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Hi I'm Rob Stewart.

If you like a glass of wine
with your meals or, maybe,

like to grab a beer
at the end of the day,

then stick around --
because we're raising a glass

to an important segment of
American agriculture.

We'll take you to California
where winemakers are taking

a different approach in
reaching new customers.

You'll see how crop
technology is helping one

winemaker to "sweeten"
your tasting experience.

Sharon Vaknin has some ideas
that make it easy for you

to serve up a very
popular dish.

And we'll take you to the
Pacific Northwest where

turning out distinctive
beers is a multi-family effort.

It's all coming up on
America's Heartland.

Bottoms up.
Cheers, cheers.

♪You can see it in the eyes
Of every woman and man♪

♪In America's Heartland
living close to the land♪

♪There's a love for the country
And a pride in the brand♪

♪In America's Heartland♪

♪Living close
Close to the land♪

♪♪

In recent years, Americans
have become a lot more

selective about where
their food comes from.

And we've become much
more adventuresome

when it comes to trying new
foods.

And that goes for
beverages as well.

Just look at the explosion
in micro-brews

when it comes to beer.

Barley... hops...
wheat... and rice.

Heartland grains that go
into brewing

big name and boutique beers.

And while beer was once just
"beer" today we have everything

from low cal and low carb to
imports and flavored malts.

And while everyone knows
about wine from California,

more and more states are
seeing winemakers using

local grapes to produce
award winning wines.

Figures show that Americans
will consume,

on average, about
12 bottles a year.

And what are we drinking?

Chardonnay, cabernet
sauvignon, merlot, pinot grigio

and white zinfandel are high on
the wine popularity list.

And just as we've seen
new innovations that have

dramatically increased crop
yields for farmers growing

things like corn, cotton,
wheat and soybeans,

crop research is also impacting
those producers who grow grapes

and it's being done in a new way
that is closer to nature.

Ridge Vineyards has been
producing award winning

wines for more than
a half century.

Their historic vineyard spreads
across these colorful hills in

the Santa Cruz Mountains in
Cupertino California.

Though we have mostly
Cabernet Sauvignon,

we have a little bit
of Cabernet Franc,

a lot of Merlot
and Petite Verdot.

Those four grapes all have
the potential of going into

our top wine called Monte
Bello and a small block of

really old Zinfandel
that is pre-prohibition.

The wines... and
historic vines here...

benefit not just from
decades old growth.

They also benefit from something
called bio crop protection...

new ways to manage crop
cycles using more

natural methods and
fewer chemicals.

On this hot summer day,
the grape vines are being

sprayed to prevent mildew growth
and the potential for rotting.

It's high science
horticulture, developed here.

This is the
Bayer Crop Science Research

and Development Laboratory
where a team of scientists

and horticulturists is
developing new scientific

approaches for farmers to
use on crops around the globe.

We have... a basic discovery,
we're looking for new

microorganisms to use
in crop protection.

So we have microbiology,
we have chemistry,

we have entomology, nematology.

As we're developing the
process we have to continue

to test that against the
target diseases

to make sure that the
activity is continuing.

We also need to support
manufacturing,

make sure that each batch
of product

meets specifications for the
disease control.

But scientific crop protection,
and research,

begins with recreated "mini farm
fields" in these greenhouses.

Conditions here simulate
what crops, and farmers,

face in the real
world of production.

It's research
that takes time.

When one of our scientists
goes wow, you know,

he's working on a bench and
he discovers a new product

to control fungus,
say on apples.

From the day that he
says wow, on his bench,

it can be up to ten
to fifteen years

before we can get that to a
grower for actual use.

We do a great number
of field trials,

scientific work to go to
the regulatory authorities.

In the U.S., it's the
Environmental Protection Agency,

the EPA.

The crop work here will focus on
a number of concerns:

things like seed development,
crop protection and pest control

In addition to the focus
on science....

