Viticulture Farm Advisor Lindsay Jordan hit the ground running after arriving in the Central Valley in 2015.

Shortly after being hired by the University of California she was handed a wine grape study begun years earlier by a predecessor, Jim Wolpert. The goal: to find wine grapes that produce well -- yields and quality -- in the heat of San Joaquin Valley summers.

Jordan is currently studying 56 different wine grape varieties -- evenly split between reds and whites -- for characteristics that will work well with wine programs and yield profits for Valley grape growers.

Jordan recently held a field tour and discussion at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Parlier, Calif. to share what she has learned to date. Several varieties are beginning to show some promise as others are likewise revealing that they cannot perform in the climate conditions of the San Joaquin Valley.