Fresno, CA -- Vineyard trials testing the concept of “crop forcing” to shift grape ripening to the cooler part of the growing season for improved fruit quality could provide benefits not only for established warm climate grapegrowing regions, but could also be a future tool to address global climate change. At this week’s Grape Day at California State University Fresno (CSUF), associate professor and researcher Dr. Sanliang Gu discussed crop forcing trials begun in 2009 in commercial vineyards in Fresno and Madera counties with Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. The Aug. 10 event included a field tour of a trial in two rows of Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the campus vineyard, where vines and fruit clusters were in various stages of development.