One of the methodologies that we
use looks at the job of growing

a crop and we break that
down into job steps.

And what that allows you
to do is to understand the

efficiencies needed and to
anticipate the technology

that it's gonna need to make
a grower more efficient

at growing that crop.

Those methodologies include
research to discover and enhance

the naturally occurring defense
systems that some plants have.

Finding those plant "biological"
protections can impact

even reduce, the need for
chemical pesticides.

It starts from focusing on
the crop that the farmer is

growing and figuring out
what the best technology is to

produce the highest yielding and
the best quality crop.

So our field biologists can take
all of these different tools

and create this unique program
for the benefit of our farmers.

Scientists say that all of
this research is critical to

providing food to a growing
world population...

You hear a lot of time,
you know, seven billion,

going to nine
billion by 2050,

and so those people are gonna
want a higher protein diet,

much like we
enjoy here in the U.S.

And so to feed those people
is gonna take a lot of

technology, and we're
excited about it.

And as for the work
being done in the lab...

or on the plants at the
Ridge Vineyards...

it's the potential for new
approaches

to agriculture that make
the difference.

I love to see something
that I've scaled up,

or worked on in the
lab in small scale,

to see it in the big
production tanks, to see,

you know, tanker trucks of
the product in pallets,

going out, being distributed
all over the world.

To me that's
really exciting.

♪♪

Want a little wine trivia?

It takes about 800
individual grapes

to create just one bottle
of wine.

Wine is produced in
every state in the U.S.

even Hawaii which turns out
fruit flavored wines...

some of them made from
pineapple.

No matter where you live, in the
U.S. or overseas, it is a good

bet that you enjoy wines from
California.

That's because California
produces

more than 80% of the
wine in America.

But even with the lion's
share of the country's sales,

some Golden State
vintners are looking to

target new markets for
selling their products.

Consider the diversity of
the winemaking industry:

French, Italian, Chilean
and Australian vintners.

On the American
vineyard scene,

This is about
three years old.

Winemaker Mac McDonald
will tell you that

African American vintners are
not as well known.

I travel around the country.
I've been to a lot of places, do

a lot of wine dinners, do a lot
of "you know" charity events.

And as I do these charity events
it all of a sudden it dawned on

me that there was no African
Americans in my audience.

That I personally made.

Theodora Lee owns Theopolis
Vineyards in Cloverdale,

California where she grows
petite syrah grapes.

So, I want you to try it.

I would love to try it.

Because it is absolutely a kick.

Raised in rural Texas,
she wasn't exposed to many

wine drinkers 'til she
joined a law firm that

employed several
vineyard owners.

It smells amazing!

Today as an African
American woman successfully

conducting a wine business
-Theo says her heritage

presents a whole new point
of view to the wine trade.

African Americans - they
could get as much pleasure

if they knew about the
quality of wine and that's

what we're about-educating
and making it available to the

public at large, but the African
American community specifically.

And so as we were going
through this thing.

Both Mac and Theo belong to

the Association of African
American Vintners.

It was founded around members
who could come together;

create an opportunity for us
to talk,

share resources and we
wanted to also provide an

opportunity to
educate the public.

Primarily African Americans,
but not only

African Americans, about wine,
the wine industry

and what the wine industry
can do.

Mac's interest began as a 12
year old boy

on his family's Texas farm.

My father was a moonshine
maker by the name of Sue,

long before Johnny Cash had
a song about a man named Sue.

And there used to be a bunch
of attorneys and doctors and

guys that came out of Houston
and Dallas and Ft. Worth,

Texas that'd go hunting with my
grandfather cause he had all

the various types of dogs
and they would drink my father's

moonshine and one of those guys
used to drink burgundy.

You know if you look at these
grapes here,

next year we will have a lot.

Sampling that burgundy began a
lifelong interest in wine.

Today, Mac and
his wife, Lil,

have realized their dream
of owning their own winery;

a venture into viticulture
that puts Mac into

a very small segment
of the industry.

