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Hunt Country Vineyards is a vineyard and winery located near Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes AVA region of New York State, US.
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Hunt Country Vineyards is a vineyard and winery located near Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes AVA region of New York State, US.
Hunt Country Vineyards was founded in 1981 by Arthur C. Hunt and Joyce H. Hunt. The property was first purchased by Arthur Hunt's great great grandfather, Ambrose Hunt (b. 1803) in 1852 and has been farmed continuously by his descendants until the present day. The oldest grapevines on the vineyard were planted in 1904 and are of the concord and Niagara varieties. When the current generation of Hunts took over the farm in 1973, there were 18 acres (7.3 ha) of the two varieties planted. In 2008, 50 acres (20 ha) of grapes were harvested.
The farm is located 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Branchport, New York. The vineyard soils are glacially deposited gravelly loam, with a 5–7% slope.
The Hunts enrich the soil with natural compost made from the grape pomace (seeds and skins) left after pressing the grapes, mixed with manure from a neighboring farm.
Between 1984 and 1988, the Hunts collaborated with Cornell Cooperative Extension [1] Grape Specialist Dr. Tom Zabadal [2] to convert undesirable grape varieties to more promising wine varieties by the use of field grafting in cold climate vineyards. Under normal conditions, it takes seven years to convert a vineyard to a new variety.[ citation needed ] This includes removing old vines, planting other crops to replenish the soil and remove all traces of the old root stock, replanting new vines and allowing them to grow to maturity. The field grafting process reduced the time to two years.
The vineyard produces several French-American varieties, including Seyval blanc, Vignoles, Vidal blanc, and De Chaunac, as well as three Cornell varieties: Cayuga White, Horizon and Valvin Muscat. Two Vitis vinifera varieties are also produced: Riesling and Cabernet Franc, and three native varieties: Concord, Niagara and Delaware grape. The vines yield an average of 4-6 tons of grapes per acre.
Hunt Country Vineyards current experimental agricultural techniques include English ground ivy (partly funded by the USDA SARE program, planted under and between rows of grapes to reduce the need for herbicides and mowing), biodiesel from waste grease (to power tractors), along with a small wind turbine for producing electricity, and bat houses to encourage natural insect predators.
In 2020, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation awarded Hunt Country Vineyards the Sustainability Award for “noteworthy sustainable practices and a commitment to conserving natural resources, protecting our environment, and contributing to the overall success of the New York State economy.” [3]
Hunt Country Vineyards produces an average of 12,000 cases per year of 21 different wines, and has a production capacity of 70,000 gallons. [4] The winery is perhaps best known for its Vidal Ice Wine, which is a dessert wine produced in colder wine regions when grapes are left on the vine late into the winter. The grapes are hand picked and pressed frozen, leaving the water behind as ice. The concentrated juice is then fermented to produce this intensely sweet dessert wine.
The Vidal ice wine [5] was featured on NBC's Today Show in 2006.
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards are often characterised by their terroir, a French term loosely translating as "a sense of place" that refers to the specific geographical and geological characteristics of grapevine plantations, which may be imparted to the wine itself.
Chenin blanc is a white wine grape variety from the Loire Valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make varieties from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled. Outside the Loire, it is found in most of the New World wine regions; it is the most widely planted variety in South Africa, where it was historically also known as Steen. The grape may have been one of the first to be grown in South Africa by Jan van Riebeeck in 1655, or it may have come to that country with Huguenots fleeing France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. Chenin blanc was often misidentified in Australia, as well, so tracing its early history in the country is not easy. It may have been introduced in James Busby's collection of 1832, but C. Waterhouse was growing Steen at Highercombe in Houghton, South Australia, by 1862.
Assyrtiko or Asyrtiko is a white Greek wine grape indigenous to the island of Santorini. Assyrtiko is widely planted in the arid volcanic-ash-rich soil of Santorini and other Aegean islands, such as Paros. It is also found on other scattered regions of Greece such as Chalkidiki. Assyrtiko is also being grown by the Paicines Ranch Vineyard in the San Benito AVA of California with Margins Wine making the wine, by Jim Barry Wines in Clare Valley, South Australia, at the Abbey of New Clairvaux in Northern California since 2011, and at Kefi Winery in Monroe, North Carolina by a first generation Greek family. The original Assyrtiko cuttings were imported in the USA in 1948 by Harold Olmo, grape breeder at the University of California, Davis, where they were stored until the abbey of New Clairvaux took interest in the early 2000s.
Vidal blanc is a white hybrid grape variety produced from the Vitis vinifera variety Ugni blanc and another hybrid variety, Rayon d'Or. It is a very winter-hardy variety that manages to produce high sugar levels in cold climates with moderate to high acidity.
Hybrid grapes are grape varieties that are the product of a crossing of two or more Vitis species. This is in contrast to crossings between grape varieties of the same species, typically Vitis vinifera, the European grapevine. Hybrid grapes are also referred to as inter-species crossings or "Modern Varieties." Due to their often excellent tolerance to powdery mildew, other fungal diseases, nematodes, and phylloxera, hybrid varieties have, to some extent, become a renewed focus for European breeding programs. The recently developed varieties are examples of newer hybrid grape varieties for European viticulturalists. Several North American breeding programs, such as those at Cornell and the University of Minnesota, focus exclusively on hybrid grapes, with active and successful programs, having created hundreds if not thousands of new varieties.
South African wine has a history dating back to 1659 with the first bottle being produced in Cape Town by its founder and governor Jan van Riebeeck. Access to international markets led to new investment in the South African wine market. Production is concentrated around Cape Town and almost exclusively located within the Western Cape province, with major vineyard and production centres at Constantia, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester.
