Category: Ask a Viticulturist

Ask a Viticulturist: Cut from the same shade cloth

Ask a Viticulturist: Cut from the same shade cloth Does color really matter? With the dramatic ups and downs of the climate, shade cloth is rapidly becoming a necessity here in California. I’ve written a bit about shade cloth before, but recently we were asked by a client if colored shade cloth made any difference. […]

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 of Sonoma County who grows exclusively Pinot noir. Yield-quantity is a funny thing for producers of quality grapes destined for […]

Ask a viticulturist: Unexplained splitting of the trunk

Ask a viticulturist: Unexplained splitting of the trunk Could this be winter injury in California? We recently got a call out to a vineyard in the Russian River AVA of Sonoma county to take a look at something weird: unexplained splitting of the bark on the rootstock portion (O39-16 was the most affected) of young […]

Ask a Viticulturist: Which rootstock should I use for Tempranillo?

Ask a Viticulturist: Which rootstock should I use for Tempranillo? “As a part of personal research and experiment, would anyone know on which rootstocks Tempranillo is usually grafted in Spain and US-California Regions where it has performed well…including the most suitable trellis system for this variety? Any help or a pointing in the right directing […]

Ask a viticulturist: How do I manage my Red-Blotch-infested vineyard?

Ask a viticulturist: How do I manage my Red-Blotch-infested vineyard? I have a vineyard with a fair amount of Red Blotch in it. It’s not enough to justify pulling the whole vineyard. Can I manage those vines differently so that I get a quality crop in the meantime?  Thanks for reaching out! In response to […]

Ask a Viticulturist: How to prevent Sour rot

Ask a Viticulturist: How to prevent Sour rot in the vineyard A disease complex that hits you right in the c(rot)ch We’ve got our first Ask-a-Viticulturist question! This one is from a grower in Ukiah, Mendocino County, California. This grower writes: We had a problem with sour rot in some Sauvignon Blanc this year. How […]