Register for January 21 WAVEx webinar
December 17, 2025 (Seattle, WA) — Wine grape growers and winemakers are invited to register for an upcoming webinar focused on preparation for drought in Washington State vineyards on January 21, 2026, from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Dr. Charles Obiero, post-doctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Markus Keller at Washington State University, has spent the past three years investigating the timing of drought in Washington wine grape vineyards. Obiero is studying the effects of a common grower practice, fruit thinning, in response to drought.
During the webinar, he will discuss the following:
- Overview of the drought experiment, including timing of drought stress
- Results on fruit thinning and its effects on standard fruit quality metrics under drought
- Whether the timing of drought affects grapevine cold hardiness
- Any carryover effects from a drought year to the following year
- Does dropping fruit make economic sense?
Washington Advancements in Viticulture and Enology (WAVE) is the Washington State Wine Commission’s seminar and webinar series focused on wine research. WAVEx is the condensed, shorter webinar series. Washington State University is a co-sponsor of the WAVE and WAVEx events.
To learn more about previous WAVEx webinars, visit www.washingtonwine.org/wave/.
About the Washington State Wine Commission:
The Washington State Wine Commission (WSWC) represents every licensed winery and wine grape grower in Washington State. Guided by an appointed board, WSWC provides a marketing platform to raise positive awareness about the Washington wine industry and generate greater demand for its wines. Funded almost entirely by the industry through assessments based on grape and wine sales, WSWC is a state government agency, established by the legislature in 1987. Learn more at www.washingtonwine.org.
