Grape Camp 2024 Sessions

Grape Camp 2024 will be held at the Overton Hotel, 2322 Mac Davis Lane, Lubbock, Texas 79401, and Reddy Vineyards, 2149 Tahoka Road, US-380, Brownfield, Texas 79316.

Schedule is subject to change. 

Grape Growing 101: Getting Started on the Right Foot
Dr. Justin Scheiner, Texas A&M University; Danny Hillin, Texas A&M University; Dr. Patrick O’Brien, Texas A&M University
3:00 p.m.–4:15 p.m.

Wine 101: Building a Successful Wine Business
Maureen Qualia, Texas Tech University; Dr. Andreea Botezatu, Texas A&M University
4:30 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

This optional, two-part pre-event course available with Grape Camp registration will be held at the Texas A&M Lubbock Research and Extension Center.

Celebrating Our Legacy, Embracing Our Future
John Matthews, TWGGA 2024 President; Patrick Whitehead, Blue Ostrich Winery & Vineyard
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.

The Texas wine industry has a rich history and a bright horizon. Join us as industry pioneers share their stories and insights on how Texas has become a significant player in the wine world. This session will also look ahead, offering a vision for the future and the opportunities that lie ahead for our growing industry.

John Matthews, TWGGA 2024 President and owner of Cassaro Winery in Ovilla, Texas, is a law enforcement veteran, an award-winning writer, and coauthor of The Eyeball Killer, published by Pinnacle Books and Doubleday. Started with just ten vines, Cassaro Vineyards has expanded each year since 2015. Now with nearly 2,000 vines planted on three acres in Ovilla, Texas, the vineyard features Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and Albarino grapes.

Patrick Whitehead is co-owner and winemaker at Blue Ostrich Winery & Vineyard located in Saint Jo in the Red River Valley. For many years, the property was one of the foremost ostrich breeding and ranching facilities in the Southwest, but now it creates award-winning wines.

Breaking the Stigma: Mental Health Resources for Grape Growers
Miquela Smith, Texas A&M University
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

This session will provide an overview of risk and resiliency factors for occupational stress and suicide among agricultural producers in Texas. The session will provide participants with state and national resources to support the mental health and wellbeing of ag producers in their communities. Participants will also learn practical skills to help them engage with someone who may be experiencing a mental health challenge. The session will consist of a video, lecture, and some discussion.

Miquela Smith has served as a health specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service since 2018. Smith’s work focuses on rural health, mental health and wellbeing, disaster resiliency and recovery, and farm and ranch stress. She supports health education and program evaluation conducted by Extension Agents throughout the state. Smith currently serves as principal investigator for a subaward from the USDA Southern Region Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network to host estate planning trainings and provide tele behavioral health services to ag producers and their families through a novel partnership with the Texas A&M Telehealth Institute.

Future Flavors: Research Wine Tasting
Dr. Justin Scheiner, Texas A&M University; Maureen Qualia, Texas Tech University; Erwin Cain, Cicada Ridge Vineyard
11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

This tasting session offers more than just flavor. Experience wines from both research and commercial vineyards and discover how innovative science is shaping the future of winemaking. This guided tasting will highlight how research in grape growing, soil management, and fermentation techniques is influencing the wines of tomorrow.

Justin Scheiner is an Associate Professor and Extension Viticulture Specialist at Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. His Extension responsibilities include educational programming and technical support for grape growers in areas of Texas affected by Pierce’s Disease. His research program focuses on best management practices for vineyards in Texas, including practices to improve fruit quality, rootstocks and new varieties, and cover cropping.

Maureen Qualia is a senior lecturer of enology at Texas Tech University based at the Hill Country University Center in Fredericksburg, Texas. She received a BS in nutrition from the University of Texas at Austin and an MS in enology from California State University at Fresno. Maureen has actively worked in commercial wine production for more than 15 years in both California and Texas.

Erwin Cain has been growing grapes and making wine in East Texas for over 20 years. Recognizing that East Texas has a unique environment that only favors the heartiest varieties of grapes, he finally found what he was searching for. To marquee the bold and lustrous wines from several exquisite grape varieties, Cicada Ridge Vineyard was established.

