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Headlines J ANU AR Y NEWS OCT OBER NEWS NEWS BY TE S V VALLEY OF THE MOON SOLD Crop Forcing Improves Winegrape Quality Fresno State research promising for warm growing areas resno, F Calif.— Information gleaned from a "crop-forc- ing" vineyard trial in Fresno shows good promise for improving winegrape quality in the San Joaquin Val- ley and other warm climates by manag- ing vines to shift the grape-ripening pe- riod from hot sum- mer months to cooler months later in the growing season. At the Aug. Fresno State 14 Grape Day presented by the California State Uni- versity, Fresno, Department of Viticulture and Enology, CSUF viticulture professor Dr. Sanliang Gu provided an update about a crop-forcing trial in a Cabernet Sauvi- gnon block of the campus vineyard. Cab- ernet clusters on control vines that devel- oped under normal season conditions had completed veraison and were within two weeks of harvest. In contrast, crop forced (CF) vines in the same rows had clusters of small green berries that likely will be har- vested in November. In recent years, CSUF viticultural re- search has focused on methods to improve winegrape quality to enhance the demand for—and reputation and prices of—San Joaquin Valley grapes. More than 60% of California's winegrape production comes from warmer regions such as the San Joa- quin Valley, however this represents just 14 WINES & VINES OCTOBER 2012 California State University Fresno pro- fessor Dr. Sanliang Gu discusses crop- forcing research in the campus vineyard. 25% of the state's winegrape crop value. Temperature is one of the factors influenc- ing grape development and quality. Grapes in Fresno typically ripen in July and August, when daily average low and high tempera- tures range from 68° to 98°F (July) and 66° to 97°F. (August.) Gu said that with CF, the flowering-to-veraison period is shorter, oc- curring during warm- er summer months. CF takes advantage of grapevine physiol- ogy by which a vine can bear fruit more than once per year if the compound buds are forced out of dor- mancy. Gu reported that the best time for CF is in June. He said the most effective method was hedging, growing shoots to six nodes per cane and removing summer laterals, leaves and primary clusters. In 2011, CF shift- ed veraison from July 25 to Sept. 26, and harvest from Sept. 1 to Nov. 18. CF fruit had smaller berries, lower pH and higher titratable acidity (TA) at veraison and at harvest compared with control fruit. winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Crop forcing." Gu and his research crew are working to find a mechanical or spray method to hedge and remove clusters for CF so it can be economically viable in larger vineyards. —Jon Tourney alley of the Moon Winery in Sonoma Valley is the first acquisition of what could be a series of purchases for Calfor- nia's Zepponi and British Columbia's Stewart families. Dan Zepponi of West Coast Wine Part- ners LLC said Valley of the Moon is a good fit for the kind of properties the company hopes to assemble from Cali- fornia north to British Columbia. The purchase also includes the Lake Sonoma brand. Zepponi said future deals could include finding a Napa, Calif., location for Plume, a joint winery project for the two families. winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Moon owners." SONOMA UNITES FOR PROMOTIONS onoma County's vintners and growers have teamed up under a new market- ing slogan: "We are Sonoma County." The new slogan and marketing plan represent an at- S winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Sonoma marketing." tempt to coalesce marketing for the coun- ty's main groups as well as the numerous appellation organizations. CHANGES FOR DELICATO, REATA ily, is moving its bottling plant (and more) out of Reata Winery and into a leased building near the entrance to Napa County Airport. It will occupy 33,500 square feet of a recently built 107,000-square-foot warehouse. The Reata winery building is the former Val- ley Gate Vineyards that was originally the Kirkland Win- ery. The current owner of the win- ery, Madison Capital, will use it for its own brands and has hired winemaker Nori Nakamura. D winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Reata bottling." FV Wines, the large wine compa- ny owned by the Indelicato fam-