Research and Evaluation: Vineyard Site Selection

Vineyard site selection is dictated by several determining factors including; environmental stresses and biological pests, slope of growing area, climatic variables, soil and water quality and . Grapes grown in Ventura County exposed to environmental stresses and biological pests that can reduce crop quality and yields and injure or kill grapevines. Damaging winter temperatures, spring and fall frosts, extremes of rainfall, and higher than optimal summer temperatures occur with regularity in some regions. Grapevines can be severely injured by certain atmospheric pollutants if grown near the origin of those pollutants. Grapes are also threatened by diseases, certain insects, and by vertebrate animals, including deer and birds. Despite these challenges, grapes are successfully grown in many areas of the state. Vineyard site selection, therefore, greatly affects crop yields, quality and vineyard profitability.

For our model we must determine which site of four would be best suited for development of a profitable Vineyard.

Poppy Retrieving!

View of urban runoff discharging to coastal waters

The Facade

Sites to be considered are located in Ojai, Camarillo, Oxnard, and Valencia all of the sites are of the same area dimensions and meet prime growing slope requirements of less than 3%. The sites selected are considered prime agricultural growing areas.

It will be our challenge to determine from the remaining variables of climactic, soil quality and water quality and quantity, which will provide the best selection for development of a profitable vineyard. Ultimately, we realize that vineyard site selection involves compromises. Few sites are ideally suited to grape production in all respects.

Climate refers to the average course of the weather at a given location over a period of years and is measured by temperature, precipitation, wind speed and other meteorological

conditions. "Weather" is the state of the atmosphere at a given moment with respect to those same meteorological conditions.

Climactic Variation

The macroclimate refers to the prevailing...