The Latest From Texas Universities: Research and Development in Winemaking
Dr. Justin Scheiner, Texas A&M University; Michael Cook, Texas A&M University; Maureen Qualia, Texas Tech University; Andrew Snyder, University of North Texas
2:30 p.m.–3:30 p.m.

Discover how leading Texas universities are pioneering advancements in agriculture and viticulture. Representatives from Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and UNT will present their latest research, programs, and collaborations that are supporting the state’s grape and wine industry.

Justin Scheiner is an Associate Professor and Extension Viticulture Specialist at Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. His Extension responsibilities include educational programming and technical support for grape growers in areas of Texas affected by Pierce’s Disease. His research program focuses on best management practices for vineyards in Texas, including practices to improve fruit quality, rootstocks and new varieties, and cover cropping.

Michael Cook is the Viticulture Program Specialist for the 55 counties of North Texas with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. His primary function is to provide educational support for the nearly 120 commercial vineyards in the region by providing workshops, programs, educational materials, and one-on-one site visits with growers. He also collaborates with colleagues on applied research initiatives across the state.

Maureen Qualia is a senior lecturer of enology at Texas Tech University based at the Hill Country University Center in Fredericksburg, Texas. She received a BS in nutrition from the University of Texas at Austin and an MS in enology from California State University at Fresno. Maureen has actively worked in commercial wine production for more than 15 years in both California and Texas.

Keys to the Grower-Winemaker Relationship
Joe Riddle, Uva Morado Vineyards; Mason Mooreland, Texas Vine Country
9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

The relationship between grape growers and winemakers is essential to the success of the Texas wine industry. This session will provide valuable tools and strategies to enhance collaboration and communication, ensuring both parties can work together effectively to produce exceptional wines.

Joe Riddle is the owner of Uva Morado Vineyards in Smyer, Texas. He also serves as a Director at Large on the TWGGA Board of Directors.

Along with his family and the Holladay family, Mason Moreland is one of the owners of Texas Vine Country (TVC). TVC is one of the largest vertically integrated Texas wine companies with over 900 acres under vine across several sites in the  High Plains AVA, a large custom crush winery (FermForge) in Brownfield, and a developing consumer product presence (Viñador Wine). Texas Vine Country focuses on bringing modern agricultural innovations to the vineyard, particularly mechanical cultural practices and economies of scale. Mason is a Texas Tech graduate (2012, Natural Resources Management) and focuses on winery/vineyard operations, sales, company growth, and financing within their business.

Optimizing Vineyard Success: Vineyard Operations at Reddy Vineyards
Akhil Reddy, Reddy Vineyards
10:30 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Gain insider knowledge from Reddy Vineyards, one of Texas’s leading vineyard operations. This session will cover best practices in vineyard management, from soil preparation and irrigation techniques to pest control and harvest timing. Learn how to optimize your vineyard operations to achieve better yields and higher quality grapes.

The son of an immigrant cotton and peanut farmer with a PhD in soil and plant science, Akhil Reddy and his siblings visited the family farm outside of Lubbock, Texas, regularly. They made the farm their playground, climbing tractors, making mud pies, and roaming the fields together. Eventually, Akhil’s father, Dr. Vijay Reddy, put him to work in his newly planted vineyard in the Texas High Plains AVA, tying baby vines, learning how to drive a truck, and working other jobs in the vineyard through high school. Along with becoming an Eagle Scout, Akhil grew very fond of the land and outdoors. Akhil attended University of the Pacific in Stockton and San Francisco, California. It was in San Francisco that he experienced an immense culinary and wine culture. He graduated dental school at the early age of 23 and returned to Dallas, Texas, in 2008 to start his practice. Always interested in wine, he became more involved in his father’s wine grape farming operations and finally joined his father as a business partner in 2009.

Hands-on Viticulture: Practical Field Demonstrations
12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.

Dive into the practical side of vineyard management with a focus on the heavy equipment essential to modern viticulture. This session will feature live demonstrations of tractors, harvesters, sprayers, and other key machinery used in vineyard operations. Learn how to operate, maintain, and optimize the use of this equipment to enhance efficiency and productivity in your vineyard.