Expect Perfect Pairings, Industry Issues Survey

"Expect Perfect Pairing" won a Gold ACE Award for its presentation of the partnership between WSU and the Washington wine industry. To get your copies, just drop a note to Voice of the Vine editor Brian Clark: bcclark@wsu.edu.
"Expect Perfect Pairings" won a Gold ACE Award for its presentation of the partnership between WSU and the Washington wine industry. To get your copies, just drop a note to Voice of the Vine editor Brian Clark: bcclark@wsu.edu.

Gold for Grape Writers

Marketing and News Services writers Kathy Barnard and Brian Clark won a Gold ACE Award for their work on “Expect Perfect Pairings.” ACE is an international professional organization with an emphasis on agricultural communications.

“Expect Perfect Pairings” is a four-page brochure that presents the fruits of Washington State University’s long partnership with the Washington wine and grape industry. “Expect Perfect Pairings” covers WSU’s educational offerings (undergraduate, graduate, and professional certificate programs), current research projects, as well as WSU’s 70-year history of collaboration with the state’s growers and winemakers.

If you’d like copies of this award-winning brochure for your tasting room, wine shop or agritourism destination, we’d be happy to supply you with some. Just drop Voice of the Vine editor Brian Clark (bcclark@wsu.edu) a line with your request and we’ll get those in the mail to you.

At WSU, we do the science, so wine lovers can call the result art. WSU and the Washington wine industry? A perfect pairing in every way. Expect no less.

Excerpts from “Expect Perfect Pairings”

From the top: James Harbertson; Carolyn Ross; Gary Grove.
From the top: James Harbertson; Carolyn Ross; Gary Grove.

Tuning in on Tannins

Extension enologist James Harbertson focuses his research on the phenolic compounds found in grapes and wine and on how their biochemistry changes during grape ripening, winemaking, and aging. Some of his work includes understanding the variability of tannin found in red wine cultivars and the ultimate relationship between tannin, polymeric pigments, and astringency. For more information about Harbertson’s research, please visit: http://winegrapes.wsu.edu/wineweb/.

The Science behind the Sensory

Carolyn Ross, associate professor of food science, uses analytical chemistry techniques to identify and describe changes in aroma and flavor compounds and precursors, and how viticultural and enological practices affect these changes. Specifically, she examines the impact of appellations on grape and wine properties, the effect of organic farming regimes on grape and wine flavors and odors, and the impact of pests on wine aromas. For more information on Ross’s research, please visit:
http://fshn.wsu.edu/facultystaff/ross/.

The Foundation Block

Originally established in 1961 by Walter Clore, the grandfather of the state’s wine industry, the foundation block propagates and distributes certified virus-free material to wine grape growers of the Pacific Northwest. Just one of two regional services in the United States, WSU’s Northwest Grape Foundation Service grows over 125 varieties and is regularly adding more. Every plant that goes into the block is first indexed or “cleaned” of viruses. After a year in the foundation block, the plants are tested again. If clean, they are then released to nurseries to be propagated for the industry. As for the location of each plant in the block, there’s a map but it’s locked up in a vault–literally. “The map’s something not to be given to anybody,” said Gary Ballard, manager of the foundation block vineyards. It’s just another way of insuring the health and longevity of the state’s booming wine industry. For more information on the Northwest Grape Foundation Service, please visit:
http://nwgfs.wsu.edu/.

Got Issues?

The WSU Viticulture and Enology team want you to help them shape the direction of their research and outreach efforts. By taking a short survey, you can guide the future of V&E research in Washinton state.

Whether its sustainable vineyard management, phenolic management, grape quality or other issues you think are important, we’d like to hear from you.

Just visit http://winegrapes.wsu.edu/industryissues.html to complete the short survey.

It’s one more way of creating perfect pairings.