KELSEYVILLE — Lake County winegrape growers recently re-elected three members to the Lake County Winegrape Commission board of directors.
Peter Molnar, of Obsidian Ridge Vineyards; David Weiss, of Bella Vista Farming, and Buz Dereniuk, of Catspaw Vineyard, were chosen to continue to serve on the board, according to a press release from Susan Stout of the Lake County Winegrape Commission.
The commission is a marketing order established in 1992 to promote the region”s winegrapes and its growers to new buyers and wineries throughout the country. Activities include marketing, educational and research programs that benefit growers” development of vineyards.
The eight-member board of directors includes seven grower members and one appointed public member, with each person serving two-year terms, Stout stated. The re-elected board members were officially seated at the board”s June meeting.
Molnar will continue to serve as commission chair, and he additionally serves as the marketing committee chair; Weiss will continue to serve as commission vice chair and executive committee chair and Dereniuk will continue as finance committee chair, Stout stated.
The five other board members are Randy Krag, commission research/education committee chair; Jeff Lyon, commission secretary-treasurer; Bill Brunetti, industry relations committee chair; Jonathan Walters and Broc Zoller.
“We are fortunate to have such a strong group of individuals on the commission board,” President Debra Sommerfield said. “They are focused on our mission and continue to make great strides on both new and ongoing programs and projects that assist Lake County winegrowers.”
With efforts focused on marketing Lake County winegrapes, more Clear Lake appellation grapes are going into $20-to-$40 wines, with a steady growth in average prices and the number of wineries buying Lake County fruit, Molnar said.
The focus now needs to “turn to home,” he said. “We have work to do to get all of the growers in the Clear Lake appellation to understand how the ground has shifted, how winemakers have new appreciation of our region (and) why it is worth farming for quality.”
For more information about the Lake County Winegrape Commission and its programs, call the commission office at 279-2633 or visit www.lakecountywinegrape.org.
