A Texas AgriLife Extension Service-sponsored “Prospective Wine-Grape Growers Workshop” for Central Texas is scheduled for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on April 28.

The workshop will be presented at the AgriLife Extension office, Gillespie County Agriculture Building, 95 Frederick Road, in Fredricksburg.

“This workshop will be useful to those considering planting a commercial vineyard or for those who already have a vineyard and want to expand planting to a commercial scale,” said Penny Adams, AgriLife Extension’s Hill County viticulture advisor.

Adams said the workshop was created by the Texas AgriLife Extension Viticulture Team to address the most common concerns potential or small-scale producers may have prior to committing valuable resources towards a commercial vineyard enterprise.

Workshop topics include: necessary viticulture expertise, vineyard site selection, risk factors, vineyard labor requirements and vineyard economics.

Adams and Fritz Westover, AgriLife Extension’s Texas Gulf Coast viticulture advisor, will provide the program instruction.

“If an individual decides to plant a vineyard after completing this informative workshop, Texas Agrilife Extension Service also offers an array of other programs to teach the nuts and bolts of grape growing in Texas,” Adams added.

The prospective growers workshop is a prerequisite for registration and acceptance into the Texas Tech Viticulture Certificate Program, she said.

Cost for the workshop is $125 per person or $200 per couple, and includes educational materials and lunch.

Registration can only be made through AgriLife Conference Services at their Web-site, http://agrilifevents.tamu.edu, or by calling 979-845-2604.

For more information, contact Adams at 830-997-7047 or [email protected].