Lake County Winegrape Growers - Research & Resources

Research & Resources

Research & Education Update

Glenn McGourty Lake County Winegrowing Program
Accomplishments in FY 2007-2008

Elevation of Wine Conference, June 2007: I assisted the Lake County Wine Grape Commission (LCWGC) and their public relations consultants Balzac Communications in developing a one day conference focused on growing wine grapes in high elevation regions. I assisted in finding international speakers, and moderating a session on viticulture. Over 100 people attended the event which was judged very successful based on the attendee’s experiences and the resulting press. I have been asked by the LCWGC to take the lead in planning another similar event for 2009.

Appellation America Magazine Tasting with Wine Writer Thom Elkjer, August 2007: Working with the LCWGC, we organized a tasting of 30 Lake County Wines focusing on three categories: Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet sauvignon, and other Mediterranean red wine varieties. I helped to involve Appellation America and coordinate the event, including selecting participants, choosing the venue and sourcing wine samples. There were two panels consisting of 5 wine makers from the region, and 5 knowledgeable allied wine industry professionals. The results were posted on the Appellation America web site, and three articles were written for web publication by Thom Elkjer. The event was judged a great success by all involved. This represents the most comprehensive and professional tasting ever done for Lake County wines. The object was not to rank wines against each other; rather, we looked for commonalities that wine professionals can use as descriptors. Appellation America is a heavily subscribed and visited website by wine drinkers, and the PR value of this effort was well worth the trouble. You may view the results: HERE and also: HERE

Lake County Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting with the Lake County Winegrape Commission and Balzac Communications, November 2007: As a follow up to the Appellation America tasting, the LCWGC requested that I assist them in organizing a tasting of 36 Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Lake County in order to evaluate how these products compare to top wines in different market segments from the North Coast based on price. 12 people participated, including their marketing consultant Paul Wagner of Balzac Communications. After collecting all of the data including tasting scores and descriptors, we tabulated the information and did a ranking and statistical analysis which has become a base line for future tastings. The good news—many of the wines were top quality and very competitive with other regions in their market segment.

UCCE Lake and Mendocino Winegrowing Day, February 2008: Research updates from UC researchers working in Mendocino and Lake Counties are given at this meeting which this year was held at the Blue Lakes Lodge on Highway 20. Nearly 90 people attended to hear about research projects ranging from biocontrol of mites; biodiversity in vineyards based on farming systems: vineyard water use and management; and the cost of farming wine grapes in Lake County. This event was also sponsored by the Lake County Winegrape Commission and the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWGA).

Organic Winegrowing Seminar, March 2008: An enthusiastic crowd of 85 people attended this event at the beautiful Ceago Vinegarden in Nice. The focus was to help growers interested in becoming certified organic on all aspects of growing wine grapes and making wine. Besides UCCE presenters, organic practioners and growers shared information with the crowd. The event included a wonderful lunch, a tour of the facility lead by Jim Fetzer, a vendor “share fair” and a wine tasting at the end of the day. The event was cosponsored by UCCE, LCWGC and the CSWGA.

Wine Grape Production Cost Studies: Working with selected growers, and UC Agricultural Economists Rich De Moura and Karen Klonsky, I helped to produce two cost studies this season, one on producing Sauvignon blanc wine grapes in Big Valley, and one on Cabernet sauvignon wine grapes in the Red Hills area. The cost studies are available to interested persons on line at: Karen Klonsky also made a presentation on the studies at the 2008 UCCE Lake and Mendocino Winegrowing Day.
Augmentation of Predatory Mites: We completed our second year of research on improving biological control of vineyard spider mites monitoring releases of predatory mites in large plots at Beckstoffer Vineyards and Snows Lake Vineyards. Our efforts were successful in two ways: first, we were able to significantly reduce damage by Willamette and Pacific spider mites, and secondly, we were able to change the grower practice of using sulfur dust, an air pollutant, while still providing an effective powdery mildew control program. Following our “Soft, Safe and Sound” protocol, Lake County winegrowers use the least amount of pesticides on average in the state of California. I presented the results at both UCCE Lake and Mendocino Winegrowing Day, and the Ecological Pest Management Conference in San Luis Obispo in February as an invited speaker by the Association of Applied IPM Ecologists.

Since the LCWGC is no longer funding their own viticulturist, the board of directors and staff are working closely with me to develop their educational and research activities.

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