We invite you to join many alumni and friends of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at the North Bay Alumni and Friends BBQ Dinner on Thursday, July 8 at Richard's Grove & Saralee's Vineyard in Windsor, hosted by the Ag One Foundation.

We hope that our viticulture and enology grads who live in Napa and Sonoma counties will be well represented at this event.   Our dean, Dr. Charles Boyer, and several faculty and staff from the College, including our own Department of Viticulture and Enology, will be there.

Reservations are due by July 2.  For more information, visit:   http://www.agonefoundation.org or click here for details and directions.  The cost to attend is $40 per person, and you may register online!  If you have a bottle of wine to share or an item you would like to donate to the silent auction, please let us know.

• Crop Forcing for Quality Wine Grape Production (ARI)

Dr. Kaan Kurtural. Bronco Wine Company Viticulture Chair

• Interactive Effects of Canopy Management and RDI (AVF)
• Sustaining Bud Fruitfulness of Pinot Grigio and Shiraz (AVF)
• Alternative Weed Management Strategies for Raisin and Wine Grape Production - Shresta, Kurtural, Konduru & Fidelibus (AVF, ARI, VCW)
• Delineating Zones of Influence for Vine Mealybug Control Using Puffers - Daane & Kurtural (UC Board of Regents)
  

Dr. Roy Thornton, Professor

• Grape Rot Project (AVF)
  

The viticulture and enology research program at Fresno State strives to conduct research that will be beneficial to the grape and wine industry, with a focus on the San Joaquin Valley.  Research results are disseminated at events, such as Grape Day on August 10.  Refer to the list of upcoming events below.

Our viticulture and enology faculty, staff, and students actively participate in a variety of events and activities that are either hosted by Fresno State, or by the grape and wine industry.   Please take a closer look, and mark your calendar today!

June 6:  A Celebration of Wine - presented by the Viticulture & Enology Alumni Association.  Fundraiser for the V. E. Petrucci Library at Fresno State.

June 12-17:  Department of Viticulture and Enology student Amanda Ingram traveled to Portugal to study cork as the recipient of the 2010 ACI-Cork Award of Excellence through the Department of Viticulture and Enology.  The trip was sponsored by ACI-Cork.

June 21-25:  ASEV Annual Meeting.  The Department of Viticulture and Enology was well represented at this event, held in Seattle, WA.  Several of our faculty and students attended and presented oral and poster presentations on their research projects.

June 25-July 25:  Viticulture & Enology Summer University in Switzerland, Italy, France  (see article below)

July 8:  North Bay Alumni & Friends Dinner in Windsor, hosted by Ag One.  Register by July 2.

August 7-8:  Fresno State wines will compete in the XVIII International Wine Competition - Ensenada Tierra del Vino in Mexico.  California wineries are invited to participate. 

August 10:  Grape Day- Grape & Wine Research at Fresno State.  This informal field day for grape growers and winemakers is presented by the Viticulture and Enology Research Center and Department of Viticulture and Enology.  The event begins at 7:30 am at the viticulture and enology facilities on campus, and includes a variety of practical vineyard and indoor presentations, poster presentations, tours of the winery and sensory laboratory, and more!   Only $15 to attend.  Includes lunch, sponsored by American Vineyard Magazine.   Visit http://jcast.csufresno.edu/ve or call (559) 278-2089 for details. Pre-registration by August 3 is encouraged.

October 2010/February/June 2011:  Grape Grower Workshop (3-part series) at Fresno State. Includes grape berry sensory evaluation, and other topics of interest.  Dates to be announced soon.  Event sponsors include Fresno State's Viticulture & Enology Program, Allied Grape Growers, Bronco Wine Company, and the San Joaquin Valley Winegrowers Association.

November 18:  Le Vin Nouveau Wine Tasting at the Fresno State Winery.


January 25-27:  Unified Wine & Grape Symposium and the Annual Fresno State Viticulture & Enology Alumni & Friends Reunion in Sacramento.

February TBD:  Viticulture & Enology Career Fair at Fresno State. Employer registration will open the Fall of 2010.

