By Marc Fuchs, Cornell University Red blotch disease was described almost 15 years ago in California as a new threat to the grape and wine industries. Caused by grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV), the disease lowers vine vigor and yield, reduces fruit quality and degrades wine composition, resulting in reported losses of up to $170,000 […]
Projects Underway
Saving Wild Vitis: The Conservation of North American Native Grapes Workshop
By the North American Grapevine Conservation Working Group Genetic variation provides the foundation for plant breeding. And in viticulture, the diversity in native North American Vitis species is critical for generating resilient grapevines. For example, numerous cold-hardy North American Vitis species have been used to generate the hybrid “French-American” scions commonly cultivated in midwestern and […]
$10M SCRI Project Seeks to Defy Diseases
A team of researchers received the first round of funding from a $10 million grant awarded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) to begin a multi-disciplinary, collaborative project focused on cultivating disease-resistant grapes that can be grown sustainably with reduced pesticide and fossil fuel use. The national, multi-institutional project […]
Nominations Now Open for the 2023 Rich Smith Award
Nominations Due November 16, 2022 Richard (Rich) Smith, founder of Valley Farm Management, Paraiso Vineyards and Smith Family Wines in California’s Santa Lucia Highlands wine region, was first and foremost a family man, and also a successful grape grower, winery owner and respected colleague. He was a highly effective, collegial and tireless leader whose significant and selfless contributions of […]
Breakthrough! Sulfur-Containing Compounds Are Accurate Markers for Smoke Taint
For years, a class of compounds known as volatile phenols have been used as the sole markers for smoke taint in wine and grapes. But their efficacy wasn’t consistent. Often, wines with high levels of volatile phenols didn’t taste ashy or smoky, while wines with low levels did. With West Coast winemakers in urgent need […]
Rich Smith Award Presented to Tom Davenport
SACRAMENTO, CA, January 26, 2022 – The sixth-annual Rich Smith Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the American grape and wine industry was presented today to Thomas (Tom) Davenport, a retired executive from National Grape Cooperative who has been a leader in fostering and coordinating research on state and national levels. The prestigious award […]
Nutrient Management Survey Reveals Industry Practices
By Dr. Patty Skinkis, Oregon State University The NGRA-initiated High-Resolution Vineyard Nutrient Management project, led by Washington State University’s Markus Keller, received second-year SCRI funding this fall. Organized to develop both sensor-based tools to measure in-field grapevine nutrient status and regional nutrition guidelines, the research will help growers to manage vineyard nutrition using precision viticulture. […]
A Cure for Pierce’s Disease
By Chelsea McCall, Texas A&M AgriLife Research A Texas A&M AgriLife Research study has led to the discovery of the first curative and preventive organic treatment against Xylella fastidiosa, the bacterium that causes the deadly Pierce’s disease in grapevines. It’s considered the world’s first. The glassy-winged sharpshooter, the primary vector of Pierce’s disease, feeds on the sap […]
Climate Change (and a Team of Scientists) Revise the Winkler Index
A team of UC Davis researchers led by Beth Forrestel, assistant professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology, is working to modernize the Winkler Index, which classifies the climate of wine growing regions and helps growers determine which grape varieties are best suited for a given area. The seminal original work by UC Davis professors […]
Precision Viticulture: Inputs or Outputs?
At the ASEV-NGRA Precision Viticulture Symposium, held virtually on June 21, 2021, two keynote presentations bookended the day. Rob Bramley, a Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) in Australia, opened the event with remarks on “Precision Viticulture and Beyond – Digital Approaches to Winegrowing.” (He noted that “Winegrowing, to […]