July 2026 Reading an article about the historic wildfires burning in France and Spain this last week of July, I thought this excerpt from an interview with a Bordeaux vintner perfectly summed up the state of the global wine (and grape) industry: “ ‘For the wine industry, it’s one thing on top of the other,” […]
Projects Underway
A Five-Alarm Fire
See our official comments, posted to the Federal Register on July 11, 2026 June 2026 There’s a five-alarm fire smoldering in the U.S. Federal Register. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) seeks to overhaul the rules whereby federal grants for scientific research are given. Among the changes, the proposed rule requires a […]
Mothballing: Considerations When Taking Vineyards Out of Production
Cristopher C. Chen, Ph.D., Cooperative Extension, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Hopland Research and Extension Center, CA In 2024, the CDFA Grape Crush Report provided data that supports what winegrape growers are experiencing; tonnage of winegrapes crushed in California was down by approximately 21% from 2023 and approximately 20% when compared […]
Safeguarding US Vines and Wines from Wildfire Smoke
By Arran Rumbaugh, USDA Agricultural Research Service As the severity and frequency of wildfires increase globally, the grape and wine industry faces the risk of smoke exposure in its vineyards. Researchers across grape-growing regions are dedicated to elucidating the complex impacts of smoke exposure on grapevine physiology, grape chemistry and wine quality. While it is […]
It’s Not All Bad
June 2025 Earlier this month, NGRA Board member and Lodi Winegrape Commission Research & Education Director Stephanie Bolton wrote a blog post for the Commision’s website titled, “Five Pieces of Good News in the Research World.” In it, she celebrates research-related news in and around the Lodi AVA, including the highly anticipated, forthcoming hiring of […]
Hearts Grown Fonder
If February is the month for affairs of the heart, February 2025 was a blowout. In the span of 28 short days, the grape and wine industry went on a heartrending rollercoaster ride with our grape-research colleagues at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS). At least seven of them, all within their three-year probationary period, […]
Federal Funding Freezes and Staff Cuts Make Untold Impact on Grape Research
For immediate release SACRAMENTO, CA, February 20, 2025 – One week after news of the firing of staff scientists at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) began to unfold across the country, the broad arc of the devastating impact of federal cost-cutting measures on the grape and wine industry has begun to take shape. For […]
Emily Hodson Wins 2025 Rich Smith Award
2025 Rich Smith Award of Excellence Presented to Emily Hodson of Virginia SACRAMENTO, CA, January 29, 2025 —The ninth annual Rich Smith Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the American grape and wine industry was presented today to Emily Hodson, the winemaker at Veritas Vineyards and Winery, a co-owner of Flying Fox Vineyards and […]
Wild Things
In the last couple of months, a number of articles cropped up related to climate change and what it means for us as farmers and eaters. It’s as if, as more extreme and erratic weather swirls around us, the conversation is intensifying about how we might have to change, too. In July, climate observer David […]
EPA Considers Delisting Mancozeb for Use in Grape
By Dr. Katie Gold, Cornell Grape Pathology The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to cancel the use of mancozeb, a multi-site fungicide commonly used to control Phomopsis, downy mildew and black rot, in grape due to potential post-application worker exposure hazards. The public comment period on this proposed interim registration review decision (PID) […]