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December 2016 WINES&VINES 19 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS CONTINUUM N apa, Calif.—Pressure from grapevine red blotch-associated virus and Pierce's disease is one of the main reasons most Napa County wine grape growers plan to re- develop vineyards by 2017. During the recent harvest, the Napa Valley Grapegrowers surveyed its members about the vintage and their vineyards and found that 86% of those who responded plan to redevelop at least some of their acreage in 2017. About 60% of the members redeveloped acreage in 2015 and 62% said they did this year. Brittany Pederson, a viticulturist and pest control advisor with Silverado Farming Co. as well as the co-chair of the Grapegrowers' mem- ber services committee, said more growers are moving to 10- and even five-year replant sched- ules. "Definitely the virus and disease pressure have been a huge portion of that," she said. Pederson's remarks came during a panel discussion in which she was joined by P.J. Alviso, director of estate vineyards for Duck- horn Vineyards and a member of the group's planning committee, and Matt Reid, wine- maker for Benessere Vineyards. The three discussed the results of the survey as well as the 2016 harvest in general during a ses- sion of the recent Rootstock conference held Nov. 8 in Napa, Calif. In some vineyards, especially those near riparian areas along the Napa River, Pederson said she dealt with some vineyard blocks that had a Pierce's disease (PD) infection rate of up to 70%. She said the ailment usually peaks every 15 to 20 years. "We happen to be in that spike right now," she said. "I'm crossing my fingers hoping we're past the peak of that." Growers in both Napa and Sonoma counties experienced a dramatic spike in PD during 2015 as well. The warmer winters of late have also been blamed for the increase in PD. Red blotch continues to be a threat with some growers having to replant or rogue out infected vines from properties they had already redeveloped because of the disease. However, she said new planting materials now available offer a much greater degree of protection, and the work being done by Dr. Andy Walker at the University of California, Davis, on PD-resistant grapevines is also quite encouraging. The vines already are proving to be a success in Texas, Missouri and other states that had been rife with PD. As growers redevelop vineyards to better deal with the challenges posed by disease, they are also quite mindful of designing vineyards to take full advantage of the latest technology that will help them confront their other major challenge: finding adequate labor. More than half (53%) of growers who re- sponded to the survey said they had to deal with a labor shortage in 2016. Alviso said he plans any new vineyard to allow for mechanizing jobs such as leaf pulling or even harvesting. He said one of the major challenges in ensuring that enough workers are available to do jobs such as shoot thinning is that living in Napa County and the rest of the Bay Area is quite expensive. While the aver- age starting wage of $14 per hour for vineyard work is competitive, it's hard to cover the cost of housing, which amounts to more than twice the price of the Central Valley for comparable living quarters. —Andrew Adams TTB LABEL APPROVALS Low per-label costs Gov't. Liaison Negotiations or Footwork Reasonable Hourly Rates TRADEMARK SEARCHES As Low as $185 Your trade names or designs are searched at the U.S. Patent Office to help establish valuable ownership or avoid costly legal liability. Over 100 years' total staff experience handling every government liaison need for industry. Phone or write for details. 200 N. Glebe Rd., Suite 321 Arlington, Virginia 22203 Phone: (703) 524-8200 Fax: 525-8451 TOLL-FREE 1-800-642-6564 Major Credit Cards Accepted www.trademarkinfo.com Since 1957 GovtLiaison_Dir08 11/29/07 2:00 PM Pag Majority in Napa to Replace Vines by 2017 Stress from Pierce's disease, red blotch and a move toward mechanization are leading growers to replant.