UCCE Farm Advisor Invites Grape Growers and Winemakers to the Annual Foothill Grape Day2012 Foothill Grape Day is slated for June 7: What’s WHITE hot?!Lynn Wunderlich, UCCE Farm Advisor(530) 621-55052012-05-08UCCE UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor for the Central Sierra Lynn Wunderlich invites foothill grape growers and winemakers to the annual Foothill Grape Day to be held this year on Thursday, June 7 at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys. “I am absolutely thrilled to have the line-up of UC viticulture experts speaking this year”, Wunderlich said, “we will cover some crucial aspects of optimal wine grape production in our region: grapevine nutrition, Botrytis control, and sunburn prevention.” UC Viticulture Specialists Larry Williams and Jim Wolpert, and UC Cooperative Extension Viticulture Advisor in Sonoma County Rhonda Smith, will be present to share their research results with the audience. “Many growers experienced Botrytis last year, due to our cooler weather. Growers need to be prepared to manage disease in those varieties that are susceptible. And the number one issue that Amador grape growers want information on is grapevine nutrition. Dr. Larry Williams has done research on grapevine physiology and fertility in most grape growing regions of the state and he is an authority on how the vine assimilates and moves nutrients into tissues during the season”, Wunderlich said.
The theme for this year’s annual UC sponsored meeting is “What’s WHITE hot?!”, featuring a special foothill grower/winemaker panel to discuss white wine varieties for the foothills. “The foothills are probably best known for the big, bold red wines, like Zinfandel, that are produced”, Wunderlich noted, “the whites, which range from classics like Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc, to daring Spanish varietals like Albariño or rich white Rhones like Rousanne, are often overlooked. But all of that is about to change.” UC Viticulture Specialist Jim Wolpert will present his research trial results on white wine varieties. Panelists to discuss their foothill experience with growing white vines and making white wines include winemakers Paul Bush (Madroña Vineyards, El Dorado County), Chuck Hovey (Hovey Wines, Stevenot, and Gianelli Vineyards, Calaveras County), Mark McKenna (Andis Wines, Amador County) and Mari Wells-Coyle (David Girard, El Dorado County), and vineyard growers Ron Mansfield (Goldbud Farms, El Dorado County) and Mark Skenfield (Vinescapes, Calaveras County). The event will include a special white wine tasting during the panelist discussion of their wines, ranging in acidity and depth.
Foothill Grape Day is co-sponsored by and will be held at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys. For more information or to register go to
http://ucanr.org/foothillgrapeday. To register by phone, please call Robin Cleveland at 530-621-5528.