The Syrah cluster on the right was treated with the antitranspirant Vapor Gard; nontreated cluster is on the left. The treated cluster showed slower coloration, a sign of delayed ripening. PHOTO BY YUN ZHANG A Washington State University graduate student recently returned from the world’s most prestigious wine university where she collaborated in research on how grape berry water flow influences ripening. Her research highlights the detrimental effects overhead irrigation could have in delaying sugar accumulation and increasing cracking, especially with Concord juice grapes and, to a lesser degree, with Syrah wine grapes. Doctoral student Yun Zhang spent three months in […]