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APRIL NEWS Temecula Wine Country T Faces Future Everyone wants a piece of Southern California terroir emecula Valley, Calif.—A decade ago, Temecula's winegrowing future looked dim: An epidemic of Pierce's disease (PD) had decimated vineyards, spread by glassy-winged sharpshoot- ers (GWSS) from another of Riverside County's top crops, citrus. Prompt reac- tion from the industry and government agencies caused growers to pull infected vines and launch the statewide PD/GWSS board. Largely funded by grapegrowers' self-assessments, ongoing research has lim- ited the potential threat and continues to seek control—if not full eradication—of the disease, which is lethal to grapevines. Temecula's reconstructed wine business now faces another threat: development. "After the early 2000s, we not only sur- vived, but got better after PD," according to Bill Wilson, who owns 35,000-case Wil- son Creek Winery & Vineyards with his family. Wilson Creek is one of Temecula's older wineries; its 86 acres of vineyards were planted originally in 1969 and 1970. After the PD scourge, many of these and other Temecula vineyards were pulled and replanted, utilizing better rootstock and up- dated planning. Wilson compared the pro- cess with Napa's phylloxera panic during the early 1990s: "We're the beneficiaries of some pretty nice stuff," he conceded. Wilson, a board member of Temecula Val- ley Winegrowers Association, told Wines & Vines that the scenic valley now has 35 brick-and-mortar wineries and another 10 virtual wineries strewn among 35,000 acres of rolling countryside, an hour's drive from the vast population centers of Orange County, San Diego and Palm Springs. Flash back to 2005: Callaway Vineyard & Winery, the region's largest, purchased by Hiram Walker in the 1980s and then owned by international drinks giant Allied Domecq was purchasing grapes from else- where in California and planned to shut down its Temecula opera- tions. Although it was acquired in 2005 by San Diego's Lin family, "After the early 2000s we not only survived, but got better." —Bill Wilson, Wilson Creek Winery & Vineyards winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Temecula future." which still operates the 25,000-case brand with 70 vineyard acres in Temecula, Calla- way's devolution left many locals without a market for their grapes. As Wilson recalled, "They decided that farming's for the birds," leaving some 750 valuable acres sitting idle and ripe for de- velopers. During that period, Wilson quipped, "Clay tile roofs were our biggest crop." —Jane Firstenfeld The original, BOTTLE-MATIC-II 3 YEAR WARRANTY INCLUDED Front and Back! $1800 for Wines & Vines Readers! Front & Back! Label any cylindrical container fast and accurately from ½" to 21 day trial MADE IN USA! DISPENSA-MATIC Label Dispensers 8" diameter, @ Speeds of 1200 Pcs. per hour. NOT A CHEAP, IMPORTED KNOCK-OFF! Wasting Time Labeling by Hand! STOP FAX:(573) 392-1757; E-mail: info@dispensamatic.com Web: http://www.bottle-labeler.com 28220 Playmor Beach Rd, Rocky Mount, MO 65072 Call Toll Free: 1 (800) 325-7303 or (573) 392-7684 Wines & Vines APRiL 2011 19 Price subject to change without notice. 2/01/10