Thinking of getting into the wine and vine business? Check out the new New York Vineyard Site Evaluation System.
This new online tool uses interactive layered maps showing climate, topography, soils, and minimum winter temperatures to determine the best spots to grow vinifera grapes, standard hybrids, or native cold-hardy varieties in New York.
The site was funded by the NY Wine and Grape Foundation’s Total Quality Focus program and developed by Dr. Alan Lakso, Department of Horticultural Sciences, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, N.Y., Tim Martinson, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Statewide Viticulture Extension Program, and the Auburn-based Institute for Application of Geospatial Technologies (IAGT).
Visit the site or read more about the project in New York Unveils Aerial View of Vineyards in Wines and Vines.
Update [6/11/2009]: See also Cornell Chronicle article, Online tool helps N.Y. grape growers pick vineyard sites.