What does that mean for the vintage? Budbreak came early to California this year, which by itself isn’t that strange. There are years when we’ve seen buds start to push by the end of February. But then what started as a warm February gave way to abnormally warm temperatures in March and early April. This accelerated phenological development even more. Traditionally, April 1st is the day when the count starts for growing degree days accumulation. But this year vines in many parts of the state already had more than a foot of growth by then, rendering this yearly measurement fairly useless as a comparison tool. By May 1st, I noticed bunch closure in a Central Coast vineyard…which in the words of the great Stephen Colbert, is just booboo banana bonkers. So what does a crazy early start mean for the vintage? What can we expect and why am I …cautiously optimistic? Water water everywhere… In truth, the growing season for grapes starts well before any buds push at all. I’m talking about winter

Join us for a comprehensive session exploring essential insurance solutions for grape growers. Industry experts will be discussing the new Fire Insurance Protection – Smoke Index (FIP-SI) endorsement for the 2025 crop year. They will cover how it enhances a grower’s underlying Multi-Peril Crop Insurance policy to protect up to 95% of a crop’s value against fire and smoke damaged grapes.  This session will review how the Risk Management Agency determines county-wide smoke events, grower requirements for the claims process, and how a claim payment is calculated with historical references to illustrate how FIP-SI can strengthen your risk management strategy.  They’ll also discuss the new Grapevine Policy, launched for the 2024 crop year, which provides coverage specifically for grapevines. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore these valuable programs and learn how they can protect your vineyard operations. Register Here Session Panel: Laura Hern

Afternoon Brief: Smoke Taint Revolution - Carbon Fabric to Become Vineyard-Wide Netting

As wildfires become more frequent and intense due to climate change, the need for smoke taint prevention has never been more critical. One of the most exciting developments in this space is the research into activated carbon fabric - an innovation that could potentially protect vineyards from smoke damage...

Heatwave arrives; grape market remains slow July was likely the warmest on record for much of the western US, with California receiving the highest heat levels and areas of the Central Valley suffering two weeks of 100-110°F temperatures. The heat has since dissipated slightly in early August, although consistent, more normal temperatures in excess of 85°F are forecast. The general feeling is that vineyards across the state will have been affected by such a prolonged heatwave: Some – limited – burn damage has been in evidence and there is a suspicion that berry sizing has been hindered. The dividends from California’s wet winter are now making themselves felt: Despite the hot summer, soil moisture levels in many places remain relatively good – even at this stage – and canopies appear healthy. Given this and the fact many cash-strapped growers are economizing on treatments, there has been some mildew pressure, but still at normal levels. Also normal

Afternoon Brief, May 29th

Oregon Wineries Sue Pacificorp for $100 Million for Smoke Damage: Some 30 wineries in Willamette Valley are suing Warren Buffett’s energy company PacifiCorp for negligence surrounding the 2020 wildfires that caused catastrophic smoke taint to their crops...

I had an macroeconomics professor preface the start of the semester stating that any question asked in his class was answerable with “it depends”…or “China”. While I don’t remember a ton about that class or the intricacies of U.S. tariff policy towards Chinese manufacturing, I find that at least the former part of that statement applies to frost season. In this case, how you handle your frost damage depends on a few factors. How hard did you get hit? When did the damage occur? What are your winemaking goals? Let’s start with this last one. What wine is this going into? Frost damage always looks like Armageddon the morning after. Give it a month though, and it may look not much different than normal. You may even get just as big a crop as you would have if no frost had occurred. This is because the vine is resilient and pushes a lot of secondary and tertiary buds to make up for your burned-up primary bud. Whatever fruit you have from these late

[Santa Rosa, CA    March 13, 2024] – P&L Specialties and Mavrik North America are pleased to announce a strategic agreement that enables P&L to fabricate and service Mavrik's widely praised specialty filtration technologies. This partnership will empower P&L Specialties to manufacture and train on Mavrik North America's distinctive designs for wine filtration equipment. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for both companies, combining Mavrik North America's innovative technology with P&L Specialties' proven expertise in manufacturing and servicing high-quality equipment. The agreement allows P&L Specialties exclusive rights to produce, distribute and maintain Mavrik North America's specialized wine filtration equipment, ensuring broader access and enhanced service capabilities for customers. Mavrik NA Reverse Osmosis and Ultrafiltration Systems are a crucial element of production as they ensure the stability and quali

"GROUNDWATER . You can't see it, but millions of Californians depend upon it as a vital source of water for their homes and businesses." Those are not my words but the introductory words for the promotional video that appears on the SGMA (Sustainable Groundwater Management Act) website1 . The statement is a rather simply worded way to convey the obvious: that groundwater is vital to our livelihood here in California, and especially important to honoring and sustaining our agricultural heritage. While groundwater provides needed sustenance for numerous rural, as well as urban communities, it is agriculture that demands the lion's share of the resource. Central Valley agriculture turns to groundwater pumping whenever drought or poor rainfall years reduce the availability of surface water deliveries. Cries for construction of more reservoirs to capture and store more stormwater and snowmelt so that canals can be filled with more water are always being heard. Yet, apart f

The Australian ‘Black Summer’ of 2019/20, which saw bushfires destroy swathes of vineyard land across the country was a dramatic reminder of the growing challenges facing winemakers around the world. We spoke to leading Australian winemakers and lab technicians to find out how agile decision-making is helping to deal with the consequences of global warming. Offering alarming proof of the escalating effects of climate change, in November 2019 bushfires blazed through New South Wales, scorching more than five million hectares of land following Australia’s hottest and driest year on record. In December 2019, the fires swept through the Adelaide Hills, destroying 650 ha of vines in the region, and wiping out entire vineyards. Making matters worse, the smoke from the fires was far-reaching, rendering vineyard plots from Canberra to the Hunter Valley useless. Ravaging an estimated 24.3 million hectares of land in total and destroying over 3,000 buildings, the September 2019

In the realm of power generation, ensuring the reliability of backup systems is paramount. Companies like CD & Power understand the critical role generators play in maintaining operations during power outages. One essential practice in the realm of generator maintenance is load bank testing. Below, learn the significance of load bank testing for generators.  Understanding Load Bank Testing Load bank testing is a crucial procedure employed to evaluate the performance and reliability of a generator under various load conditions. This simulation mimics real-world scenarios, allowing operators to assess the generator’s capacity, cooling system, and overall functionality. While generators are designed to handle a range of loads, they often operate at less than optimal levels, leading to issues such as wet stacking and carbon buildup. Load bank testing serves as a proactive measure to address these concerns and ensure generators are ready for action when needed. The Why Behin