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Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Identify and describe how specific vineyard practices can improve the
fruit quality.
2. Develop and write a detailed vineyard farming plan to implement fruit
quality improvement practices.
3. Develop and write an assessment plan to quantify and evaluate the level
of fruit quality improvement.
4. Explain how fruit quality assessment plans can be effective.
5. Clearly communicate the assessment plan as part of a grape contract
negotiation.
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I. Overview of winegrape quality assurance practices
A. Canopy management
B. Deficit irrigation
C. Vine nutrition
D. Use of technology, e.g., Normalized Differential Vegetative Index
(NDVI), remote imagery, canopy and soil
sensors, leaf pressure chambers
II. Identification vineyard problems that limit fruit quality
A. Non-uniform ripening
B. Poor irrigation/fertilization
C. Vine vigor imbalance
III. Writing a vineyard management plan
A. Specific vineyard problems requiring attention
B. Farming practices that address the specific problems
C. Appropriate timing of the farming practices
IV. Evaluation and assessment of wine grape quality
A. Targeting specific wine styles
B. Fruit parameters that result in a specific wine style
C. Post-harvest wine evaluation
D. Determination of which specific vineyard practices contributed to
specific wine flavor/color/aroma characteristics
V. Writing a wine grape quality assessment and evaluation plan
A. Correlate vineyard practices to fruit parameters at harvest
B. Correlate vineyard practices to wine quality
C. Evaluation of the level of fruit quality improvement
VI. Communication with winemakers and grape buyers
A. Vocabulary and definitions
B. Identification of shared goals
C. Solicitation and utilization of feedback
VII. Grape contract negotiations
A. Fruit parameters
B. Timing
C. Delivery
D. Price (per ton vs. per acre)
VIII. Determination of optimum time/conditions for harvest
A. Winery tank space and capacity
B. Picking bin size options
C. Trucking
D. Night harvest vs. day harvest
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Instructor prepared materials
"The Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices Workbook, 3rd edition",
Wine Institute of California and the California Association of Wine Grape
Growers,
2013.