Learning Throu The Grapevine
Vine-To-Wine Research Opportunities In The Region’s Growing Wine Tourism I
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t was a way to make a real difference, to help a fledgling industry get off the ground. Twenty years after shifting his main focus from peaches and apples to grapes, Bradley Taylor, associate professor of plant, soil and agricultural systems at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, is pleased that the time he invested in helping grape growers in the region has contributed to a strong agricultural and agro-tourism enterprise. One thing he loves about his research is the opportunity to be outside, in the vines,
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Southern Illinois University Carbondale
working with students to help them learn and develop efficient and environmentally friendly growing techniques. Another thing he loves is the way the wineries in the area emphasize the natural, giving their customers a chance to see the vineyards that produce the fruit that ultimately ends up in their wine glasses. “This area is an effort in stewardship,” he said. “Our industry is a method of connecting the urban consumer back to the earth and nature, and the practice of producing fruit. It’s an unknown; so many people never realize how
many out-of-our-control factors producers deal with (and) how easily we can lose an entire crop.” With grapes in Southern Illinois, the two factors growers expect are the dangers of spring frost, which can reduce or eliminate the crop, and winter injury, which can destroy the vines. There are dozens of other factors; not enough rain or too much, plant disease and wind damage are a few. But untimely cold is a constant challenge, and it’s one of the reasons so many vineyards in the region are set on hills. “When the weather is cool, hilltops can