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ibglowin

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So just spent the last 2 days at my first official "wine conference".
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It was the 2011 New Mexico Vine and Wine Society Conference. Over all, very pleased. It was a great program with something for everybody (see agenda attachment). The big guys were all there as well as the someday wanna be big guys (like me!). Met a bunch of really nice people to boot. There were talks about Oak alternatives from Sta-Vin, MLF Fermentations from Scott Labs, Winery design, tasting room design, Vine problems (Grape Leaf Roll Virus). Working with Hybrids. Making Ultra Premium Wine. Just something for everybody.

Since it was a joint venture with our State Ag College (NMSU) we had people from there as well on hand to give talks and answer questions. The big topic of course was the impact of the worst freeze in probably 75 years in the State that occurred back the first week in February where even down South where we have 700 acres of Vinifera Noble planted (Our state mecca for grapes) it got down as low as -10 for some time and was below freezing for 3 days.

I met a lot of winemakers, got to pick their brains about the unique problems we face with our grapes and how to adjust the chemistry and work with them and we even had several fun wine tastings to boot.

Some of the problems we face here in the state is an overall lack of a really strong backing from the state to support the Wine Industry and how do we overcome it. How do we get the State to promote wine tourism (wine trails) wine promotion in restaurants and stores, and just how do we get more $$$ from the state to promote the industry overall especially during these tough economic times.

If you have something similar in your own state, I heartily recommend seeking them out and doing as I did. Join the organization and learn more about the workings of the industry and more about your own hobby/obsession. Its certainly much cheaper than the annual Winemaker Magazine conference (Ours was only $130 + $30 for the membership for the two day conference) and you will learn just as much if not more because the talks are mostly focused about growing and working with grapes in your area, plus won't have to travel as far (most likely!) You will also make a lot of new friends. Winemakers are for the most part really nice people!

20110227_094826_nmvws-schedule-.pdf
 
That sounds pretty cool, Mike. I wish I could have two full days to be away from work, kids, etc., for something like this conference (once in a while, ya know), but that's one of the benefits of being an empty nester, I suppose.
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An interesting phenomenon/effect I have noticed in Texas' healthy support of local agricultural businesses (including specifically grape growers and wineries): the promotional materials support the small/medium/large, full-time/part-time/seasonal/once-in-a-while businesses equally. Which sounds good, but is ultimately bad, because "tourists" have no way of distinguishing the folks that are the small but dedicated mom-and-pop outposts from the big corporate operations from the defunct wannabes. The recognized Texas "wine trails" are getting too numerous and are little more than a listing of wineries in a geographic area (IMHO). Without specific, up-to-date info. about the various wineries and what they offer, following the trails is frequently a long, disappointing drive across the expanses of Texas.
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These are really great events for everyone interested in grapes and wine. They are worth the time , effort and money to go. If you don't learn something new and bring away new contacts and friends, well, then you probably just didn't really go. Good to see even desert states can have a wine industry.
 
We had a talk from the State Deputy Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Tourism. One of the bullets from her talk was New Mexico's budget for promoting tourism in the state compared to our surrounding states like Texas, Colorado, Arizona and even CA. Our budget is 2 million, Texas is ~20 million, CA is a wopping $60 million!

No wonder we are having trouble competing!
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Rich, I thought about you during the talk on tasting room design. I have a handout I will try and post with some good points to think about since you are working hard on yours.

appleman said:
These are really great events for everyone interested in grapes and wine. They are worth the time , effort and money to go.   If you don't learn something new and bring away new contacts and friends, well,  then you probably just didn't really go.  Good to see even desert states can have a wine industry.
 
Sounds great Mike and thanks for sharing, would like to see that article on tasting rooms just because!
 
I posted the bullets from the talk on Rich's Vineyard page.

Wade said:
Sounds great Mike and thanks for sharing, would like to see that article on tasting rooms just because! 
 

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