California wine grape growers long ago traded bushy canopies for sleek trellising systems, but they continue to discover the importance of managing the vineyard canopy to optimize light conditions for maturing grapes. Table grape vineyards were the primary model for the vineyards serving California wineries until the early 1980s, said Dr. Nick Dokoozlian, vice president, viticulture, with Modesto’s Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery, during a presentation at the annual British Columbia Wine Institute viticulture conference in Penticton, Canada, last summer. Vineyards were planted on 12-foot by 8-foot spacings, but the sprawling canopies of the vigorous vines prevented the maturing fruit […]