Wine Club: Join | Member Login

Academia

Academia

Chaumette Winery is involved in many viticultural and academic programs statewide. Such endeavors include a collaboration with Missouri State University Mountain Grove to cultivate and study thirty-five experimental Eastern European varieties and evaluate their ability to grow in Missouri’s climate and produce quality wine. Chaumette serves as co-investigator with Dr. Wendy Applequist of the Missouri Botanical Gardens in evaluating the levels of catechins and epi-catechins present in the seeds of these Eastern European grapes. Two of these 25 grape varieties have been found to have antioxidant qualities that rival the well-known antioxidant resveratrol. Additionally, Chaumette is working with the University of Missouri Columbia to determine optimal canopy development for the hybrid grape Traminette, through evaluating balanced pruning techniques using a specified number of buds.

Chaumette has conducted other studies in consultation with Dr. Sanliang Gu, formerly at Missouri State University Mountain Grove, including a study archiving weather data from a weather station on property to establish a weather history and evaluate levels of radiation during different parts of the viticultural cycle. Chaumette and Dr. Gu also conducted a study introducing the microrize fungus to Chardonel grapevines to evaulate the fungi’s assistance in the uptake of moisture and nutrients from the soil, both in propagation and in the vineyard.

*(+)-Catechin, (–)-Epicatechin, and Gallic Acid Content of Seeds of Hybrid Grapes Hardy in Missouri Applequist et al. Am. J. Enol. Vitic. 2008 59 (1), p. 98.