John Conover, Partner and General Manager of Odette Estate Winery and the PlumpJack Collection of Wineries, is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Haugen as Head Winemaker at Odette Estate. With a profound understanding of the winery’s winemaking philosophy and a wealth of experience, Haugen is poised to lead the winery into a new era of excellence. Conover said, “Andrew’s expertise with …
The Lake County Winegrape Commission announced the continuation of Lake County Pruning School, which launched in December 2022 and sold out, benefiting more than 100 attendees. Presented in both English and Spanish, the immersive Lake County Pruning School is the first of its kind for a regional organization and was created in collaboration with Simonit & Sirch, the renowned grapevine …
Michigan State University AgBioResearch, in collaboration with Michigan State University Extension and Intentional Agriculture, a Michigan-based non-profit organization, is proud to announce the upcoming Dirt to Glass 2023 conference. This two-day event, taking place Aug. 24-25 in Traverse City, Michigan, is designed to showcase the highest international standards of viticulture and winemaking. Tailored specifically for grape growers and wine producers across Michigan and …
Professor and Viticulture Extension Specialist Dr. Michelle Moyer has been confirmed as the president of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) for 2023-2024. Dr. Moyer succeeds R. Keith Striegler of E. & J. Gallo Winery. “My career in supporting the grape and wine industries through Extension and research has been wonderful, and I’m grateful for this fantastic opportunity …
Higher education is important to many students but paying for college can be challenging. This year, the Vineyard Team’s Juan Nevarez Memorial Scholarship awarded $58,000 in higher education scholarships to 18 students whose parents work in California vineyards. First year recipient Erick says, “As a first-generation student hailing from a low-income family, pursuing higher education has always been a dream for …
These two insects share a lot in common. Both can be found on grapevines but seldom are they readily apparent to the naked eye. First the bark needs to be peeled away from the trunk or cordon to reveal the insects (Figure 2). If these insects are apparent, the insects you are seeing are female. These females have piercing sucking …
Some growers are reporting split or cracked berries after rainfall events and or hail (Figure 1). Berry splitting or cracking can occur from weather related conditions and from physiological disorders. When trying to determine what caused the damage take the following into consideration. If split or cracked berries are only found on the front side of a cluster and only …
One of the conditions observed in vineyards, that may seem alarming, is the shedding and loss of bark on loss on grape vine trunks. Cursory research shows this is not a condition to be concerned about, unless you are just growing vines for lawn ornaments. The process is a natural succession in the plant’s growth cycle. The vascular cambium, or …
We do now have an option for fungicide resistance testing of several pathogens of wine grapes. These include pathogens associated with powdery mildew, downy mildew, ripe rot, and Botrytis. Now is a good time to test, as pathogens are being observed in some vineyards, and testing now can allow you to switch fungicide classes to those that are active — …
Although prices have been up, largely due to inflation, California wine shipments are down significantly to a level which has not been seen in decades. But, why the slump in shipments and what will this mean for the California wine market in the near future? Watch this brief interview with Allied Grape Growers President Jeff Bitter to find out, and …
