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Research
The first permanent English settlement in America was established in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia. As early as 1609, both grapes and wine were mentioned by Captain John Smith, leader of the expedition. Vines were a major part of the vegetation. They flourished and bore their fruit at the tops of the forest trees out of reach of potential winemakers. The pilgrims who arrived with the Mayflower in 1620 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, celebrated their first harvest festival, Thanksgiving, in 1621 with wine ("all washed down with wine, made of the wild grape, both white and red", G.F. Willison). Throughout the Colonial period new settlers brought Vitis vinifera grape vines from Europe with them, but didn't succeed in growing them due to a combination of harsh winters, insects and diseases.
It wasn't until 1667 that the first white explorer reached the area known as Ohio today. Wine was made from wild grapes immediately upon their discovery (1796), and the first vines - even though a failure - were planted in 1799. The arrival of Nicholas Longworth in Cincinnati in 1803 decisively shaped the development of the grape and wine industry in Ohio. He was to become "Father of Ohio Wines" by acquiring land, contracting with farmers who could live on it, plant vineyards and orchards and would share the crop with him. In 1953, 770 acres were planted to grapes yielding 300,000gal of wine. In 1859 Ohio was the largest wine producing state in the United States. Its production of 500,000gal was more than one third of the US total and more than twice the amount produced in California. The most important varieties were Catawba, Isabella, Delaware, Iona, Walter and Concord. Even though the acreage peaked in 1860 with 2000 acres the industry was already in decline. The farmers were not able to control infectious diseases, there was a lack of properly trained workers, an unfair sharecropping system and a general lack of knowledge in viticulture and enology.
At the same time the grape and wine industry was declining in southern Ohio, another one was born and soon flourishing in northern Ohio. The moderating effect of the shallow waters of Lake Erie allowed the successful cultivation of grapes. They were first planted on the islands just off the coast which soon became known as "Wine Islands", a popular target for family outings and fun trips. Despite challenges such as diseases, cold winters and the prohibition from 1919-1933, the industry survived. In 1909, Ohio ranked third in the nation in wine production. By 1949 it had dropped to 8th. The number of commercial wineries had fallen from a high of 149 in 1940 to less than 100 a decade later.
Following World War II, agriculture in the United States entered one of the most productive periods it has ever known. The production of grapes increased dramatically. Correct viticultural practices, proper pest control, better equipment and new, more cold resistant varieties (French-American hybrids) supported by active research increased productivity.
In the 1960's, northern Ohio, privileged by the moderating effect of Lake Erie, took another leap forward by introducing Vitis vinifera or "European grapes" such as Chardonnay and Riesling. Following the leadership of Dr. Konstantin Frank, a German born and raised Russian immigrant who was instrumental in introducing Vitis vinifera in the eastern US, the first vineyard planted to Vitis vinifera in Ohio (Chardonnay, Riesling) was established in 1968 at Markko Vineyard, in Conneaut. Its success was imitated by other growers on both shores of Lake Erie.
In 1983, Lake Erie was approved as an "American Viticultural Appellation" based on its climatic uniqueness, historical precendent and local and national recognition. The appellation covers vineyards on the northern and southern shore of the lake. The southern shore extends over 3 states (New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio) from Buffalo in the east to Toledo in the west and includes more than 40,000 acres of vineyards. Whereas most research has focused on viticulture few scientific studies have investigated the unique microbiology and the enology of the appellation.
The approval of AVA's is based on viticultural parameters ("climatic uniqueness and historical precedent") and "local and national recognition" as a growing region producing characteristic wines of high quality. So far no scientific studies have investigated the characteristics and quality of Lake Erie wines as they relate to the climatic conditions of the appellation. In the past research efforts in the region have been supported by state programs limiting their reach to a specific state, and extending to all the appellations of that state.
The overall goal of the LEERC is to overcome these restrictions and extend the reach of its projects to the entire appellation, including all three states (New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania) through the following objectives:
Spontaneous fermentations in Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Vidal Blanc are followed and compared with fermentations inoculated with commercial yeasts. The aroma and flavor constituents of the wines are analyzed during and at completion of the fermentations. The effect on wine quality as determined by sensory analysis, is evaluated. Indigenous yeasts from different grape varieties (Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Vidal Blanc) at three different vineyards and wineries in northeast Oho have been isolated. Purified single colony selections are being used for DNA isolation, amplification and sequencing. The fermentation properties of purified and isolated yeasts are further researched by inoculating sterile wine musts with them. Other planned activities will investigate the effect of wine aging and storage conditions on aroma and flavor composition and wine quality.
Yeast Genera and Species
Present During Spontaneous Fermentation of Lake Erie Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and
Riesling Cold
Resistance Genes and Yeast Genera and Species Present During Spontaneous
Fermentation of Lake Erie Wines
Changes in Yeast Populations During Spontaneous Fermentation of Lake Erie Chardonnay Spontaneous fermentation of grape must has been a subject of controversy. Our initial objective was to investigate changes in the yeast population during spontaneous fermentations.
Spontaneous fermentation of Chardonnay juice from Harpersfield Vineyard resulted in the isolation of 172 yeasts. The juice was sampled daily for yeasts until the fermentation was complete (14 days). Yeasts were initially analyzed by a combination of morphology, fermentation of sugars (glucose, lactose, fructose, galactose, maltose and sucrose), assimilation of nitrogen compounds (glutamine, cadavarine, lysine and nitrate), and assimilation of carbon compounds (glucose, maltose, inositol, glucuronate and lactate). Yeasts showing morphological and/or physiological differences were identified as to genus and species by DNA sequence analysis of a 23S ribosomal DNA variable region. In the first five days of the fermentation indigeneous (grape and winery associated) yeasts (Hanseniaspora, Pichia, Candida and Torulaspora delbruechii) were prevalent. Some remained until the end of the fermentation. On day five Saccharomyces began to dominate. The following yeasts were isolated: Hanseniaspora (3 related species), Pichia (closely related to kluyveri), Candida (closely related to stellata), Torulaspora delbruechii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (many varieties) and Saccharomyces bayanus. Future experiments will couple chemical analyses and sensory evaluation of the final product with yeast populations in must from various wineries and cultivars.
Supported by the Ohio Plant Biotechnology Consortium.
Presented at: 26th ASEV/ES Annual Meeting, July 12-13, 2001, White Oaks Conference Centre, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.
With this presentation Kathleen E. Zeman has won the student paper competition in enology at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture/Eastern Section.
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