Viticulture - n. : the cultivation or culture of grapes
Enology - n. :a science that deals with wine and wine making
The V&E Department combines the sciences of viticulture and enology in a single research and teaching unit that encompasses all of the scientific disciplines that impact grape growing and winemaking. For over one hundred years the University of California has maintained an active and productive program in research and education in viticulture and enology. The continuing excellence of the Department has enabled California growers and vintners to develop practices that have allowed the Golden State to achieve its potential and become a premier wine-producing region.
Dr. Andy Walker; Unraveling an Olmo Mystery
In 1989, Dr. Harold Olmo gave Dr. Andy Walker a collection of grape seeds that he had produced the previous year. Walker believed they had the potential for resistance to both Pierces’ Disease (PD) and the dagger nematode (Xiphinema index) that vectors fanleaf virus. They were the offspring of two V. rupestris females and six M. rotundifolia males. The rotundifolia is known to confer resistance to PD, X. index and fanleaf virus. Walker’s lab began investigating the actual value of these rootstocks as parents in breeding new genotypes with effective resistance across a broad spectrum of applications, including rootstocks, raisin, table and winegrape production. For the next fifteen years, they tested and retested...