Hello Vine Nerds!
Welcome to the Advanced Viticulture Blog! We have over three decades of experience as consultants and vineyard managers and we want to share our expertise with you. Our hope is that this site will serve as a source of practical information based in science for anyone interested in grapevine cultivation. Although based in Northern California, we’re hoping to connect with growers, winemakers, and everyone else in the wine industry worldwide. We invite you to comment, ask questions, and contribute.
Cheers! AV

Groundhog day: 2022 is looking a lot like 2021
Groundhog day: 2022 is looking a lot like 2021 Let’s take a look at the soil moisture, shall we? Things certainly were looking up a few months ago, amiright? Harvest ended. Nothing in Sonoma or

Ask a viticulturist: Why is my yield so low? Timely canopy management matters.
Ask a Viticulturist: Why is my yield so low? Timely canopy management matters We were recently contacted by a grower distraught over his consistently low yield. This is a producer in the Russian River AVA

Planting a vineyard? Not so fast.
Planting a vineyard? Not so fast. Careful planning of a vineyard is essential to its success. Don’t take shortcuts. By Mark Greenspan The following is reprinted from the June 2018 issue of Wine Business Monthly

Mechanized farming: a conversation with Steve Vierra of Derby Wine Estates
Mechanized farming: a conversation with Steve Vierra of Derby Wine Estates Farmers are always looking for ways to make their lives easier through technology and innovation. Who can blame them? Farming is a tough way

Do consumers care about sustainability?
Do consumers care about sustainability? …does it matter? Here at AV we talk a lot about viticulture. It is, after all, in our name. But we certainly haven’t lost sight of the overall goals of

To till or not to till?
To till or not to till? The trend is towards less tillage, but could it be detrimental to vineyards? The following is from an article originally published in Wine Business Monthly in June of 2019.