KINGSVILLE, Ohio — The Ohio Grape and Wine Day and the Ashtabula County Twilight Grape Tour will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s Ashtabula Agricultural Research Station.
The station is located at 2625 South Ridge Road East in Kingsville, Ohio.
Topics
Some of the topics that will be discussed at this event include: NE 1020 study, managing crown gall and winter injury, 2009 insect and Asian lady beetle update, managing botrytis and other grape diseases, crop estimation demonstration, juice analysis, update on winegrape research trials in southern Ohio and new research projects at the Ashtabula Research Station.
A tour of the research vineyards and a wine tasting of experimental cultivars will be included. A special field demonstration of vineyard equipment will be held from noon to 1:15 p.m. at the research station.
Participants can come early to the Ohio Grape and Wine Day to see under the trellis tillage equipment in action. Bring a sack lunch and watch this equipment in action.
For more information about this event, call the Ashtabula Research Station at 440-224-0273.
Tour
Immediately following the Ohio Grape and Wine Day, attendees are encouraged to participate in the popular Grape Twilight Tour.
This year’s event will be hosted by Debonne Winery, 7743 Doty Road, Madison, Ohio.
The twilight tour will begin at 5:30 p.m. Participants will then tour the new constructed 4,000 square foot white wine fermentation and bottling facility at Debonne Vineyards.
This new facility is targeted to be fully operational by this year’s harvest season. The expansion provides additional space for tanks and increases the efficiency of the bottling operation.
See how this expansion has been integrated seamlessly with the existing press house, red fermentation, juice house and cooling facilities.
Participants will also tour the Cellar Rats Brewery, which opened in June 2008.
At the conclusion of the tour, participants have the option of an extensive dinner at the cost of $17.50 per person.
Register
Pre-registration for the twilight tour is required by Aug. 7. Reserve your spot by calling the Ashtabula County Extension office at 440-576-9008.
