Episode
085: Development of the Monterey County Wine Industry with Larry Bettiga
- Podcast
- Vineyard Underground
- Published
- Nov 25, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 2990
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/vineyard-underground-6280933/episodes/085-development-of-the-monterey-county-wine-industry-with-larry-bettiga/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/vineyard-underground-6280933/085-development-of-the-monterey-county-wine-industry-with-larry-bettiga.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Fritz welcomes longtime colleague and respected viticulture authority Larry Bettiga in this episode for an in-depth look at the evolution of Monterey County's wine industry. With more than four decades of experience, Larry offers a rare, firsthand perspective on how the region transformed from scattered early vineyards into one of the country's most significant cool-climate grape-growing areas. Larry explains how Monterey's dramatic coastal influence, daily wind patterns, and diverse soils shaped both the opportunities and challenges for growers. He and Fritz unpack the early years of vineyard expansion, including the misalignment of some varieties with climate conditions and how improved temperature modeling and clone selection later steered the region toward better outcomes. The conversation also explores Larry's extensive research on rootstocks, irrigation, canopy management, and disease control. His comparison of dormant vines, green potted vines, and tall-format grafted vines provides growers with valuable, practical guidance on establishing healthy, high-performing vineyards. This episode delivers a blend of regional history, applied science, and grounded, grower-focused lessons, capped with Larry's reflections on the future of extension work and its continued importance in California viticulture. In this episode, you will hear: How Monterey County became a major coastal winegrowing region Why early plantings struggled, and how growers adapted with better temperature and clone data A practical comparison of dormant, green, and tall-format grafted vines Lessons from decades of research on rootstocks, canopy management, and disease control The future outlook for UC Cooperative Extension in California viticulture Follow and Review: If you enjoyed this episode, be su…