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Wine exports are up 5 per cent in the June year, topping $1 billion for the first time, but exporters are getting much less for each litre of wine in what New Zealand Winegrowers calls the toughest year in more than two decades. The biggest challenge for growers and wineries was falling profitability, Winegrowers chairman Stuart Smith says in the Winegrowers annual report. The average sale price of bottle wine exports fell more than 10 per cent, back to levels last seen four years ago, and financial pressures on growers and wineries have never been more intense. Dana Tims, The Oregonian At a time when recessionary pressures on the state's $1 billion wine industry are threatening to leave tons of grapes unpicked this year, Johnston is developing more than 550 acres of vineyards west of Silverton - huge by Oregon's traditional mom-and-pop standards. The gentler topography of the Silverton area lends itself to mechanized operations -- spraying, mowing and leafing as well as harvest. Ian Gienger trims vines with a mechanical harvester. Such efficiencies of scale generally aren't practical in Yamhill County, where prime vineyard land tends to be steeper and less expansive. SILVERTON – Maybe Oregon's pinot noir pioneers had it right after all, that the rolling hillsides near Silverton -- not Dundee -- were best suited to cradle the state's wine industry. From left, Jessica Heing, Larry Levine, and winemaker Clay Mauritson, walk along a path through vineyards at Mauritson Wines in Healdsburg, Calif. HEALDSBURG, Calif. — They say great wine is made in the vineyard. Now some vintners are inviting guests to check that out through walking tours aimed at giving the real dirt on winemaking. KUNDE FAMILY ESTATE: 9825 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood, Calif.; http://www.kunde.com or 707-833-5501. Online registration available, fees range from $25 for hikes with tastings to $45 for dog hikes with lunch, and $60 for a special harvest hike, including lunch, Sept. 11. August 21, 2010 - Shelburne, Vermont The Vermont Grape and Wine Council is hosting its first open house weekend.. All of Vermont's 27 wineries are offering tastings and tours to teach people more about Vineyards in Vermont. There are in fact vineyards all over Vermont open for business and visitors. "Ken Albert of the Shelburne Vineyard said Saturday, "This is a good time to do it because you can walk through the vineyard and see the grapes that are ripe on the vine,, you can even taste one if you want, and of course taste wine in the winery we have had very favorable comments so far." People are encouraged to taste the wines and pick their favorites. There is also a chance to tour , and find out how the wine is made. And there are a lot of questions. The key to wine making in Vermont is of course the grapes. A special extra hardy hybrid. "THese are grapes that originate they were hybridized in Minnesota so they are go to 30 below zero so these are the grapes that once we realzeded these grapes make good wine we decided to invest in the winery. And so did lot of other people in Vermont." Albert said. They say great wine is made in the vineyard. Now some vintners are inviting guests to check that out through walking tours aimed at giving the real dirt on winemaking. "One of the challenges facing the industry is there is this elitist perception of wine," says Clay Mauritson, winemaker at Mauritson Winery, which offers vineyard tours. "I just see a huge benefit to getting people in the vineyard and showing them how the wine is made." The Mauritson tour is one of four self-guided walks put together with the assistance of the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. (The other three are Paradise Ridge Winery, Balletto Vineyards and Matanzas Creek Winery.) The tours are free and visitors get information sheets pointing out various sights along the way; tasting room fees vary. Trails are clearly marked with stopping points to look at various features, such as the Mauritson wind machines used to protect grapes from frost during the winter. (The fans draw in and circulate warmer air.) Different types of vines are pointed out, as well as the environments they like to live in -- heavier, richer soils for sauvignon blanc, for instance, or gravelly dirt for cabernet sauvignon.
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