California Ag Network

Tag: John Aguirre

  • West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force Seeks to More Clearly Define Smoke Taint in Wine Grapes

    Where there’s drought, there’s fire, and where there’s fire, there’s smoke.  This is a major concern for wine grape growers in the drought-stricken west this year.  Evacuations, power outages and smoke taint have had a major impact on the wine industry at harvest-time in recent years, and not having an industry standard or threshold defining smoke taint can raise questions and contention upon delivery at the winery.  Watch this brief video with John Aguirre from the California Association of Winegrape Growers as he shares the progress on the West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force in the investigation of smoke taint.  Read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • CAWG Explains New Smoke Exposed Wine Grape Research & Grower Assistance

    Over the last few years, many western wine grape growers have had issues around harvest with wildfires, and some have even had their grapes rejected by the wineries due to the smoke exposure from these relentless fires.  Many of these growers were even under contract.  This regular wildfire pattern does not appear to be changing anytime soon, and there is very limited information on smoke taint in grapes, and at what point a crop merits rejection.  That is why the industry has received some funding to conduct more research in this field of study and previously impacted growers now have the opportunity to recoup some of their losses through the USDA Farm Service Agency.  Watch this interview with John Aguirre, President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers as he explains and read more in the September issue of American Vineyard Magazine.

    Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support and attend their upcoming Grapevine Clonal Field Days.  Learn more HERE.

  • CAWG Statement on Wine Country Wildfires

    SACRAMENTO, October 10, 2017 – The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) is saddened by the loss of lives, structures and property due to wildfires in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
    CAWG

    We share our deepest sympathies with the thousands of people who have been and will be affected by this tragedy. We are grateful to the firefighters, first responders and community members who are helping to protect lives and property.

    “In the coming days, we will have a clearer picture of the extent of damage that has occurred to vineyards and wineries and the response needed to aid recovery,” CAWG President John Aguirre said. “Until then, our thoughts and prayers go to all of those impacted by this unfolding disaster and to the men and women who are bravely battling these fires.”

    CAWG will work with members of the California congressional delegation, key federal officials and other wine industry organizations to ensure adequate resources are provided for disaster response and recovery efforts.

  • Update on Wine Grape Exemption Status from FSMA

    Unfortunately, wine grapes have been looped into FDA’s Produce Safety Rule in the Food Safety Modernization Act, in spite of the fact that they are not consumed fresh off the vine. The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) has been employing every effort in fighting the unreasonable regulations associated with this, and working to get an exemption. Watch this brief video interview with John Aguirre, President of the association as he provides an update on their progress at the CAWG summer conference in Napa.

  • CAWG Seeks Winegrape Exemption from Produce Safety Rule

    SACRAMENTO, June 20, 2017 – The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) has requested the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) exempt winegrapes from its produce safety rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and place them on a list of produce commodities rarely consumed raw. The action would exempt growers and wineries from having to comply with unnecessary and burdensome requirements and paperwork under the rule.

    On June 15, CAWG President John Aguirre sent a letter and 10-page white paper to FDA detailing CAWG’s request. More than 30 commodities, such as potatoes and asparagus, are listed as rarely consumed raw and thus exempt from the produce safety rule. FDA determined these commodities are nearly always cooked or otherwise processed before consumption, thus eliminating risks of foodborne illness. CAWG argued that winegrapes are also not grown, harvested or sold to consumers for fresh consumption; they are almost universally grown and sold for processing into wine. As such, winegrapes should also be exempt from the produce safety rule.

    Currently, winegrape growers can only obtain an exemption from the produce safety rule by adhering to specific notice and assurance requirements under the rule’s processing exemption. Beginning with the 2018 harvest, FDA will require growers provide written notice with each load of winegrapes shipped that the grapes have not been processed. Starting in 2020, wineries will need to provide assurance to growers that the winegrapes received were indeed processed into wine. Growers are required to maintain a record of these notice and assurance transactions for up to two years. Failure to follow these steps precisely may invalidate the processing exemption and force winegrape growers to comply with the many provisions of the produce safety rule.

    “When FDA published its produce safety rule, the agency acknowledged that making wine from grapes effectively eliminates any risk of foodborne illness that might occur with raw grapes,” Aguirre said. “However, FDA failed to include winegrapes on the list of commodities rarely consumed raw because the agency feared growers of cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chardonnay and other varietals may sell those grapes for fresh consumption. Our letter to FDA should provide sufficient information for the agency to determine that California winegrapes are distinct from table and raisin type grapes and are rarely consumed raw.”

    CAWG director Mike Testa, of Coastal Vineyard Care, said, “It’s absurd to think that a Santa Barbara County winegrape grower would sell pinot noir or chardonnay grapes into fresh table or raisin grape market channels. All commercial winegrape production in Santa Barbara County, as in many other California counties, is destined for a fermentation tank. FDA’s produce safety rule should acknowledge that and exempt winegrapes.”

     

     

    Media contact:

    • John Aguirre, (916) 379-8995, john@cawg.org