Pierce’s Disease-Resistant Grape Demonstration Workshop

After years of hard work in the labs at UC Davis, Dr. Andy Walker released a unique set of new wine grapes that were bred for Pierce’s Disease resistance. The most staggering part of his work is that he used traditional hybridization (and years of it) to create these varieties, not genetic engineering (GMO). Prior to official release, an allotment of these cuttings were permitted to fill out 1.2 acres at The Ojai Vineyard in Oak View, California. These grapes are a game changer for the region, which has been ravaged by Pierce’s Disease with the arrival of the vectoring pest, Glassy-winged Sharpshooter, in the 1990s.  Five of these new Pierce’s Disease resistant varieties were put in a densely-planted Vertical Shoot Positioning setup to provide ideal fruit shading for the warm climate. Come see the progress of these vines with a demonstration and wine tasting on Friday, July 29th.