CLC Viticulture Enology Science and
Technology Alliance (VESTA) students Christy Paulson and Luke Sombke
were awarded the Elmer Swenson Scholarship at the Cold Climate
Conference at the Grand Awards Banquet in St. Paul. This is the second
year Christy received the award. Minnesota Grape Growers Association
award of $1,000 is for full time students in Viticulture (grape growing)
and Enology (wine chemistry).
Christy
and husband Matt, a CLC horticulture student, have an organic farm,
"Fruits, Nuts and Vegetables"LLC, in Fort Ripley. They are clearing a
two acre plot for a vineyard, and are using the trees to grow organic
mushrooms with great success.
Luke
is double majoring in Viticulture and Enology, and works at Danzinger
Vineyards in Alma, WI. Danzinger Vineyards recently received best winery
honors at the Wisconsin Grape Growers conference.
Milners
Heritage Winery in Kimball, MN, won the Governors Cup Best of show for a
La Crescent "Little Iza" white wine. Jon Milner is a former VESTA
student and Sydney Giither, VESTA Viticulture graduate, is part of their
team.
VESTA
is an consortium of colleges in 19 states that offer online classes in
Viticulture, Enology and wine business. Dennis Emslie Drummond is the
Minnesota coordinator at Central Lakes College and is also the
instructor for Fruit Wine Production. He manages a vineyard with 32
varieties at the Staples Ag Center, plus an experimental winery and
laboratory at the Staples Campus. He will be presenting "Growing Grapes
in Central Minnesota" at the Master Gardeners Expo on April 5th at the
Brainerd campus of Central Lakes College.
(Photo: CLC Instructor Dennis Emslie Drummond, Student Luke Sombke, and CLC Dean Christopher Hadfield)
