The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) added Megan Bell to its team, joining the association as its Public Affairs and External Communications Manager. Prior to joining CAWG, Bell was the owner and winemaker of Margins Wine in Santa Cruz County for the past decade, co-managing a vineyard for six of those years. Before starting her winery in 2016, she …

Justin Parnagian of Fowler Packing Company Inc. was recently elected to serve as the chairman of the California Table Grape Commission. Parnagian was preceded by Marko Zaninovich, of Sunview Vineyards, who served as commission chairman since 2024. “The commission is deeply appreciative of Marko’s leadership during a significant period of transition for our organization and industry,” said Commission President Ian …

The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) is calling on growers and industry members to recognize and celebrate in the Awards of Excellence Program. CAWG is now accepting nominations for the 2027 Awards of Excellence Program – an opportunity to highlight the individuals and operations driving the industry forward through innovation, leadership, and resilience. Each year, CAWG presents two awards …

Andreas Westphal, scientist at Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in the San Joaquin Valley, organized a soil plant pathology conference that was held late last month. Growers from as far away as Virginia came to learn about the latest research findings. Chandler Farms The first day of the conference was a field tour to three sites and then Kearney …

The California table grape season is on track to arrive about two weeks early, signaling that grapes from California will be available for promotion longer than previous seasons. Each season begins in the Coachella Valley, where growers are expecting to begin harvesting at the beginning of May this year. An early start to harvesting in the San Joaquin Valley is …

The California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) and Family Winemakers of California (FWC) announced that AB 1585, American Wine Truth in Labeling legislation, cleared its first committee hearing on an 18-0 bipartisan vote. AB 1585 would require any wine labeled “American” be made from 100% American-grown wine grapes. This standard aligns the national designation with the same requirement California applies …

The California Table Grape Commission announced a $2.2 million award through the America First Trade Promotion Program to support expanding international marketing efforts to strengthen demand for California table grapes. “This award through the America First Trade Promotion Program represents a meaningful investment in the continued success of the California table grape industry and the communities the industry supports,” said …

Triple Helix Institute for Agriculture, Climate, and Society — a nonprofit that aims to build cross-sector engagement and public understanding around ag tech — announced Dr. Nick Dokoozlian as the recipient of its inaugural Triple Helix AgTech Leadership Prize. Extreme weather, soil degradation, pests and diseases and resource scarcity increasingly jeopardize crops. According to the announcement by Triple Helix, emerging …

The USDA Ag Research Service is helping grape growers and winemakers save wine grapes impacted by wildfires by finding a natural solution to remove the unpleasant flavors caused by smoke taint — which costs billions of dollars in the U.S. wine industry. Smoke taint occurs when wine grapes are exposed to high levels of smoke in a vineyard and absorb …

Four wineries and vineyard companies received the 2026 California Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards. The winners were based on a comprehensive judging process focused on viticulture and winemaking to assess their sustainability practices and innovation. Several California wine organizations devoted to sustainability presented the medals, which were awarded in the Leadership, Environment, Community and Business categories “Each year of the past …