African Americans own fewer
than 5% of all

of the wineries in the United
States-

a statistic the association
wants to change.

The fact that
we're successful,

the fact that
we are out here,

the fact that people
know we're out here;

that will increase
opportunities and desires of

other people to try it, to
get in the business and see

if they can do
something with it.

One of the goals of the
association is to direct

more African American students
into careers in viticulture.

Mac says the organization offers
scholarships and internships as

a viable way of changing the
face of the industry.

The idea is not to have it
a black thing but it's the

idea is to get more African
Americans to drink wine.

When you bring
diversity to the table,

what you do is get a
different perspective;

you get a different
approach than what

your traditional general
population may do.

I like spicy...
I'm a big fan of the spicy.

Recent studies show that
spending by diverse groups

can have a significant impact on
consumer segments of the economy

The association thinks
that wine education,

targeted marketing and
increased awareness can send

more of those dollars
to wine sales.

We're out here, we're
making quality product.

We don't make African
American wine,

we don't make black wine,
we make quality product.

The association is not just
around African Americans.

The majority wine industry;

they love the fact that
we're out here. Why?

Because it brings wine
consumers to them that they

otherwise would
not have gotten.

And just as that taste of
burgundy began the path for

Mac McDonald, his goal is to
lay the groundwork

for the next aspiring
winemaker of color.

As for the future I just
hope that I can hang on long

enough to see some
African American,

male or female tap me on the
shoulder and say

"old man I can make better
wine than you can."

Californian's
like their wine!

And not only does the Golden
State produce more than

80% of the wine made in America.

Californians drink a lot of
it as well-- enjoying,

on average, one of every five
bottles consumed in the U.S.

There is no doubt that
wine's popularity

is on the rise across the U.S.

You'll find it in more and
more grocery stores with a

growing number of
varieties available.

But for that new wine drinker it
can be a little overwhelming.

So here's some help whether you
need to pick out

a red or a white.

♪♪

Let's start with the names.

And boy there are
a lot of them!

Some varieties are named based
on the area

where the grapes are grown.

They can also be named
after the type of grape.

Like Merlot or Pinot Noir.

From fruity to dry,
you've got lots of choices

when it comes to taste.

You've probably heard white wine
with fish and reds with meat.

But that basic guideline
is not always correct.

A better way to think of it is
which wine will complement and

not overwhelm the flavors of the
food that you are eating.

A lighter wine goes
well with lighter fare.

Heavier foods pair nicely
with heavier red wines.

The good news: new wineries are
popping up all over the

country with all kinds of
new flavors and varieties.

And local winery owners are
more than happy

to field your wine-related
questions.

Especially if you buy a
bottle or two of their wine!

Cheers!

The bottom line on wine: If
you find a variety and brand

that you enjoy, well you
don't have to spend a lot of

time worrying about its
bouquet or notes of citrus.

Hey... you like
it so who cares!

But you've become a wine-drinker
now and that means you need to

experiment a little bit with
lots of varieties of wine

because you never know which one
your palate might prefer!

♪♪

Lots of us enjoy a glass
of wine when we dine with

friends or enjoy a night out
at our favorite restaurant.

And we've long paired
certain wines with meat or fish.

A glass of wine
can enhance a meal.

And if you're looking for
something special to serve with

your favorite beverage,
well our Sharon Vaknin is in the

kitchen with a main dish recipe
that just might fit the bill.

♪♪

Today's it's all
about chicken.

We're making an old dish
new again

with two fresh takes on the
ingredient.

First, it's butterflied chicken
with a sun-dried tomato salsa.

Then its honey-roasted
peanut crusted chicken with

a coconut soy dipping sauce.

First, let's get started
on that roasted chicken.

Instead of leaving the
chicken whole when we roast it,

we're going
to butterfly it.

To butterfly it, we're going
to take out the backbone and to

do that, the easiest way is to
use a pair of kitchen scissors.