March 4-6:  10th Annual Fresno State Winemaster's Weekend at the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite. 

March 28-30:  The International Wine Microbiology Symposium.  This symposium will return to the Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite in 2011.  Registration will open in the Fall of 2010.  Contact: Cynthia Wood.

April 21:  Vino Italiano at the Fresno State Winery.

May 19:  Annual Department of Viticulture & Enology Dinner for the Class of 2011!

June 5:  A Celebration of Wine - presented by the Viticulture & Enology Alumni Association. 

June 24-July 23 (Tentative dates):  2011 Summer University Program for Viticulture & Enology Students from Switzerland, Cal Poly SLO, and Fresno State.  The 2011 program will be coordinated by Fresno State's viticulture and enology program and will include visits to various grape and wine regions in the state by approximately 40 students, faculty and staff from the participating universities.

After a positive university review of the the Department of Viticulture and Enology's graduate program, we have received approval and will continue to offer M.S. degrees in viticulture and enology through the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology at Fresno State.  

 In fact, we welcome the following new students to our viticulture and enology graduate program.  Their faculty mentors are noted below:

Brodie McCarthy - Dr. Sanliang Gu
Dave B. Terry - Dr. Kaan Kurtural
Lydie Wessner - Dr. Kaan Kurtural
Joseph Geller - Dr. Kaan Kurtural
Jorge Ramirez-Perez - Dr. Roy Thornton

It is with both joy and sadness that we share the following news with you.   Helen Chrisman, our Administrative Assistant for the Viticulture and Enology program retired from the university earlier this month after twenty-two years of dedicated service. 

Since 1988, Helen became an integral part of the viticulture and enology program where she provided support to the administrative operations of the Viticulture and Enology Research Center and the Department of Viticulture and Enology.  Over the years, many of us were fortunate to cross paths with her.

If you knew Helen well, you may understand that she did not like to be the center of attention.  It is for this reason that she did not wish to have an open reception to honor her many contributions. 

Since her retirement, many of her friends and co-workers have expressed a desire to wish her happiness in her retirement.   For this reason, we are asking that anyone who would like to send a personal note or retirement card to her, please send it to the following address by July 19.  We will collect all of your good wishes, place them in a box, and make sure she receives them.  We hope that she will be touched by all of the kind thoughts and wishes she receives from her friends.  (No gifts, please.)  Thank you.

Some of the Department of Viticulture & Enology's Class of 2010 pose with Fresno State President John Welty before the Jordan College of Agricultural Science & Technology's Convocation Ceremony on Friday, May 21, 2010.  This year's class is the largest graduating class in the Department of Viticulture & Enology's history.

During the Convocation, Department of Viticulture and Enology Professor Ken Fugelsang received the Nicolas Salgo Outstanding Teacher Award by the Salgo-Noren Foundation and the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology for his contributions in the classroom, and inspiration to the students.

On May 20, the evening before the Convocation, many graduates, family members, and industry friends attended our department's annual dinner on campus to recognize the graduates' academic achievements.   This annual dinner was sponsored by the Department of Viticulture and Enology with major support from the San Joaquin Valley Winemakers and the Viticulture and Enology Alumni Association.

Twelve of our viticulture and enology students were selected to participate in a four-week Viticulture and Enology Summer University Program that will take them to several grape and wine growing regions of Switzerland, Italy, and France in June and July. 

The University of Applied Sciences in Western Switzerland, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and California State University, Fresno are partners in this international program that is offered to viticulture and enology students enrolled at these universities.  Faculty and staff also travel with the group, lead discussions, and give presentations on various grape growing and winemaking topics.  This international experience is designed to enhance the students' understanding of global issues in grape-growing and winemaking, expose them to real-world operations around the world, and help prepare them for careers in the grape and wine industry. 

The Summer University began in 2008, and each year the university partners and program have alternating responsibilities and locations. In 2011, the four-week program will be held in the USA (California) and coordinated by California State University, Fresno.  Participation from our industry friends and alumni will be sincerely appreciated.  Please contact Cynthia Wood if your company or organization is interested in learning more about this program.