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6 WINES&VINES March 2017 A member of Wine Communications Group Inc. ADVERTISING Vice President and Director of Sales Jacques Brix jbrix@winesandvines.com (707) 473-0244 West Lydia Hall lydia@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 103 Midwest Hooper Jones hooperhja@aol.com (847) 486-1021 East (except New York) Laura Lemos laura@boja.com (973) 822-9274 New York and International Dave Bayard dave@bayard.com (973) 822-9275 Advertising Production Manager April Kushner ads@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 114 DIGITAL EDITION All print subscribers now get digital access to Wines & Vines. You can: • DOWNLOAD pages or full issues • BROWSE current and archived issues • WATCH videos • ACCESS via desktop, tablet or smartphone • SEARCH by keyword or table of contents • NAVIGATE by topic or page thumbnail • QUESTIONS? Contact customer ser- vice at custserv@winesandvines.com or (866) 453-9701 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. PDT. GRAPEGROWER INTERVIEW 40 WINES& J Q What new vineyard technologies are you most A CONVERSATION WITH Farming vine by vine in the Napa Valley NOW ORDER winesandvines.com/boms BREWER A unique online to U.S. beer producers. Marketing System (BOMS) you to search more than specific criteria, and CONNECT WITH US CONTRIBUTORS Cliff Ohmart is senior scientist with ag software and consulting firm SureHarvest. Also the author of the "Vineyard View" column since 1998, Ohmart has a Ph.D. in entomology and is a recognized expert in grapevine pest and disease control, especially using sustainable methods. In fact, Ohmart wrote much of the original Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing, California's early vineyard sustainable cer- tification program. He obviously is proud of the way Lodi grapegrow- ers came together to learn how to farm with fewer chemical inputs. His column on page 32 charts the region's significant progress in this regard using convincing public data. While pursuing an MBA at the University of California, Davis, Gabriel Froymovich began developing mathematical models for forecasting in the wine industry. He began providing consulting services in 2009. Froymovich's firm, Vineyard Financial Associates, offers discrete com- petitive market research and analysis for companies looking to start, expand or acquire new lines of business in the wine industry. In that vein, his "Viewpoint" column on page 36 examines the likely financial ups and downs for growers thinking about making bulk wine as part of their operations rather than simply selling grapes. Sauvignon Blanc sales grew sharply in 2016, but many people don't realize that the grape variety is grown in New York. In his article "Producing Sauvignon Blanc in New York" (page 66), Ray Pompilio looks at the viticultural and enological challenges of growing Sauvi- gnon Blanc and making wine from it at two New York wineries. WINESANDVINES.COM MARCH 2017 FROM A NOTED VITICULTURIST AND THREE SONOMA WINEMAKERS NEW VIEWS ON VINEYARD TECHNOLOGY Product Focus: New Barrels Is Minerality All in the Mind? EASTERN WINERY EXPO ISSUE ON THE COVER For our annual Vineyard Equipment & Technology Issue, columnist Andy Starr asked wine industry veterans what steps they take in the vineyard to create better wines (see page 28). Wineries including Rodney Strong reported using VineView technology to identify changes in vine vigor and balance. QUESTION FOR MARCH: What vineyard equipment are you looking forward to using in 2017? Will Thomas Viticulturist Ridge Wine Healdsburg, Calif. I don't have any new toys to try out this year, we're sticking with what we have. All weed control implements are going to get a lot of use this year because of the rain, and access is pretty poor right now. We have over 200 acres certified organic in Sonoma, so when things dry out we're going to be really busy. Currently, we're trying to get pruning finished just like everyone else. Karin Warnelius Miller Winegrower and winemaker Garden Creek Ranch Vineyards Geyserville, Calif. After a wet, heavy winter, we are already behind in the fields. With the investment this past winter in a Yanmar small rubber tract crawler fit for narrow vineyard spacing down our 6-foot rows, we will have earlier access to our vineyards with less compaction overall. Each year brings new challenges, and this will definitely help our operations earlier. Ed Boyce Owner Black Ankle Vineyards Mt. Airy, Md. We are hoping to try four new pieces of equipment over the next two years: an in-row mower for a few vigorous blocks; an air-pulse leaf remover, which will allow us to pull leaves right at fruit set; a Kulte finger weeder to make our Clemens Radius more effective, and a recirculating sprayer that can operate in our narrow rows on undulating terrain.