The US institute NYSAES (New York State Agricultural Experiment Station) in Geneva in the US state of New York in the Finger Lakes AVA area began viticultural research in the 1880s as a department of Cornell University. One of the focal points is the development of frost- and fungus-resistant grape varieties through complex crosses of American, European and Asian vines. More than 50 new varieties were created for the production of table gra pes, grape juice and grape jelly, but also as wine grapes. These were Alden, Brocton, Buffalo, Canadice, Cayuga White, Chardonel, Corot Noir, GR 7, Hector, Himrod, Horizon, Keuka, Marquis, Melody, New York Muscat, Ontario, Portland, Pontiac, Ripley, Romulus, Ruby (2), Schuyler, Sheridan, Suffolk Red, Traminette and Yates. Over 1,200 frost tolerant genotypes are made available for international breeding.
A pioneer and advocate for the cultivation of Vitis vinifera varieties in the northeastern United States was Dr. Konstantin Frank (1897-1985), a native of Russia who worked at the university. Herman Amberg, Donald Crowe and Dr Nelson Shaulis (1913-2000) developed the vine training Geneva Double Curtain, which is particularly suitable for vigorous grape varieties. Shaulis was also involved in the development of the first fully automatic grape harvester. Other focal points include research into extraction, fermentation, taste and winemaking. One of the projects deals with the control of diseases and pests with minimal use of chemical agents. Since 2003, courses in oenology and viticulture have also been offered. Operations take place in four institutes in Geneva, as well as on the university's main campus in Ithaca.
Image: By Rfw2 - Own Work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
