Wine Grape Day

Wines & Vines, Feb, 1993

* A promising new way to measure quality in winegrapes delivered to a winery will be demonstrated February 27 at Wine Grape Day in Sacramento's Radisson Hotel.

Dr. James Marois of U.C., Davis and tile DuPont Company have been developing the new method since the late 1980s; it is designed to determine the amount of rot in grape deliveries. Both the industry (through its Winegrape Inspection Advisory Committee) and DuPont have funded the research.

The same sample used for rot determination can be used to determine the amount of sugar. The new method is considered accurate to a very high degree, is reasonably rapid and is adapted to grading standard conditions.

The California Department of Food & Agriculture provides winegrape inspection services, which the growers and vintners pay for. In that connection, Robert L. Wynn, Jr., has been appointed Assistant Director, Division of Inspection Services. He succeeds Ezio Delfino, who retired after 41 years with the state.

Grape Day at Sacramento Feb. 27 starts with registration at 8 a.m. followed by a panel on vineyard development and re-establishment featuring Dr. James Wolpert of U.C., Davis and Prof. Vince Petrucci of CSU-Fresno, with their associates. Financing vineyard development and replanting will be discussed by David Freed, president of UCC Vineyards; representatives of banks, farm credit systems and life insurance companies will outline current vineyard loan requirements, and John Kautz, grower and vintner in the Gold Country and Lodi, John Simpson, of Simpson Farming Co. in Madera and Tucker Catlin of Juliana Vineyards in the Pope Valley of Napa County will describe creative approaches to vineyard financing. In the afternoon Jon Fredrikson of Gomberg, Fredrikson will review the 1992 market and prospects for 1993.