drinkable reno-tahoe
VITICULTURE DESINY
Nevada Vines and Wines members work to bring a commercial winery to the region.
WRITTEN BY HEIDI BETHEL
PHOTOS BY JAMIE KINGHAM
According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, Eastern Washington hosts an $8.6 billion wine industry. This generates $1.2 billion in wages and more than 30,000 jobs, and attracts an estimated 2.4 million wine-inspired tourists who enjoy vintage varieties from more than 700 vineyards in the state.
While you may be asking yourself why this matters, Bill Copeland and a few other local wine aficionados recognized these figures as an opportunity for Nevada and, together with Dr. Grant Cramer from the wine research program at the University of Nevada, Reno, formed Nevada Vines and Wines to bring this booming market to the Silver State.
“We aim to stimulate vine growing and winemaking here in Nevada. We don’t see why we don’t have a vibrant wine economy like Washington, especially since we share the same weather characteristics and we’re a tourist area already,” Copeland says. “That’s why we’ve banded together to form this nonprofit and bring attention to our potential through a number of different programs.”
Adopt a Vine
In addition to partnering with UNR for its Viticulture and Wine Tasting events, Nevada Vines and Wines assists in the Adopt a Vine initiative at the test vineyard on campus. Daniel Hopper, graduate research assistant for UNR’s wine research program, explains that the program gives participants the chance to learn how to grow grapes and understand what’s required to make a bottle of wine.
“It’s a thorough way to learn what the process takes,” Copeland adds. “We have about 24 adopters now and the program is only two years old. We expect to make a lot of future winemakers here.”
Home Vineyards
Once folks have the basics down, Nevada Vines and Wines is there to help lay the groundwork for backyard vineyards. The group consults on viticulture and winemaking best practices, including vineyard layout, planting, trellis systems, vegetation management, disease and pest control, watering and fertilization, and winter preparation. To date, it’s helped with more than a dozen home vineyards.
“We want to see people have success in their efforts,” Copeland says. “Some of the components can be hard to manage. Sure, you can prune any time, but harvesting can be tricky. When the grapes are ready, they’re perfect for a day or two, and you don’t want to miss that window.
“What we all believe is good grapes make good wine. After you make some wine with those grapes that aren’t too good, you get convinced of that real quickly.”
Commercial Winery
Currently, Nevada Vines and Wines and UNR have teamed to plant a vineyard at the Main Station Farm on East McCarran Boulevard in Reno. With room for 8,000 vines producing more than 3,000 cases of wine each year, the group must raise funds for the vines, trellis, and drip system. The ultimate goal is to establish a commercial winery in Washoe County, which Copeland is confident can happen but recognizes there are a few hurdles in getting there.
“Legally in Nevada, you can’t operate a winery in any county with over 100,000 people,” he says. “We have four wineries in the rural counties. In the more populated areas, you can make wine, but you have to sell it through a supplier to distributors. What we want to see is the ambiance of patios and drinking wine at an actual winery in Reno.”
In the meantime, the group will continue its grassroots effort for backyard vineyards and support wine projects in the state.
Heidi Bethel loves to sit back and relax with a nice glass of chardonnay on a cool summer evening. She will eagerly await the real possibility of enjoying a local harvest from a commercial winery in Washoe County.
Backyard Vineyard Tour
Aug. 10, 2014
11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
$25 per person
Visit the area’s backyard vineyards to see the varieties of grape vines and learn more about grape management. Then enjoy a local wine tasting at Garden Shop Nursery, located at 3636 Mayberry Drive, Reno. Proceeds go to Nevada Vines and Wines. For details, visit http://www.Nvandw.com
