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.

Scott Hawley, winemaker at Torrin Vineyard in Paso Robles, 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.

Hawley has been creating wines from some of Paso Robles’ most significant vineyards for nearly 15 years. Through his experiences domestically and abroad, Scott has developed a deep appreciation for the philosophy that wine is first an expression of place. He believes his role is to simply create an environment throughout the wine growing process where the fruit is given the greatest opportunity to perform to its potential. It is then through blending that he arranges the wines to showcase the best of what the site and the vintage has delivered. From the dirt on his boots to his wine-stained hands, it is obvious he loves the process as much as the result and his enthusiasm is present in every wine he makes.

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.