Vine status

If anything, this year has been a Phomopsis year! These spots on the leaf in the picture are Phomopsis lesions. You do not need to manage this disease right now. We will manage them next spring.

Many Chardonnay clusters are at bunch closure. Hybrids and table grapes are a bit more consistent with fruit. Vidal is at bunch closure; some others, e.g., Chardonel and Frontenac, were a bit more advanced, and I saw some Petit Pearl clusters with color change.

Due to uneven growth and development, even within the same block, you probably need to be diligent with fungicide rotation to avoid relying on the same material, as we discussed in the last virtual meeting.  If you have not had a chance yet, please see my previous post on pre-bloom/bloom disease management.

Grape Disease Risks: 7/8-7/15/2026

NEWA is an Agricultural Weather Station Network, and we are part of the team. Here is a snapshot from last week showing the number of days with risk for each disease: Ph = Phomopsis, PW = Powdery mildew, BR = Black rot, and DM = Downy mildew. N/A means there is no data or issues with the NEWA. I am waiting to hear back from the weather station company about fixing the one in Stafford. This year, we have some issues with stations, so I moved some to nearby locations.

Many locations had more than four of eight days with downy mildew risk. Also, many locations will have infection events over the next seven days (see table below). As we discussed in the previous virtual vineyard meetings, we still need to maintain our vines to ensure healthy canopies that support bud formation for next year, cane or spur selection, and winter survival.

Downy mildew forecast

Please click the table above to enlarge. I hope you can find a time to protect your vines before these events. Please refer to my previous post about downy mildew management. 

The downy mildew forecasting effort is supported by the Virginia Wine Board.