One stinky bug: The Asian ladybeetle (Photo courtesy of USDA Agricultural Research Service) By Tom Mansell, Science Editor Have you ever picked up an ant and squished it between your fingers? In some cases, the ant has the last laugh, leaving your fingers with a sickly sweet, pungent odor sometimes described as "rotten coconuts." Ants secrete all kinds of different chemicals for communication, stress, antibacterial, antifungal and many other reasons. Unfortunately, this is also true of insects in the vineyard. One particular insect can secrete a chemical so potent, as little as one bug per liter of juice can ruin…
Posts Written OnDecember 10, 2009
New York Cork Report 2009 Wines of the Year: Tasting Rescheduled
By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief With four editors from four different regions of the state, trying to crowbar this tasting into the holiday season has proven impossible, so the final tasting for the New York Cork Report 2009 Wines of the Year has been rescheduled from December 30 to January 23. That's the bad news. The good news is that this delay opens up the possibility of including some wines from the Chautauqua – Lake Erie region and will give us an opportunity to taste even more Hudson Valley wines before choosing those finalists as well. The rest of the details…