is the name of the game."
Going back many more years, Nebraska has a long history of wine-making.
"Late in the 1800s and early 1900s there were a lot of grapes grown in Nebraska. Immigrants here brought with them the things they liked to grow. Grapes and wine were part of their culture," he said.
In the years right before Prohibition and the Great Depression, Nebraskans had many acres of land delegated to grape-growing. Following the Dust Bowl years and with the defeat of Prohibition, vineyards were not re-established until recently following the passage of the Nebraska Farm Wineries Act in the mid-1980s.
Read works one on one with grape growers and wine-makers and helps the Nebraska Winery and Grape Growers Association through organizing annual meetings and workshops, marketing efforts and maintaining data, mailing lists and updated research on cultivars that work well in various climates and conditions.
"One of the positive things about Nebraska wine-making is that we have such wonderful growing conditions during the growing season. We've got in some parts of the state more sunshine hours than many of the important grape-producing areas of the world."
White winegrape cultivars that have proven to be successful in various parts of the state are Edelweiss, Lacrosse, LaCrescent, Prairie Star, Seyval Blanc and Vignoles; trials are considered on Cayuga White, Chardonel, Riesling, Saint Pepin, Brianna, Swenson White and others. For red winegrape cultivars, deChaunac, Frontenac, Marechal Foch, Saint Croix, St. Vincent and Valiant do well, and Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin, Lemberger, Norton/Cynthiana and Sabrevois are under trial.
Read said as many as 70 cultivars are being used or studied for possible use in Nebraska.
"I always tell people 'Growing grapes is not for the faint of heart'," Read said. "It's a lot of commitment. You need to be in it for the long haul. This is not an easy task. It's not for everyone. Some people will find it extremely rewarding, being up close and personal with thousands of grapevines."
Nebraska wines make a good holiday gift
Paul Read keeps lots of wine on hand for holidays, parties and other gift-giving occasions, and is enthusiastic about wine as an appropriate and welcome gift - Nebraska wines of course.
"It's a nice gesture to give a gift of Nebraska wine. Some of the wineries have a wide array of gift baskets, crafts, pottery, T-shirts, hats and things like that that are uniquely Nebraskan. There is a lot of opportunity around the holidays to enjoy Nebraska wine with holiday festivities since wine is ideal for festive occasions as well as the holiday meal."
Read said there remains a large segment of people who are intimidated by wine-selecting or choosing wine as a gift, but he recommends that novices attend wine-tastings or a wine or gourmet class, or simply ask the winery or wine seller what to choose.
"Trust your wine merchant or go to the winery or its Web site. You can learn a lot of information about the wines and how they're grown and crafted," he said.
More information about Nebraska wines, how to choose wines and more is available at the Nebraska Winery and Grape Growers Association Web site at www.nwgga.org/ or at the agronomy department's site: http://agronomy.unl.edu/viticulture/.
Many Nebraska wines are not marketed through local wine shops, so a visit to their Web site or location may be necessary to get that special gift.
For those both inside and outside the industry who are interested in an entire class on viticulture, next semester the department will offer "Vines, Wines and You," a horticulture and nutrition class on the origin, botany and historical and cultural significance of the grapevine, also teaching culinary applications, choosing and evaluating wine, and health issues surrounding wine. Call Read for more information at 472-5136.
Some Nebraska wines to choose from:
- Ashland: Four Winds Vineyard and Winery
- Brownville: Whiskey Run Creek Vineyard and Winery
- Crawford: Lovers Leap Vineyard and Winery; Last Chance Winery
- Crete: Blue Valley Vineyard and Winery
- Denton: Prime Country Winery
- Lexington: Mac's Creek Vineyard and Winery, Millenium Wines Vineyard and Winery
- Nebraska City: Arbor Trails Winery (a cooperative)
- Pierce: Cuthills Vineyards and Winery
- Raymond: James Arthur Vineyards and Winery
- Springfield: Soaring Wings Vineyard and Winery
GO TO: ISSUE OF DECEMBER 16
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