"So You Want To Plant Grape Vines"

Snow Farm Vineyard and Winery, Vermont's first commercial vineyard and grape winery, presents an intensive, four day hands-on workshop (lectures, discussion and fieldwork) for individuals interested in planting grape vines in the North, be it in their own back yards for personal enjoyment or on a lager scale for commercial purposes.  Topics to be covered include, among others,  site selection, site improvements, vine choice, vineyard layout, equipment, planting, trellising, pruning, vine and grape protection, and canopy and soil management.

The workshop will be lead, primarily,  by Patrick Barrelet. Patrick is Snow Farm's winemaker and vineyard manager.  Patrick, a Quebec native who continues to commute down from Bedford, Quebec, received his education in France, with a degree in viticulture from CFPPA de Beaune in France, a Diplome Technicien Oenolgue from the Universite de Dijon in France and studied under Michel Roucher-Sarrazin of Puligny-Montrachet, considered one of the top five winemakers in Burgundy.  Prior to joining Snow Farm, Patrick received silver and bronze medals for wines he made while at Domaines les Cotes d' Ardoise vineyard in Dunham, Quebec.  Since joining Snow Farm at its inception, Patrick has garnered double gold, gold, silver and bronze medals for Snow Farm's grape wines in International Competitions.  Patrick continues to attend trade seminars and symposiums and is well versed in the art of growing cold climate grapes, such as Riesling and Pinot Noir.  He is academically proficient in all areas of vineyard management and vinification.  He has a through understanding of all aspects of practical winemaking such as selection of grapes, recipe formulation, fermentation and management, finishing, packaging, and quality control and assessment.  He is also proficient in analytical methods of assessing the qualities of vines, soil, climate and grape varieties and has been instrumental in Snow Farm's continuing commitment to research and experimentation.

Among others assisting Patrick with the workshop will be Harrison Lebowitz. After years of research, Harrison and his wife Molly started Snow Farm in 1996 as a way to keep land in Vermont open and working.  Harrison received his B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College in 1980 with a major in Chemistry and his J.D. from the University of Baltimore Law School in 1984. In his three years of research into the feasibility of starting a vineyard in Vermont, Harrison consulted extensively with leading experts in cold climate growing of grapes, including those from Michigan State University, Southwest Michigan Research Center, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (Cornell University Extension) and University of Minnesota, traveled to Minnesota at the invitation of the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, and studied at the University of California, Davis. Through his research, he met Patrick

Location: Snow Farm Vineyard and Winery
      190 West Shore Road
      South Hero, VT 05486
Dates: May 2- May 5, 2005
Time: 9:00 - 4:30
Cost: $425

Limited To Ten Persons
Includes a copy of "From Vines To Wines" (where practical, best if sent to and the vineyard portion of book read by participants prior to workshop),  handouts, lunch, and six bottles of wine.

For more information or to make a reservation, call Snow Farm Vineyard at (802) 372-9463 or e-mail at  or www.snowfarm.com

Return to Calendar of Events Page