Biography:
Dr. Gartner is a Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. He is known primarily for his work in tourism development but he has also been engaged in a major wine/grape project in the Northern US States. Dr. Gartner led the Marketing and Economics team for the Northern Grapes Project which examined the growth, value and branding of “cold hardy” wines. The story of northern grapes which rose from practically no economic impact at the turn of the century to over a half billion-dollar industry in 2016 reveals a partnership between hybrid grape breeders, new entrepreneurs, and eager customers, most of them tourists. Dr. Gartner is also involved in wine research in Slovenia and Croatia while continuing his tourism development work in projects around the world. His visiting professorships include the University of Ljubljana, University of Zagreb and the Munich University of Applied Sciences.

Presentation Title:
Northern Grapes: From Nothing to Major Industry in 15 years

Abstract:
The Northern Grapes (aka cold hardy) story in the United States is one of science breeding new hybrid grape varieties, entrepreneurs taking risks to create a new industry and customers embracing new wine styles.  The cold hardy grape and wine industries in a northern tier of 12 US states now exceeds half a billion dollars. This presentation will detail the rise of this new industry and some of the challenges it has faced. One of the key elements in the growth of the industry has been tourism as wine sales are primarily dependent on tourists who have shown a willingness to pay a premium price for local wine. Numerous growth and acceptance challenges still remain and will be detailed in this presentation.  The presenter’s contributions to the Northern Grapes effort encompassed research and outreach services in the areas of policy, marketing, and economic impact analysis. His experiences and results of his work form the basis for this presentation.