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Grapes are a new North Country crop that shows promise for growers.
Staff Photo/Michael Betts /


Lamoy checks the sugar level of a Frontenac grape using a refractometer. He said the juice measured about 15 brix (a measurement of sugar level). The grapes will be ready for harvest when they are at 26 brix.
Staff Photo/Michael Betts /


Richard Lamoy of Hid-In Pines Farms has about 30 varieties of grapes on about 750 grapevines.
Staff Photo/Michael Betts /


Lamoy also volunteers at the Cold Hardy Grape Wine Cultivar Trial in Willsboro. There are 25 varieties of grapes at the trial.
Staff Photo/Michael Betts /


Lamoy also volunteers at the Cold Hardy Grape Wine Cultivar Trial in Willsboro. There are 25 varieties of grapes at the trial. Data is being collected to determine what grape varieties grow best in the North Country. The project is headed by Kevin Iungerman, an extension associate with the Cornell Northeast New York Commercial Fruit Program.Caption Here
Staff Photo/Kelli Catana /

"I think the potential is there to a degree. We can have a small (wine making) industry here," Iungerman said. "Our counterparts on the Vermont side of the lake are ahead of us."

That includes several small commercial vineyards that are in operation, he said.

Next year's proposal includes making wine from five different varieties, but also a study of the effects of different forms of vine maintenance and growth patterns.

Volunteers are at the trial several times a year, for pruning, canopy control, to put up bird netting and harvest. Iungerman usually gives a short presentation on those and other topics at those times.

He was the one who chose the location, which overlooks Lake Champlain. Lamoy said the Champlain Valley works for growing grapes because temperatures are higher than the surrounding area.

There are several keys to a successful vineyard, he said. One is to carefully select a site. Lamoy said grapes grow best on poor soil.

"Grapes, in general, like well-drained soil," he said.

If the soil is too rich, the canopy growth can be difficult to control, Lamoy said. It's best to properly match the variety of grape to the soil available, he said, and it's also important to not plant all one variety until you know what works well in your area.

Some pesticides are used at the research plot, Lamoy said.

"We want to control disease and insect damage so we can compare the different types better. It controls some of the unknown variables," he said.

Lamoy said many of the grapes have reached veraison, a French term for the point where fruit starts to change color, get softer and increase in sugar level.

Harvest usually takes place in mid- to late-September through October.

"Different varieties mature at different times," Lamoy said.

He said some nice, warm weather from now until harvest would be best. The heat causes sugar levels to rise and lowers the acid levels, he said

After harvest, five varieties will be used to produce wine at Cornell, Lamoy said.

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