Rhonda Smith, who has been heralded as the “heroine of the vineyards” for her groundbreaking work in helping combat the parade of problems that have plagued Sonoma County grapevines – and alarmed growers, plans to retire July 1. During her nearly 34 years as a UC Cooperative Extension viticulture advisor, Smith steadily emerged as Sonoma County’s expert on all things …

Emilio Miranda, viticulturist and grower relations representative for Allied Grape Growers (AGG), retired today after four decades in the wine industry. Miranda started with AGG in 2004 after working for Constellation Brands from 1997 to 2004 and Paul Masson Vineyards from 1977 to 1997. For AGG members, he provided support, kept them informed about effective viticultural practices and handled harvest …

California wine grape growers could suffer at least $437 million in lost sales from this year’s grape harvest due to COVID-19 related economic disruptions. According to an analysis by Jon Moramarco, managing partner of bw166 and editor of the Gomberg-Fredrikson Report, increased sales of wine at off-premise retailers will not offset lost wine sales via on-premise channels and direct from wineries to …

The Pierce’s Disease & Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter (PD/GWSS) Referendum, conducted this spring, passed with 78 percent approval of California winegrape growers. All winegrape producer entities that paid the assessment on grapes crushed in 2019 received ballots and 49 percent cast ballots. Assessment funds are used for research, outreach, and related activities on PD, GWSS, and other designated pests and diseases of …

The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) has announced the launch of its eLearning certificate course Essentials of Produce Safety, an entirely online, affordable and in-depth program covering the key challenges and best practices in produce safety. The course is the first certificate program in PMA’s new educational platform offering, FreshEd Academy. The course was developed in partnership with Intertek Alchemy, the …

The global pandemic has revealed in new ways how essential farmers and farmworkers are to the food supply chain. With this revelation has also come more widespread understanding of the challenges farmers and ranchers face while scrambling to adopt new workplace safety protocols in the fields and on packing lines, respond to dramatically altered markets, and seek relief funding so …

A new study, published in the scientific journal Neurology found that a higher intake of plant compounds known as flavonols, is associated with a 48% decreased risk of developing Alzheimer dementia. Flavonols are a type of bioactive compound found in grapes, as well as other fruits and vegetables. Flavonols are known for promoting beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Grapes of …

Fresno State Winery business and marketing manager Kevin Smith knows student-produced products have a special place in the hearts of Central Valley consumers, and he is finding ways to continue to serve the community during the national economic downturn. Since the COVID-19 pandemic’s changes to restaurant and store access, Smith sensed consumer needs were quickly changing so he created a …

Registration is open for WAVEx, a condensed version of the research seminar Washington Advancements in Viticulture and Enology (WAVE). The free webinar, to be held on July 9, 2020 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., is sponsored by the Washington State Wine Commission and Washington State University. The webinar will feature results of two recent research projects: Improvements in Phenolic Analysis – …

Total wine consumption in the US will show static volumes for 2020, with consumers broadly drinking the same amount of wine, but doing more of it at home, according to modelling work based on Wine Intelligence’s Covid-19 consumer insights data collected during March and April 2020. Off-premise volumes will grow by around 10% year on year, while on-premise volumes will …