On June 1, 2016, we hosted a Grape Day at the Oakville Experimental Vineyard. Drs. Kaan Kurtural of UCD Viticulture and Enology and Monica Cooper of UCCE Napa County organized and moderated the daylong event with strong support from the Napa Valley Vineyard Technical Group. 

The Grape Day had two themes: Pest Management and Applied Water Amounts. The pest management portion of the event focused on scouting for the recently identified vector for the Red Blotch Virus as well as using spore detection to manage and schedule powdery mildew sprays. A recirculating sprayer was also displayed to growers that would limit spray drift in areas where urban sprawl is interfering with vineyard operations. 
 

The applied water amounts part of the program had presentations delivered by Dr. Kaan Kurtural and Dr. Anita Oberholster on effects of colored shade netting and irrigation deficits on grape berry phenolic composition. Dr. Chris Pary, also of UCD, delivered a talk on the emerging technology of infrared thermometers and how they may be used in scheduling vineyard irrigation. Chris Peterson of Midwest Vineyard Manufacturing Supply displayed their VMECH system of mechanical shoot thinners to North Coast grape growers. Dr. Ken Giles of UCD's Biological & Agricultural Engineering delivered a presentation on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and how they maybe utilized in premium vineyard production to conduct spot spraying. 

The Grape Day was attended by 231 growers, vintners and vineyard managers as well as graduate students and staff from UCD.