Educational viticulture sessions geared for beginners as well as advanced grape growers will be offered concurrently Saturday, February 3. Novices will be introduced to vineyard basics such as Vineyard Site Selection, Trellis Systems and Vineyard Economics. More experienced growers will cover topics including Grapevine Nutrition, Drip Irrigation Systems and Irrigation Scheduling. The day-long sessions will be followed by the gala Missouri Grape Growers Reception and Silent Auction.

Marketing is the focus of the Conference on Sunday, February 4. Topics include Creating a Winery Destination, Developing a Wine Trail and Maximizing Your Marketing Potential. A special Reidel glassware seminar featuring Missouri Wines is also slated for Sunday. A Gold Medal Wine Reception and a Super Bowl Tailgate party will cap off the days activities.

Conference attendees will be able to browse one of the largest wine business trade shows in the Midwest for two full days, beginning Sunday February 4. Everything grape growers and wineries need, from trellis equipment to bottles, corks, labels and tasting room gifts, will be represented at the show.

Viticulture and Enology sessions resume Monday, February 5 covering Pierce’s Disease, Cold Hardy Cultivars and Economics of Wine and Juice Grape production. Featured speakers include experts from Texas, Minnesota, Arkansas and Canada.

Regional foods and regional wines are the focus of the conference finale Monday night, the Grand Banquet. A six gourmet dinner featuring several of Missouri’s finest wines will be presented by Chef Dwight Hawkins and Chef Paul Bashinski. This is a must attend event.

For Conference registration information contact Rozana Benz at 573-486-5596 or e-mail rbenz@ktis.net or visit www.missouriwine.org.