Office Hours with Dave and Anita were established in April 2020 as a way to continue to communicate with stakeholders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each program begins with a short 20 minute introduction from researchers/teams working in a particular area, and then allows time for participants to ask questions.
2020
Episode 1: April 28, David Block, current Chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology, talked about how we’ve updated our curriculum over the last couple of years (with input from stakeholders like you).
Episode 2: May 5, Entomologist Frank Zalom, Virologist Mysore Sudhi Sudarshana, Viticulturist Kaan Kurtural, and Enologist Anita Oberholster discussed Red Blotch Disease and their new 4-year USDA-NIFA-SCRI grant that will address many remaining questions regarding prevalence, spread, impact, and management of Red Blotch Disease.
Episode 3: May 12, Dario Cantu and Jerry Lin discussed their Riesling X Cabernet Sauvignon project.
Episode 4: May 19, Mason Earles discussed the use of AI and robots in the vineyard, and Kaan Kurtural talked about what is already possible for vineyard mechanization and automation.
Episode 5: May 26, Kaan Kurtural and Larry Bettiga discussed new trellis options for growers considering mechanization, and how to convert existing vineyards to systems that are more amenable to mechanization. They also discussed some dos and don’ts for if you are mothballing vineyards for this season.
Episode 6: June 2, Jill Brigham, Ron Runnebaum, Ned Spang, and David Block discussed the progress we have made with respect to the sustainable processes installed in the Teaching and Research Winery and the Jackson Building.
Episode 7: June 9, Beth Forrestel, Lauren Parker, and Martina Galeano discussed their work on heat waves as well as the common gardens of potential future grape varieties for CA.
Episode 8: June 16, James Campbell, Anita Oberholster and David Block discussed phenolic extractability and reactivity.
Episode 9: June 23, Anita Oberholster, Elizabeth Tomasino, and Tom Collins discussed the impact of smoke exposure on grapes and wine.
Episode 10: June 30, Ben Montpetit, David Mills, Lucy Joseph, and Kyria Boundy-Mills discussed the future of wine microbiology.
Episode 11: August 26, Andrew Walker discussed newly released Pierce's disease resistant winegrapes.
Episode 12: September 15, Anita Oberholster answered questions about smoke exposure from grape and wine industry stakeholders.
Episode 13: November 17, Kaan Kurtural and Danielle Zaccaria discussed new methods of assessing grapevine evapotranspiration demands.
Episode 14: December 15, Andrew Walker and Kaan Kurtural discussed fire damage in the vineyard: assessment, recuperation, and fruiting in subsequent seasons.
2021
Episode 15: April 27, Honoring Glenn McGourty
Episode 16: June 17, Kaan Kurtural, Mark Battany, Larry Bettiga and Matthew Fidelibus discussed delayed spring growth and cold damage in the vineyard.
Episode 17: July 27, Anita Oberholster discussed harvest readiness in times of wildfires.
2022
Episode 18: February 10, Megan Bartlett discussed new root traits that may help grapevines resist drought
Episode 19: March 10, Ron Runnebaum & Nate Weis discussed sustainable winemaking
Episode 20: May 3, Identifying and mitigating spring frost damage in vineyards