California Ag Network

Tag: Viticulture

  • CAWG Calls on Industry to Nominate Leaders for Awards of Excellence Program

    The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) is calling on growers and industry members to recognize and celebrate in the Awards of Excellence Program.

    CAWG is now accepting nominations for the 2027 Awards of Excellence Program – an opportunity to highlight the individuals and operations driving the industry forward through innovation, leadership, and resilience. Each year, CAWG presents two awards honoring excellence in winegrowing and industry leadership.

    “These awards shine a spotlight on the people who are not only meeting today’s challenges but rethinking what’s possible for the future of our industry,” said CAWG President Natalie Collins. “Across California, individuals and operations are going above and beyond, and this is an opportunity for the industry to recognize and lift up their peers.”

    The Grower of the Year Award, the highest honor bestowed by CAWG, recognizes individuals, families, or companies who exemplify excellence in viticulture and vineyard management through innovative practices, industry leadership, and consistent production of high-quality winegrapes.

    The Leader of the Year Award honors exceptional individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and made significant contributions to California’s wine industry, including advancing public policy and championing issues critical to winegrape growers.

    CAWG encourages winegrape growers, wineries, and industry partners to nominate colleagues, mentors, and peers whose work is helping move the industry forward.

    Award recipients will be honored at a reception during the Unified Wine and Grape Symposium in Sacramento on January 26, 2027.

    Nominations for the 2027 Awards of Excellence Program are open through June 5, 2026.

    To submit an application or learn more, visit cawg.org.

  • Nick Dokoozlian Receives Inaugural Ag Tech Leadership Prize

    Triple Helix Institute for Agriculture, Climate, and Society — a nonprofit that aims to build cross-sector engagement and public understanding around ag tech — announced Dr. Nick Dokoozlian as the recipient of its inaugural Triple Helix AgTech Leadership Prize.

    Extreme weather, soil degradation, pests and diseases and resource scarcity increasingly jeopardize crops. According to the announcement by Triple Helix, emerging technologies offer pathways to improve agricultural productivity and resilience, but realizing their technical potential requires vision, tenacity and collaboration across sectors. The Triple Helix AgTech Leadership Prize recognizes individuals who have worked across disciplinary and sectoral silos to develop and deploy improved ag tech.

    “Dr. Dokoozlian’s accomplishments reflect dedication to long-term collaboration among researchers, growers, industry leaders, and public institutions. By honoring trailblazers like Dr. Dokoozlian, the Triple Helix AgTech Leadership Prize celebrates individuals who build partnerships and infrastructure that drive agricultural innovation from scientific discovery to transformative impact,” said Dr. Sarah Garland, Founder and Executive Director of Triple Helix.

    After 15 years as a researcher in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis, Dokoozlian joined Gallo Winery in 2004. Throughout his career, his work has centered on improving the productivity, resilience and quality of viticulture. His achievements include:

    ● Playing a major role in the formation of the National Grape Research Alliance (NGRA) in 2003 and serving as the organization’s Research Chair since 2008.

    ● Supporting permanent federal funding for the USDA-ARS Grape Genetics Research Unit in Geneva, NY and Sustainable Agricultural Water Systems Research Unit in Davis, CA. These centers conduct foundational science to address critical agricultural challenges like disease and drought.   

    ● Establishing the landmark GRAPEX project (Grape Remote Sensing Atmospheric Profile and Evapotranspiration eXperiment), a decade-long collaboration involving Gallo, USDA-ARS, Utah State University, NASA and others. This initiative resulted in water use reductions in vineyards and has since expanded to almonds, olives and other crops.

    “I am humbled by this recognition from Triple Helix.The AgTech Leadership Prize is especially meaningful because it recognizes the importance of cross-sector engagement and stakeholder alignment for ensuring agricultural resilience. Triple Helix provides an innovative platform and vision for connecting stakeholders to advance solutions for agriculture’s most pressing challenges, a role critical for the future of food production,” Dokoozlian said.

    The Triple Helix AgTech Leadership Prize will be presented to Dr. Dokoozlian at an event held during Climate Week NYC in September.

  • ASEV Renames Extension Distinction Award to Honor Dr. Anita Oberholster

    The American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) announces that the ASEV Extension Distinction Award has been officially renamed The Anita Oberholster Award for Extension Excellence in honor of Dr. Anita Oberholster, who passed away on January 11, 2025, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

    Dr. Oberholster was a globally respected professor of cooperative extension in enology at the University of California, Davis, whose work bridged rigorous science with practical solutions for the wine and grape industry. Throughout her 14-year career at UC Davis, she was known for her scientific excellence, her deep commitment to education and mentorship, and her ability to translate complex research into accessible tools that growers and winemakers could immediately apply.

    “Renaming this award in Anita’s honor reflects the immense contributions she made to extension work and the profound impact she had on our industry,” said James Osborne, Oregon State University professor and ASEV board president. “Her dedication to serving growers and winemakers, mentoring the next generation of wine and grape scientists, and translating research into practical solutions will continue to inspire extension professionals for generations to come.”

