Minnesota Grape Growers Association

Formed in 1976 to further the art and science of growing grapes in cold climates, the Association sponsors workshops, tours, tastings of locally produced wines and sponsors an important annual conference on cold climate viticulture featuring speakers from the U.S., Canada, and Europe.

Novice, experienced, amateur or professional/commercial from all states and countries are invited to join.

The MGGA heartily supports the concept of wine grower and wine maker continuing education. To that end the MGGA board recommends you visit the Education section and consider the educational opportunities there for your review and consideration.

Recently completed Economic Impact Study of the Grape and Wine Industry in
Minnesota and the profile of Minnesota Grape Growers are now available

• Minnesota Grape Growers Profile (PDF)
• Economic Contributions of Grape Growers & Wineries in Minnesota (PDF)

Upcoming Events

• 2009 Cold Climate Conference
  This year’s conference will be held February 12th - 14th, 2009, at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel. Learn more and register online right away!
  Also, please take a moment to view our great Trade Show Exhibitors
• 2008 MGGA Annual Meeting
  Join us for our annual meeting and Winter Symposium on Saturday, January 17 at the Landscape Arboretum. Registration starts at 8:15; you will also be able to register for the Cold Climate Conference at the same time.  The MGGA business meeting and reports will begin at 9 a.m. sharp.  Of course, there is no fee associated with that portion of the day for our members.  For $30, there is a hot lunch catered by the Arboretum, including local wines, the afternoon educational Winter Syposium event, and finishing with a wine and cheese social.  This year, our Winter Symposium will have several speakers of interest to the backyard grower and amatuer wine makers among us, as well as discussion on the VSP (vertical shoot positioning) trellis system.  Please RSVP to Cyndi Ross (CLRoss87@yahoo.com) if you will be attending our lunch and wine social, so that we won’t run short.
• The Iowa Wine Growers Association (IWGA) has announced it’s 9th Annual Conference and Wine Tourism Symposium to be held March 20 and 21, 2009. To learn more, view our Events Page
• The Wisconsin Grape Growers Association (WGGA) will be hosting their first annual conference January 4th - 6th at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells, WI. To learn more, visit www.WIGrapes.org

Quarterly Newsletter for MGGA

The 2008 Winter Issue is now available online. Past issues are available in the newsletters section.