Illinois wine refers to any wine that is made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of Illinois. In 2006, Shawnee Hills, in southern Illinois, was named the state's first American Viticultural Area. As of 2008, there were 79 wineries in Illinois, utilizing approximately 1,100 acres (4.5 km2) of vines.
Washington wine is a wine produced from grape varieties grown in the U.S. state of Washington. Washington ranks second in the United States in the production of wine. By 2017, the state had over 55,000 acres (220 km2) of vineyards, a harvest of 229,000 short tons (208,000 t) of grapes, and exports going to over 40 countries around the world from the 940+ wineries located in the state. While there are some viticultural activities in the cooler, wetter western half of the state, the majority (99.9%) of wine grape production takes place in the shrub-steppe eastern half. The rain shadow of the Cascade Range leaves the Columbia River Basin with around 8 inches (200 mm) of annual rain fall, making irrigation and water rights of paramount interest to the Washington wine industry. Viticulture in the state is also influenced by long sunlight hours and consistent temperatures.
New York wine refers to wine made from grapes grown in the U.S. state of New York. New York ranks third in grape production by volume after California and Washington. 83% of New York's grape area is Vitis labrusca varieties. The rest is split almost equally between Vitis vinifera and French hybrids.
Ontario wine is Canadian wine produced in the province of Ontario. The province has three official wine-growing regions, the Niagara Peninsula, the north shore of Lake Erie, and Prince Edward County, although wineries also exist in other regions in Ontario. Approximately two-thirds of Canada's vineyard acreage is situated in Ontario, with over 150 vineyards spread across 6,900 hectares. As a result, the province is the country's largest producer of wine, accounting for 62 per cent of Canadian wine production, and 68 per cent of all Canadian wine exports.
The production of wine in New Jersey has increased significantly in the last thirty years with the opening of new wineries. Beginning in 1981, the state legislature relaxed Prohibition-era restrictions and crafted new laws to facilitate the growth of the industry and provide new opportunities for winery licenses. Today, New Jersey wineries are crafting wines that have earned recognition for their quality from critics, industry leaders, and in national and international competitions. As of 2019, New Jersey currently has 51 licensed and operating wineries with several more prospective wineries in various stages of development.
The Hermann AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Gasconade County, Missouri, and entirely contained within the larger Ozark Mountain AVA. The wine appellation is located on the southern side of the Missouri River near the town of Hermann, about halfway between St. Louis and Jefferson City. The AVA covers the northernmost hills of the Ozark Plateau with many of the 200 acres of vineyards planted along hillside locations. As of 2007, seven wineries were producing wine in appellation, including Missouri's largest winery, Stone Hill Winery.
The Finger Lakes AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in Upstate New York, south of Lake Ontario. It was established in 1982 and encompasses the eleven Finger Lakes, but the area around Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, and Cayuga Lakes contain the vast majority of vineyard plantings in the AVA. Cayuga and Seneca Lakes each have their own American Viticultural Areas completely contained within the Finger Lakes AVA. The Finger Lakes AVA includes 11,000 acres (4,452 ha) of vineyards and is the largest wine-producing region in New York State.
Inniskillin is a Canadian winery located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Inniskillin, which is mainly noted for its icewine production, has played an important pioneering role in the modern Canadian wine industry. Since 1994, Inniskillin also operates a winery in Okanagan, British Columbia in addition to its original location.
This glossary of viticultural terms list some of terms and definitions involved in growing grapes for use in winemaking.
Reif Estate Winery is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Canada. Reif Estate is primarily known for playing an important in role pioneering the Ontario wine Industry, as well as planting some of the first Vitis vinifera vines in the Niagara region.
Nova Scotia wine is Canadian wine produced in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia's wineries are primarily organized under the Wine Association of Nova Scotia, though not all wineries are members. The industry began in the late 1970s with the original Grand Pré Winery in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.
The Okanagan Valley wine region, located within the region of the same name in the British Columbia Interior, is Canada's second-largest wine producing area. Along with the nearby Similkameen Valley, the approximately 8,619 acres of vineyards planted in the Okanagan account for more than 80% of all wine produced in British Columbia, and are second in economic importance for wine production to the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario. Some 182 licensed wineries existed from south to north in the valley in 2018, with many situated along the 135 km (84 mi)-long Okanagan Lake and its tributaries and downstream lakes, including Skaha Lake, Vaseux Lake, and Osoyoos Lake. The Okanagan has diverse terrain that features many different microclimates and vineyard soil types, contributing characteristics which are part of an Okanagan terroir.
Breaux Vineyards is a Cajun owned and operated winery and vineyard located in Purcellville, Loudoun County, Virginia. Founded by E. Paul Breaux, Jr. in 1997, the 100% estate grown winery was one of three United States wineries to be named in the book "250 Best Wines 2012" by Oz Clarke for their Viognier, which landed at #87 in the publication. Breaux Vineyards is one of Virginia's largest grape growers & suppliers of wine grapes, bulk juice, and bulk wine to other East Coast U.S. wineries. The company logo is a red Crawfish, which pays homage to the Breaux family's Cajun heritage because they are often used in the local Cajun cuisine in Louisiana.
Tomasello Winery is a winery located in Hammonton in Atlantic County, New Jersey. Tomasello is the second-oldest active winery in the state, after Renault Winery. The vineyard was first planted in 1888, and opened to the public in 1933 after the end of Prohibition. Tomasello is one of the largest winegrowers in New Jersey, having 70 acres of grapes under cultivation, and producing 65,000 cases of wine per year. Although the winery is in Hammonton, most of the grapes are grown on three vineyards in the neighboring Winslow Township in Camden County. The winery is named after the family that owns it.
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