Annual Mendocino County Pruning Contest
Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission Announces Winners of Annual Pruning Contest
L to R 2nd place Guillermo Martinez Medina, 3rd Place- Oscar Ojeda-Hernandez, 1st Place Salvador Gutierrez
Ukiah, Calif — March 8, 2012 — Results are in for this year’s Mendocino County Vineyard Pruning Contest. Salvador Gutierrez, an employee of VinePro Vineyard Management Inc., took the championship and $1,000 prize, February 25th at Nelson Family Vineyards in Hopland. Second place went to Guillermo Martinez Medina, employed by Beckstoffer Vineyards; the third place winner was Oscar Ojeda-Hernandez, employed by Goldeneye Winery.
Judges selected the winners based on the number and quality of their pruning cuts and speed. Their swift and strategic cuts of last year’s growth are essential determinants of crop size and, ultimately, grape quality. Pruning is a vital step requiring skill and knowledge of the vines’ growth cycle.
The pruning contest is part of an education program sponsored by the Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission on behalf of its members. Other sponsors were Goldeneye Winery, Nelson Family Vineyards, Roederer Estate, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Simaine Cellars, Central Valley Builders Supply, Cameron and Cameron and the Savings Bank of Mendocino County.
The Mendocino Winegrape & Wine Commission (MWWC) is an alliance of 91 wineries and 343 grape growers in Mendocino County. MWWC promotes and markets the vineyards, wines and people that define Mendocino. The organization sponsors education and research supporting sustainable viticulture techniques for growing premium grapes in Mendocino’s 12 diverse regions. www.mendowine.com
