The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to announce Tuesday that a quarantine will be lifted in Mendocino County and three other California counties afflicted by the European grapevine pest.
Two years of testing has shown that the pest is no longer present in Mendocino, Fresno, Merced and San Joaquin counties, meaning the quarantines can be lifted, the Associated Press reported.
"It should make fruit from Mendocino more appealing," said Rich Schaefers, former commission chairman at the Mendocino Winegrape & Wine Commission.
The quarantine has been more of a hassle for wineries than growers, Schaefers said, because wineries had to take special steps in blending and hauling the grape waste.
The quarantine will remain in effect in Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Nevada counties.
The destructive moth was detected in Napa County in 2009. The USDA plans to make the announcement on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
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