Quality versus yield is the age-old debate between growers and winemakers. How to find ways to balance the two promises to spark a lively discussion amongst top viticulturists Keith Patterson, Mark Greenspan and Lowell Zelinksi, and winemaker Scott Hawley, during the general session on Wednesday, March 20 at WiVi Central Coast, the industry’s newest and largest tradeshow and symposium.

Keith Patterson, formerly the head of the viticulture program at California Polytechnic University, will bring his unique knowledge to the round table discussion, which will focus on finding the balance between quality and yield size. The ongoing debate about quality versus yields becomes a hot topic as predictions of winegrape shortages and smaller crops lead to increased global demand for winegrapes. What does this mean for the Central Coast? Understanding the viticulture research, implications of alcohol in wine and the demands of the marketplace bring together a lively discussion.

Patterson received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas and his doctorate from the University of Missouri. His first experience in California was as a research scientist in viticulture at California State University, Fresno in 1985.

As head of the viticulture program at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, Pattersonis currently directing the operations of the vineyards where the students are trained for careers in the viticulture field as well as producing grapes for the award winning wines from Cal Poly. Teaching is an important component of his position at Cal Poly. He teaches introductory and advanced viticulture and grapevine physiology. He is also a consultant for many winegrowers around the state of California, and is a certified sustainability auditor for Wine Institute.

About WiVi Central Coast 2013

California's Central Coast is quickly becoming one of the world's most popular and celebrated wine regions. Since December 2009, 95 new wineries popped up in the Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz counties. In 2012, nearly 7 million cases of wine were produced in the region. This burgeoning area faces many unique issues in its wine-growing and winemaking efforts, and WiVi Central Coast 2013, a new symposium and trade show hosted by Wine Business Monthly and Precision Ag Consulting, has been created to address those topics.

WiVi will be held March 19-20, 2013 at the Paso Robles Event Center in Paso Robles, California. It is the only trade show and symposium to address the issues facing the Central Coast wine industry, one of the fastest growing regions in the country. For more information, visit www.wivicentralcoast.com.