Real People (With Big Brains)

One year ago, Mario Pezzotti, an agricultural geneticist and founder of an Italian biotech company called EdiVite and professor at the University of Verona, planted the world’s (or at least Europe’s) first known gene-edited grapevines, Chardonnay in this case, not in a growth chamber or greenhouse or even screenhouse, but in a vineyard outside. Mario and his team had petitioned the government to allow the experimental plantings and, having agreed, officials furnished them a sign to install at the site, stating that the “genetically modified” vines were planted with its permission. Then anti-GMO vandals ripped them out! Were the GE Chardonnay vines replanted? Did the EdiVite team proceed with the GE Syrah that was next on their list? And why even pursue the development of GE grapevines in the first place?

Come to the Grapevine Improvement Workshop and find out! Mario is one of 13 invited speakers from around the globe and other corners of the specialty crop world who’ll share their innovations and inspirations in modern breeding techniques. We’ll discuss everything from CRISPr and RNA interference, to transgenic transformation and traditional breeding accelerated using high-tech molecular tools. And we’ll learn how improved varieties can help ease production, hedge against pests and disease, withstand environmental pressures and deliver economically important quality traits that can unlock new consumer markets. The grapes you’ll grow tomorrow are in development today.

Make no mistake: This is a grower-focused event. Yes, we’ll be discussing genetics, but in plain English. The speakers we selected are among the best in their field—and their ability to deliver these complex concepts to diverse audiences reflects that. In fact, our keynoter, Ed Buckler is one of the most brilliant yet relatable people you’ll ever meet.

Ed is a Research Geneticist with USDA-ARS and an adjunct professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell. He won the first-ever National Academy of Sciences Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences in 2017. And about this time last year, he was honored with the prestigious 2025 Barbara McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies, honoring “the most outstanding plant scientists working on both genetics and genomics in the present era.” Primarily, Ed’s work explores quantitative and statistical genetics in maize, but he’s also led research in cassava, biofuel grasses and, yes, grapes. His work has been cited nearly 93,000 times by other scientists and he generously shares his insights with his colleagues working in grape at Cornell and USDA-ARS. He has become an invaluable asset to the grape genetics community. His primary research may be in maize, but fortunately for us, he loves grapes and wine.

Our Grapevine Improvement Workshop will be a relatively intimate event—only 125 tickets will be sold. As of the now (the last week of October), the event is 90% sold out. Reserve your seat now! Come meet these 13 top minds in one room, on one auspicious day. They’re real people (who happen to have big brains and even bigger aspirations), working to ensure our industry’s future. Just like you.

Donnell Brown
President