KELSEYVILLE — The Lake County Winegrape Commission”s Master Vigneron Program is a series of training sessions for a select group of foremen and crew heads from Lake County vineyards.
Coordinated by Paul Zellman, the course sessions involve several aspects of vineyard maintenance and wine production. Meeting monthly, the participants tour vineyards, make trips to various operations in and outside Lake County and meet for lectures.
Each session will cover one or more topics important to vineyard management and maintenance, including pruning, canopy management, vineyard layout, planting stock, equipment, health and safety of workers, conflict resolution, harvesting, winegrape quality and wine tasting.
The first class of Master Vigneron Academy was introduced in November at the Winegrape Commission”s 10th annual Sustainable Winegrape Growing Seminar at Ceago Vinegarden.
The first “official” class meeting of the group followed in January when the participants attended the 2012 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento. One of the highlights of this year”s tradeshow was the Spanish language seminar sessions.
Several coursework hours will take place in the Finley Grange hall and in Lake County vineyards, according to the Academy outline.
“Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about the broader wine industry itself. (They) will engage in wine education with the chance to taste the ?finished product” and make connections between their critical work in the vineyard and how that results in what ends up in the bottle,” Commission President Shannon Gunier said.
The Master Vigneron students are scheduled to visit Guillaume Nursery and University of California at Davis vineyards during one of the in-field course days in March and will take another trip in June to a Sonoma County winegrape grower”s operation in Healdsburg.
In a welcome letter to participants, Zellman told the group the areas to be covered in the course include vineyard cultural practices, vineyard development, nursery stock, winegrape varietals, and labor management.
“This is a hands-on course consisting of vineyard tours, classroom activities and seminar sessions. Practical labor management skills will be honed through specially arranged training assignments with role playing as a key component of the process,” Zellman said.
The Master Vigneron Academy graduates will be able to use the knowledge they gain to enhance their work as “leaders, mentors and mediators” in their vineyard careers, Zellman said. The participants will get a glimpse of the entire California winegrape industry, he added.
Zellman said he looks forward to working with each of the students selected for the program. The course, as it progresses, will provide opportunities for the experienced group to expand their interactions with Lake County and Northern California winegrape producers, he noted.
Established in 1991 by the winegrape growers of Lake County, the Lake County Winegrape Commission is a local marketing order. Its primary function is to provide marketing, education, and research programs to Lake County winegrape growers.
For more information about upcoming events and workshops, check the Commission”s website, www.lakecountywinegrape.org, or call the commission office at 995-3421. For information about the seminar or the Master Vigneron Program, email Zellman at paulz@lakecountywinegrape.org.