And go right in and cut along
the backbone

right through the ribs.

And the backbone is out.

♪♪

I want to season the inside.

Now I've already poured out
my spices so that I don't

have to worry about
contamination.

Salt always.

Put a nice helping
of salt in there.

Pepper.

And I like to throw in a little
bit of fresh minced garlic.

You will not believe how juicy
this chicken is going to be.

The inside is seasoned so let's
get it onto our baking sheet.

Flip it right on top of these
onions that I've already sliced.

And now, it's time to
season the outside.

Salt.

Ground black pepper and then
I love to add a little bit of

sweet paprika just for color
and that light, delicate flavor.

And before this
goes in the oven,

I'll drizzle it with a little
bit of olive oil to help

crisp up the skin but really,
you don't want to use a lot.

The skin has enough fat
content to crisp on its own.

I just need to go wash my
hands and this will go in

the oven at 450 degrees for
about 30 to 35 minutes.

With the chicken roasting,
let's work on that

sun-dried tomato salsa.

All we need are a few
vine tomatoes

and we'll give them a good dice.

Diced tomatoes
go in the bowl.

Then we'll add
our minced garlic,

sun-dried tomatoes
in oil, chili flakes,

fresh ground black
pepper, salt, and basil.

For the basil, I'll just
roll them up and run my

knife right through
those leaves.

Give this a stir and our
sun-dried tomato salsa is done.

Our chicken's roasting and our
salsa's ready, and now it's time

to work on our honey roasted
peanut crusted chicken thighs.

This recipe is really simple
and it's a lot like making a

regular breaded and fried
chicken but this time we're

adding honey roasted peanuts
that goes in a Ziploc

and we'll add Panko bread
crumbs into the mix.

Make sure all
the air is out.

And I'll use a rolling pin
to crush up those peanuts

and makes sure they
stick to the chicken.

Now we'll grab our tray.

Pour that in there.

Smells so good.

Now we need our liquid
so I've got one egg and,

instead of milk, we're
using coconut milk.

It's a lot creamier and it'll
add that nice hint of flavor.

We'll also add a little
bit of fresh black pepper.

Now we can bread
our chicken thighs.

Just dip it in our coconut
and egg right in there.

Pat it down to make sure
it has a nice coating.

We'll just repeat the same
process for all of the cuts.

Our chicken thighs are
all crusted

and they're ready to be fried.

I have some oil heated up in
this cast iron pan;

great for frying.

We don't want to crowd
the pan too much,

we want to give them enough
room to breathe and

we don't want to cool down
the oil too much.

While that fries, let's work on
our coconut soy dipping sauce.

It's very simple.

We just need a few
ingredients starting with

soy sauce that goes
right into a pan.

Then we'll add our coconut milk,
a little bit of

chili garlic paste, and finally,
honey for sweetness.

Now we'll bring this mixture
to a boil and

we'll let it reduce for
about twenty minutes

or until it's about
half in size.

You know the thighs are ready
when both sides are a nice

golden brown but don't be afraid
to take it off the heat

and cut into it with a knife to
make sure that meat is white.

That looks pretty good.

Our last chicken thigh
is done and by now,

our butterfly chicken should
be ready and both of these

dishes are ready
to be served.

With our butterfly chicken every
inch of that skin is crispy.

Then we have our
honey roasted,

peanut crusted chicken with
a coconut soy dipping sauce.

It's sweet, it's salty,
and it looks beautiful.

With these two fresh
takes on the ingredient,

you get big, bold
flavors in every bite.

I'd call this a winner,
winner chicken dinner!

♪♪

While we talk beverages
made from heartland crops,

we can't overlook
beers and ales.

Specialty beers have given
rise to a large number of

small breweries all
across this country.

Different ingredients and
regional tastes impact

the kinds of beers being made.

And that's certainly true
for one small brewery in

Oregon where our Jason
Shoultz found that

beer making is a
multi-family endeavor.

