Writer: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu
Contact: Fran Pontasch, 979-458-0131, fmpontasch@tamu.edu
CAT SPRING — The 25th annual Gulf Coast Grape Grower Field Day will be from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Feb. 3 at the Cat Spring Agricultural Society Hall, 13035 Hall Road, Cat Spring.
Registration is $35 at the door and includes lunch and a wine social, according to Fran Pontasch, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service viticulturist in College Station.
Viticulture is a growing sector of Texas agriculture, and wine-grape production from commercial vineyards is on the rise.
(Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo)
“This year’s field day celebrates 25 years of delivering research-based education to grape growers and winemakers.” Pontasch said. “We’ll be sharing more than two decades of collective experiences of growing and making wine in high humidity, hot climate grape growing regions.”
Morning session topics include a report on the region’s viticulture and enology, a soil, water and tissue analysis report, an overview of grapevine viruses, how to prevent grapevine trunk disease and balanced pruning.
Following lunch, there will be information from the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, a report on a case study of a “challenging vineyard site,” a talk on harvests from a winery perspective, and a talk on harvest chemistry along with a tasting of blanc du bois. The event will conclude with a wine social.
For more information, contact Pontasch at 979-458-0131 or fmpontasch@tamu.edu.
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