Extension and Outreach through UC Davis Viticulture and Enology On the road Events

By the end of the 2017-2018 funding cycle, we produced the four On the Road educational
events (Foothills, Santa Cruz, Temecula, and Sonoma) proposed in the 2017 AVF Extension and
Outreach grant. In addition, we have completed one of the proposed events for the 2018-2019
funding cycle (proposed in 2018), and we expect to complete all of the proposed events before
the end of the grant period (April 15, 2019).
The first On the Road event in the current (2018-2019) grant cycle took place in San Diego
County at the Center for the Arts, Escondido, on November 29, 2018. To determine the most
relevant topics to present, we worked closely with Carmen Gispert, the Viticulture Farm Advisor
for Riverside, San Diego, and San Bernardino counties. We were excited to have such a great
turnout, with 101 growers and vintners attending. David Block gave an introduction to winery
design, focusing on important considerations for quality through cleanability. Anita Oberholster
spoke about reuse of winery wastewater, Andrew McElrone spoke about deficit irrigation (what
is it, what are the benefits, and how do you do it?), Andrew Walker gave pointers on what to
consider when putting in a new vineyard, Kaan Kurtural talked about the practical aspects of
canopy management, and Carmen gave an update on her irrigation study.
We are planning to complete three more On the Road events before the end of the current
funding cycle. The first of the three events is scheduled to take place in Monterey County at the
Monterey County Cooperative Extension Office in Salinas. We worked with Area Viticulture
Advisor, Larry Bettiga, to determine topics and speakers of interest. Confirmed speakers
include: Neil McRoberts (Managing vector spread/virus diseases of grape), Anita Oberholster
(The effect of grapevine red blotch virus on wine quality), Megan Bartlett (New faculty member
introduction), Andrew McElrone (Understanding how grapevine roots respond and recover),
Andrew Walker (Current and future objectives of the grape breeding program at UC Davis),
Kaan Kurtural (Precision viticulture), and Larry Bettiga (Using plant material to promote early
vine development). The second event is scheduled on April 2, 2019, in Tulare County. We
originally worked with Ashraf El-Kereamy, Viticulture Farm Advisor for Kern County, to
determine relevant topics, however, he recently resigned from his position, so we are now
working with Gabriel Torres, the Viticulture Farm Advisor in Tulare County, to bring the
program to fruition. Confirmed speakers include Andrew McElrone, Anita Oberholster, Kendra
Baumgartner, Gabriel Torres, and Kaan Kurtural. We are arranging a final 2018-19 On the Road
program in Lake County, with Glenn McGourty, which will include presentations covering
smoke taint, sometime before April 15, 2019 (probably March 28, 2019). Other extension efforts
include organizing the 2018 Recent Advances in Viticulture and Enology and a couple of this
year’s On Campus programs including Bottling Line Readiness (March 2019) and the upcoming
Irrigation and Water Management program honoring Larry Williams (April 18, 2019).