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40 WINES&VINES March 2016 GRAPEGROWING M arkus Bokisch, owner of the vineyard-management company Bokisch Ranches in Lodi, Calif., isn't the area's largest grower. He is, however, considered one of its most influential. Bokisch Ranches farms about 2,250 acres in various parts of the Lodi American Viticultural Area and surrounding re- gions. About 150 acres are Bokisch's own vineyards: Terra Alta and Tizona in the Clements Hills sub-AVA, and Las Cerezas in the Mokelumne River AVA. Bokisch and his wife, Liz, are also partners in several other vineyards totaling 1,100 acres. He manages the rest of the acreage for other owners. Although Bokisch sells to some large wine producers, his grapes also go to small, high-end wineries such as Turley, Forlorn Hope, Ney- ers and Mark Herold Wines. Bokisch grew up in Southern California and spent summers in the Catalonia region of northeast- ern Spain, where his mother was born. That's also where he first developed an interest in wine. He went on to graduate from the Uni- versity of California, Davis, in 1989 with a degree in plant pa- thology and international ag development. He immediately went to work for Joseph Phelps Vineyards as a viticulturist, and it was while look- ing for Rhone grape varieties dur- ing his tenure at the St. Helena, Calif.-based producer that he encountered Lodi. After three years at Phelps, Bokisch spent a year in the vineyards of Catalonia. When he returned, he was determined to plant his own vineyard and found himself drawn to Lodi. In 1995, the Bokisches bought the property that would become Terra Alta. The following year, they started Bokisch Ranches. Bokisch is perhaps best known for Iberian grape variet- ies. He farms about 175 acres of Iberian grapes and sells them to at least 30 wineries. He also specializes in wines made from those grapes at his winery, Bokisch Vineyards. Q Water management has been a huge topic in re- cent years in California. What sort of technology are you using to reduce water use in the vineyards you manage? Markus Bokisch: We have been fortunate in Lodi because the drought has not had a large impact here. Well-water levels have not dropped in a similar fashion to what has been reported in parts of the Central Valley or Coast Range. Yet we live in a semi-arid savanna, and water efficiency should always be a top priority. In the past, we used two basic methods for determining our water usage: visual inspection and tensiometers (a device for measuring soil tension). Visually inspecting the vines for signs of water stress in key indicator areas will always be the final determinant of how much we irrigate. Tensiometers have served as a good aid to support our visual conclusions. The problem with both these tech- niques is that they lack precision, which can lead to significant over- use of our water resource. Our next refinement in irriga- tion strategies involves the use of Ranch Systems' remote weather stations, which we plan to install this winter. These stations will in- clude a main hub in the vineyard, with a modem that reports back to our computers and/or smart- phones. The weather stations monitor real-time temperature, humidity, dew point, rainfall, wind speed and direction, and UV radia- tion. In addition, they control sev- e r a l i r r i g a t i o n v a l v e s w h i l e measuring water pressure and flow at the pump and water flow behind each of the valves. Many variables including evapotranspiration will be used to determine our weekly irrigation schedules. The remote valve control will save labor and allow us to verify that systems are working properly at all times. The powdery mildew index will be used to guide the timing of spray cycles. Temperature sen- sors scattered throughout the block will be able to trigger alerts for frost control and heat mitigation. Q You farm organic vineyards as well as vineyards that are certified sustainable under the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing. What equipment and techniques are you using for managing weeds? Bokisch: Our involvement in the Lodi Rules (sustain- able certification program) has had an impact on what types of herbicides we use and how we rotate their use in the vineyard. A CONVERSATION WITH Markus Bokisch Influential Lodi grower discusses irrigation, weed control and mechanization By Laurie Daniel