Sep 7, 2011

Winegrape Harvest 2011: Crop size likely low, quality high

Tony Linegar smiles as he proudly points to the framed award that hangs on the wall to the right of his desk and explains that in his capacity as the county’s Agricultural Commissioner he was the recipient of an Exemplary Service Award at the 2011 Redwood Empire Fair for his efforts in exterminating the European grapevine moth, the pest du jour. Due to the presence of this exotic moth in our county, the state has imposed a quarantine on grape farmers requiring them to follow certain restrictions which curtail the movement of wine grapes from the county. Evidence of his successful efforts is indicated by the fact that last year 37 moths were trapped and the count for this year is 0. He is very optimistic that the quarantine will be lifted.

Seated at his desk, Linegar discusses expectations for this year’s winegrape crop.

"Due to the cool, wet spring the crop this year is expected to be slightly below the 4 ton-per-acre average yield of last year," he explained. "It would be nice if the crop was a little bigger, but the overall quality of our county’s grapes remains high." The Ukiah Daily Journal

Read more of the story here.