VITICULTURE

Workshop on spray applications

A workshop on optimizing spray applications will be held Jan. 18.

The free class is sponsored by the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission and

will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. at Santa Rosa Junior College Shone Farm,

6225 Eastside Road, Forestville.

Andrew Landers, of Cornell University, will discuss topics ranging from the

formation of droplets, the effects of airflow and reducing drift.

Reservations are requested by Friday. Call 522-5862 or e-mail

ipm@sonomawinegrape.org.

Managing tasting-room employees

Sonoma State University's Wine Business Institute is starting off its

Spring 2010 professional development season with a class about managing

tasting-room employees.

The class will be held Jan. 25 at Louis Martini Winery. It will focus on

helping employees achieve that delicate balance of skills required to provide

visitors with customer service, wine education and effective sales.

For information, visit www.sonoma.edu/winebiz.

Boisset Estates donates meals

Boisset Family Estates is making good on its promise to donate three meals

for each bottle of wine sold during the second half of 2009.

Jean-Charles Boisset, president of the Sausalito-based wine company, and

members of DeLoach Vineyards in Sonoma County, distributed food to needy

families Friday at the Redwood Empire Food Bank of Santa Rosa.

The winery donated about $63,000 to the food bank, enough to provide 40,000

meals, according to the company. The donation was part of the wine company's

nationwide effort to fight hunger by donating enough money to local food banks

for 1.2 million meals.

-- Kevin McCallum