By Ying-Yu Liao | Fall 2025
A grape grower's best ally — no jargon required
"Is my plant just being weird?"
Charlotte Oliver has heard it all: texts at 6 a.m., photos of mystery spots on leaves, even the occasional panic call about a “disease” that turns out to be nothing.
“I’ve had people send me pictures of every weird spot on a leaf,” she says with a grin. “Sometimes I get to say, ‘Nope, that’s just a leaf being a leaf.’ I think they appreciate knowing they can call me without it turning into a big production.”
That kind of connection doesn’t come from a textbook. It comes from years of showing up in the field, in the classroom, and at community tastings. As a Viticulture Extension Specialist at Colorado State University, Charlotte is not just a scientist. She’s a translator, a neighbor, and a sounding board. Her position exists because Colorado’s grape and wine industry decided they needed a full-time expert, and they pooled their funds to create it.
“I wouldn’t be here if the industry hadn’t said, ‘We need someone full-time to help us grow better grapes.’ My job is directly tied to serving them,” she says. “That means being available, being practical, and being honest, even when the answer is disappointing.”
Finding her place in the vineyard
Charlotte did not set out to work with grapes. While finishing her graduate work in plant pathology, she took a seasonal job during harvest.
“It was fast-paced, sticky, and I loved it. You could see your work turning into something real. And vineyard crews are some of the hardest-working, funniest people I’ve met. Once you’re in that community, you don’t want to leave.”
Helping first, always
Because her position is funded by growers, Charlotte treats every call and vineyard visit as mission critical.
“If a grower calls me, they are not looking for a research seminar. They want to know what is wrong, what to do about it, and whether it is worth the effort. My job is to get them that answer as quickly and clearly as possible.”
Sometimes that answer changes more than a harvest. She recalls a vineyard losing around 20 percent of its crop to powdery mildew every year.
“We figured out it was a microclimate thing in that block. We opened up the canopy to get more airflow. The next year, their losses were way down. That is the best feeling, when you can see a problem shrink because of something you did together.”
Learning to speak “grower”
“When I first started, I thought my plant pathology background was going to be the hardest part. It wasn’t. It was learning how to talk to people who didn’t care about the Latin name of the fungus,” she says.
Her strategy is to start with what the grower cares about most, skip the jargon, and go hands-on.
Charlotte’s Tips for Talking to Growers
- Lead with what matters most to them. “What’s wrong, what can I do, and how much will it cost?”
- Skip the jargon. Use plain language and get straight to the point.
- Go hands-on whenever you can.
- Build trust over time. Show up in all seasons, not just when the weather and the crop look good.
Training with third graders
After realizing that communication skills would be one of the most critical talents for her career, Charlotte credits one unlikely experience with sharpening her grower talks: participating in “Skype a Scientist,” a program that connects scientists with classrooms.
“Explaining fungi to third graders was great training. You find out really fast when you have lost them. They just start talking about dinosaurs.”
She laughs. “It forced me to strip away jargon and make it fun. Now I think about that every time I give a grower talk. If I can explain a fungus to a third grader over Zoom and keep them interested, I can explain vineyard diseases to anyone.”
In the classroom and beyond
Charlotte also teaches a viticulture course at Colorado State, blending science, management, and the messy realities of farming.
“I tell my students that the vines will teach you patience and humility. You can do everything right and still get surprised.”
Whenever possible, she brings the field into the classroom, literally. “If a vineyard has something interesting going on, my students might see it in class the next day. It makes the science real.”
Trust in all seasons
Charlotte was named a Friend of the Colorado Wine Industry in 2024, a recognition that means more to her than the plaque.
“You don’t earn that by showing up once. You earn it by showing up when it is raining, when it is hailing, and when the crop looks terrible. You earn it by giving straight answers even when they are not what people want to hear.”
Sharing skills beyond Colorado
Her dedication to communication extends beyond state lines. Each year, she leads communication workshops at the APS annual meetings, helping plant pathologists connect their science to any audience.
