Viticulture is the process of cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is one of the biggest industries in the world, since it is responsible for supplying the demand for table grapes, grape juice, raisins, and more importantly, wine. Being the second most popular alcoholic beverage in the world after beer, wine is a colorful, flavorful drink that has the grape as it's backbone, that moves a $300 billion dollar industry worldwide.
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| Figure 1. Clusters of Merlot grapes | Figure 2. A bottle and glass of wine |
There are many wine producing regions in the world, with some of the most notable located in Europe and the United States, but if we go a little bit south of California, we can find a small zone in the municipality of Ensenada, Baja California in Mexico that supports a growing local industry dedicated to wine making, research and business. Valle de Guadalupe is home to more than 100 different wineries that produce over 70% of Mexico's wine. There are many varieties of grape cultivated and harvested in Valle de Guadalupe, with the most prevalent being Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo and Chenin Blanc.
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| Figure 3. Location of Valle de Guadalupe | Figure 4. A vineyard in Valle de Guadalupe (El Cielo) |
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| Figure 5. Pierce's disease | Figure 6. Red blotch disease |