The title of this year's program is "Moving Toward a More Sustainable Vineyard". The world of viticulture is adopting more ecologically friendly practices and Pennsylvania growers must be aware of this change, participate and overcome the challenges it presents. To do this is the right thing to do for the environment, and, one could argue, socially and economically, but it can also help us to produce better wines. Most of all, we need to adopt all of life endeavors to help create a more sustainable planet. This is the small contribution that wine growers can make. For this meeting, we have gathered a group of local experts, both in research and industry, to share their knowledge and experience. Our host will be Phil Roth, who many of you know to be one of the best growers in Pennsylvania. He is a long time tree fruit grower who had the courage to try wine grapes almost 30 years ago before most people had a concept of wine in Pennsylvania.

Since then, his grapes have gone into Chaddsford's only vineyard designated wines and command some of the highest bottle prices in the state. Phil is the model of a progressive and creative grower. He is a pioneer in the use of compost in commercial vineyards. He recently divided his canopy to improve disease control and fruit quality. He is always tinkering and experimenting, trying to improve his grape quality. We are lucky to have this opportunity to visit his vineyard and see what he's doing.