Category Archives: Wine

Further GRBaV Observations

Posted on February 15, 2015 by gymnosperm

A number of things we have noticed about red blotch did not really fit into the themes of prior posts but we feel bear mention. The first, along the lines of Dr. Golino’s finding of a similar virus in a … Continue reading →

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GRBaV, Heredity or Environment?

Posted on February 11, 2015 by gymnosperm

The burning question in the vineyard business these days is whether or not to rip out and replant Red Blotch infected vines. On the one hand, the first variant of the disease has spread at an average of maybe 4% … Continue reading →

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GRBaV, The Vector, Which Mite It Be?

Posted on December 24, 2014 by gymnosperm

At a recent UC extension course, “Current Issues in Vineyard Health”, an impressive group of researchers presented their work. Dr. Brian Bahder revealed evidence of a second variant of GRBaV, commonly called red blotch virus, that seems to have invaded a block … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Ecology, GRBaV, Red Blotch Disease, Wine | 1 Comment

Hold and Haul, The Surprising Result of a Careful Analysis of Sustainability

Posted on December 22, 2014 by gymnosperm

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the “sustainability” in terms of fossil energy use between localized wastewater treatment at a sewage treatment facility and “hold and haul” trucking to the EBMUD cogeneration facility in Oakland for a new … Continue reading →

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GRBaV, A Null Hypothesis

Posted on November 30, 2014 by gymnosperm

As one contemplates the panoramas of red vineyards and walks rows to find disturbingly few completely asymptomatic plants, it is easy to consider a null hypothesis suggested by early notions that red blotch has been around a long time masked by similar symptoms … Continue reading →

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Stigma, The Scarlet Letter, and The Red Blotch

Posted on September 21, 2014 by gymnosperm

In the highly competitive business of marketing wine, consumer perception is everything and nobody wants to admit their vineyards have problems. This fear has slowed research into the habits of a virus now known to cause Red Blotch Disease. It is not such … Continue reading →

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GRBaV, The Highway Hypothesis

Posted on September 7, 2014 by gymnosperm

On our highways fossil energy propels nearly incessant rivers of iron and plastic machines at velocities approaching one hundred feet per second. These machines produce billowing vortices of dust, microbes, micronutrients, and exhaust chemicals in the surrounding atmosphere as they … Continue reading →

Posted in Biology, Ecology, Red Blotch Disease, RGBaV, Wine | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Grape Vine Red Blotch Associated Virus

Posted on August 16, 2014 by gymnosperm

Ebola is on our minds, but we easily forget that the biosphere is a churning cauldron of microbes whose tenure on the planet extends back several billion years. They live deep in the earth’s crust. They live in the mesosphere. … Continue reading →

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