By Dennis Farrell, Student Writer
Washington State University Viticulture & Enology representatives showcased their research and won several awards at the 2016 American Society of Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) National Conference last month in Monterey, Calif.
WSU graduate student Eric Gale won Best Student Viticulture presentation for his talk on the “Cold Hardiness of Vitis Vinifera Roots” and Zachary M. Cartwright won Best Student Enology Poster for his analysis of penetration depths of the Brettanomyces bruxellensis yeast in varying types of oak barrel staves.
WSU professor Markus Keller and assistant professor Tom Collins gave presentations on water stress responses from grapes and sulfur compounds in winemaking, respectively.
Keller, Collins and associate professor Jim Harbertson serve on the board of directors for the ASEV.
Harbertson said WSU was integral in organizing the event and that he, Collins and Keller were part of the selection committee that decided which of the submitted abstracts were accepted for presentation at the conference.
According to Harbertson, 500 people attended the conference, primarily industry members but also a number of students and faculty from V&E programs around the country.
ASEV gave out $100,000 in scholarship funding this year, more than any previous year, he added.
ASEV holds the national conference every year, allowing enologists and viticulturists from around the world to come together for awards, research forums, student presentations and industry seminars.
WSU Oral Presentations:
Markus Keller – “Berry Responses to Water Stress”
Tom Collins – “Sulfur Compounds in Winemaking: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”
Caroline Merrell – “Impact of Cabernet Sauvignon Berry Maturity on Wine Anthocyanin, Tannin, and Polymeric Pigment Content over Time”
Yun Zhang – “Grape Berry Transpiration and its Impacts on Ripening and Weight Loss”
Yun Zhang – “Irrigation Strategies for White Winegrape Production”
Eric Gale – “Cold Hardiness of Vitis vinifera Roots”
WSU Poster Presentations:
Jesse Aplin – Evaluation of Native Non-Saccharomyces Yeasts for Reducing Ethanol Production in Wine by Sugar Respiration
Zachary M. Cartwright – Analysis of Brettanomyces bruxellensis Penetration Depths in Different Types of Oak Barrel Staves
Bhaskar Bondada – Sunburn in Grape Berries: Varietal Differences in Composition, Structure, and Physiology
Katherine East – Rootstocks for Management of Meloidogyne hapla in Washington State Vineyards
Pete Jacoby – Influence of Direct Root-Zone Micro-Irrigation on Production of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Pacific Northwest
WSU ASEV Scholarship Recipients:
Jesse Aplin
Zachary M. Cartwright
Caroline Merrell
McKinley Dixon
Carina Ocampo
Megan Wade
WSU ASEV Board Members:
James Harbertson – Second Vice President/Interim Technical Program Director
Tom Collins – Secretary/Treasurer
Markus Keller – AJEV Science Editor