We hope that harvest finished smoothly for everyone and wish all a happy and healthy new year! During the fall, the extension team hosted two programs: On the Road in Alameda County and a UC Davis Grape Day.  On November 9, 2023, we hosted the On the Road program in Livermore at the UC Livermore Collaboration Center (UCLCC). Speakers were:  Kamyar Aram (Regional needs assessment for winegrape production), Megan Bartlett (Irrigation Management for Late-Season Dehydration), David Block (Understanding and controlling extraction in red wine fermentations), Akif Eskalen (How to manage powdery mildew, Botrytis bunch rot, and trunk diseases of grapevine using synthetic, biological and organic fungicides), and Anita Oberholster (Grapevine Red Blotch Virus and Disease: latest update). The presentations were good, there were a lot of questions from attendees, and the atmosphere was extremely interactive. Thank you to our hosts at the UCLCC. We appreciated being able to use this space that is specifically set up to encourage interaction between groups. After the program ended, David Block, Kamyar Aram, Anita Oberholster and Karen Block visited with David Hendrickson (an Oberholster Lab and Department of Viticulture and Enology alum), winemaker at Occasio Winery and Distiller at Sidewinder Spirits.  We then visited Darcie and David Kent at Darcie Kent Winery in Livermore. 

The following week, on November 16, 2023, we hosted a UC Davis Grape Day on the Davis Campus. We had a packed program, with 14 speakers including UC Davis (UCD) Faculty, a Cooperative Extension Specialist, Viticulture Farm Advisors, an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Advisor, and a USDA Scientist, covering a variety of viticulture-related topics including: the impacts of climate change, irrigation management, powdery mildew, AI-enabled yield estimation, and rootstock evaluation and their effect on vine performance. On November 15, during the afternoon and evening, we hosted a Viticulture Program Team meeting and dinner, where Viticulture Farm Advisors, CE (Cooperative Extension) Specialists, and UCD Faculty had the chance to share information and enjoy each other's company. 

We have a few upcoming programs, starting with a program covering bottling and packaging on February 15, 2024. Click here for the agenda and registration information. On March 5, from 1-2 pm, we will host a virtual Office Hours program. Our featured guest will be Cindy Kron, the North Coast IPM Advisor for Napa, Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino Counties. Click here to register. She will cover all that you need to know about Spotted Lanternfly.  We are also planning programs covering Emerging and future challenges in Viticulture and “Oak and Barrels,” along with a Grape Day at the Oakville Station, our usual schedule of On the Road programs, and more virtual topic-specific Office Hours. We look forward to seeing everyone at the Unified Symposium on January 24 and 25.  We have a booth (come see us at booth #924) and are hosting our annual reception.