WKU Vineyard

Vineyards were established by faculty and students near the Elrod Road entrance to the University Farm in 2008 and 2009 and were utilized during Spring 2010 semester's Introduction to Viticulture class. In addition to classroom instruction, students reveived hands-on training in pruning techniques, canopy management, trellis construction, and fertilization. Our 296 vines (approximately 1/2 acre) consist of American varieties such as 'Concord' and 'Niagara', French Hybrid varieties such as 'Villard Blanc', 'Reliance', and 'Chambourcin', and European varieties such as 'Riesling', 'Petite Sirah', and 'Cabernet Sauvignon'.

Thanks to undergraduate assistants Kellee Montgomery and Zach Vincent and graduate assistant Claudia Stetter for their assistance with vineyard management this summer. Next spring semester we will offer the Introduction to Viticulture class for the 2nd time and we hope to expand our acreage with new plantings in the spring of 2011 and expand our course offerings to include Advanced Viticulture in fall semester 2011.

Submitted by: Dr. Todd Willian