Things are heating up
in Silverton, Oregon.

So we got four 45- 48 gallons in
here we're going to boil off.

Phill Knoll's small batch
of Maggie's Marzen

wouldn't taste good in a
mug right now.

It's going to take some time
and there's

a key ingredient yet to
be added.

Hops!

Hops are vital to any beer.
And Phil would know.

His day job is actually
teaching high school chemistry.

But here, he's the head
brewer at Seven Brides Brewery

What do good hops
do for the beer though?

What is, how does it impact
the taste of the beer?

Ok the taste of the beer,
the hops supply the bitterness.

Seven Brides Brewery was
founded a few years back

after five guys spent their
Saturday's brewing various

beer batches in
their garages.

We were brewing five gallons at
a time, then it went to ten.

Then it went to thirty
and forty and it's like,

ok guys, if we're gonna do
this let's do it right.

And before long they
were doing just that.

Now five friends who come
from different backgrounds:

marketing... to engineering...
to chemistry

are running their
own beer biz.

And so far so good.

They will sell upwards of
six thousand barrels of beer

around the region this year.

Our business model is not to
grow the business to get it

as big as we can and
then sell it for profit.

Our goal is to build a
company that we can hand

down to our daughters and
have them step in and run it.

More on just how important
those daughters are in a moment.

But to find another key
ingredient

to the Seven Brides success...

Here we come.

You'll have to visit nearby hops
farmer John Annen.

And hear the story about the
refrigerator the guys

were trying to sell online
on Craigslist.

So I put an ad. on Craigslist
and, lo and behold,

Johnny called, looking for a
refrigerator and we had one and

it was too big and, you know,
one thing led to another.

He came up, we were chatting and
realized

that he was a hop farmer.

And he says, "What are you going
to do with the refrigerator?"

I said, "Well, we need it
for hop samples for our brewery-

for the little
brewery guys."

Brewers... meet long time hop
grower

in an amazing moment of
serendipity.

I grew up here.

Johnny grew up here.

We're five miles apart
and never met before.

Never met.

Never had any idea.

Turns out most hops growers
here sell to large brewers.

But John Annen was more
interested in

direct sales to guys like Jeff.

It's really fun workin'
with these guys.

They're real honest,
hardworking, good people.

And how about from a
grower's perspective?

I mean, you know,
hops is in your blood.

Hop growing is in
your blood, right?

Yeah. I was born into it, yeah.

I don't know
anything else so...

And so to see that
satisfaction on their faces

must be pretty
rewarding for you.

Oh, man, it's- it's like the
best thing in the world.

Back at Seven Brides, it's
time for those all-important

hops to be added
to the brew!

Dump those in!

Alright. Sprinkle them in.

And these are from John Annen's
place just down the road, right?

John Annen's place just
down the road.

Oooh, smells good.

And out front in the tap room
restaurant

they're serving up their
brews and grub.

At one of the tables, the
brewer's namesake-

the seven brides.

...well, someday anyway.

Back when the guys were
thinking about starting this

business they had seven
little girls...

daughters and nieces who might,
someday, need expensive weddings

So...

That got brought up one
afternoon and it's like well,

if we're gonna do this
we might as well earmark

some funds for it and so
that's kind of become one of

our taglines is you know
we've got seven daughters

and seven weddings
to pay for.

It's not every little
girl who gets

a micro beer named after her!

And not every group of
buddies who get to turn a

hobby into a
successful business!

You know, we get to tell people
we make beer for a living!

Cheer! Cheers, cheers.

We know that we pass along a
lot of information to you

in every program and in case
you missed something

or you just want to check
out videos

from this or other shows,
we make it easy.

Just log on to our website
at AmericasHeartland.org

And you'll find us, as well,
on some of

your favorite social media
sites.

Thanks for being with us.

We'll see you next time
on America's Heartland.

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♪♪

♪You can see it in the eyes
of every woman and man♪