    A Legacy of Service and Scientific Impact

    Dr. Oberholster’s distinguished career advanced understanding in critical areas of wine science and viticulture. Her contributions have had a lasting impact on the California wine industry and beyond, including:

    • Pioneering work on smoke taint: Dr. Oberholster led a large group of researchers developing methods to assess and mitigate the impact of wildfire smoke exposure on grapes and wines. This work became essential during the devastating wildfire seasons of 2017, 2018 and 2020, when fires closed in on key California growing regions.
    • Applied research on grapevine diseases: As the lead investigator on a USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative grant, she worked to understand the impact of Grapevine Red Blotch Virus, helping growers diagnose and respond to a disease with significant economic impact on the California industry.
    • Exceptional communicator and educator: Dr. Oberholster excelled at making complex science accessible, delivering education through on-site workshops, webinars, videos and one-on-one outreach with producers across California and around the world. Her warm personality and gift for communication made her a sought-after speaker and trusted advisor.
    • Service to the global wine community: Dr. Oberholster served multiple terms on the ASEV Board of Directors and was a regular presenter at major conferences, including the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium. She was twice named by Wine Business Monthly as one of the Top 50 most influential people in the U.S. wine industry.

    In 2021, Dr. Oberholster was a recipient of the very award now renamed in her honor, the ASEV Extension Distinction Award, recognition of her outstanding extension contributions to viticulture and enology.

    “Anita was an ideal Cooperative Extension specialist,” said UC Davis Professor and former Chair of the Viticulture and Enology Department Dr. David Block. “She was so talented at explaining complex concepts in understandable and usable ways for stakeholders. Her personality put winemakers and vineyard managers at ease, drawing them into discussions that they might not have had with other academics.”

    A Legacy of Mentorship

    Perhaps Dr. Oberholster’s greatest passion was mentoring postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and undergraduate interns, guiding and inspiring them to discover their love of science while embracing them in an exciting and caring environment. Those she mentored have become leaders themselves in industry and academia on at least four continents around the world.

    About The Anita Oberholster Award for Extension Excellence

    The Anita Oberholster Award for Extension Excellence will continue to recognize exceptional extension professionals in enology and viticulture whose outreach, education and application of research drive meaningful industry advancement. Recipients are honored for translating scientific knowledge into practical tools and for elevating the reach and relevance of extension programming.

    The award is presented annually in June at the ASEV National Conference and includes a plaque and monetary award. Recipients are expected to present on their extension programs at the conference.

    About ASEV

    Founded in 1950, the American Society for Enology and Viticulture is dedicated to advancing the interests of professionals in grape and wine research, production and education worldwide. ASEV fosters communication and collaboration among researchers, educators and industry practitioners.

  • Building Named for ‘Father’ Of Fresno State Viticulture And Enology

    Fresno, Calif., (March 29, 2018) – The California State University Trustees approved Tuesday the naming of the Vincent E. Petrucci Viticulture Building at Fresno State, in honor of the late and esteemed professor emeritus of viticulture. The action item was approved by the Committee on Institutional Advancement.

    Among his many accomplishments during his 46-year career, Dr. Petrucci led successful fundraising efforts to support students, faculty and capital projects. Most notably, he raised more than $1.5 million for the viticulture building, which houses state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories, a discipline-specific library to serve students and industry and the Viticulture and Enology Research Center.

    “Dr. Petrucci was Fresno State’s first viticulture professor and played pivotal roles in developing academic programs and robust and collaborative research programs in viticulture and enology,” said Fresno State President Joseph I. Castro. “His extraordinary work transformed the lives of thousands of students at Fresno State and influenced an entire grape-growing and winemaking industry.”

    Dr. Petrucci taught at Fresno State from 1948 to 1993 and helped establish the University’s renowned viticulture and enology program. He was conferred an honorary doctorate of science by the California State University in 1994 before passing away in 2016.

    In 1985, Dr. Petrucci founded the Fresno State Viticulture and Enology Research Center, which includes the Vincent E. Petrucci Library, and he served as its director until his retirement in 1993.

    The Petrucci’s Crush wine, a limited Fresno State Winery edition of a student-produced vintage named in his honor, was introduced in December 2016 at a special release event that included Petrucci, family, friends and alumni, along with the department’s faculty, staff and many students. The wine also commemorated his wife of 69 years, Josephine, who supported him and his career.

    The Petrucci’s Crush is a red wine blend designed by Petrucci and former Fresno State winemaker Matt Brain. The vintage is comprised of area Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Merlot grapes.

    Fresno State served viticulture and enology students since 1948 through several programs before the Department of Viticulture and Enology was established in 2000. Fresno was the first California State University campus to combine research and academic offerings in both disciplines.

    In 1997, Fresno State became the first university in the nation with a winery bonded to market student-produced wines commercially. Program graduates fill leading grape and wine industry positions worldwide.

    “Today, Dr. Petrucci’s name is synonymous with viticulture and enology at Fresno State, and our alumni and industry partners can be found in every corner of the world,” said Dr. Sandra Witte, dean of Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State. “It is a distinct honor to name the viticulture building in his memory, given his many enduring contributions to Fresno State and the San Joaquin Valley.”

    Since his retirement, Dr. Petrucci published numerous papers and books detailing wine and grape growing best practices.

    The V.E. Petrucci Library, which is part of the Henry Madden Library collection, supports and continues his legacy in academics and research in the heart of California’s Central Valley.

    Library resources reflect the diversity of its patron community with materials generated by the Department of Viticulture and Enology in the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology by public and private research institutions and associations, and by other resources released regionally, nationally and globally.

    Among Dr. Petrucci’s many accolades during his career was lifetime service to the wine grape industry in the Valley by the San Joaquin Valley Winegrowers Association in 2009.

    Originally from Escalon in the San Joaquin Valley, Dr. Petrucci earned a bachelor’s degree in pomology in 1947 and a master’s in horticulture in 1948, both from University of California, Davis. He served in the U.S. Naval Air Corps at the end of World War II.

    A naming ceremony of the Vincent E. Petrucci Viticulture Building will be held in the near future.