Grape Production Field Day
Join Winterhaven Vineyard and Nursery, University of Minnesota Extension, and Rural Advantage for a walk-n-talk field day on grape production and mechanized harvesting. The field day will be held August 23, 2011, starting at 1pm near Janesville, Minnesota, and will end at 3pm. Ray Winter and family, owners and operators of Winterhaven and Indian Island Winery, will be leading the tour.
Winterhaven Vineyard was established in the spring of 2000 while Winterhaven Nursery was established in 2001. The vineyard currently covers approximately 12 acres with over 6,000 vines. There are 17 different varieties of grapes with focus on cold-hardy varieties. The nursery sells bare-root and potted grape vines. A mechanized grape harvester was obtained in 2009 and Indian Island Winery was established the following year in 2010.
Ray Winter will be sharing his 11+ years of grape experience with attendees. Hear about how Winterhaven got started, ask questions about their grape production techniques, and see the harvester and other equipment used to make the operation a success.
This is an outdoor event and will be held rain or shine. Please dress accordingly. Trams will be used to travel from the parking area to the vineyard.
Directions: 18018 631st Avenue – Janesville, Minnesota 56048 (To make parking easier, we’ll be meeting at Indian Island Winery. This is a change from the original advertising.)
From Janesville – Travel West on State Highway 14 to Smith’s Mill. At Smith’s Mill, turn left (south) onto Blue Earth County Road 37. Take Blue Earth County 37 for five miles. The winery will be on the right.
Contact for this event: Jill Sackett, UMN Extension / Rural Advantage, 507-238-5449, sacke032@umn.edu