Introducing the Red Blend The second wine from the WSU Blended Learning student-made wine series made its debut this month. The new red blend is a combination of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and was made in partnership with students in the WSU Viticulture and Enology Program and Horse Heaven Hills. The new tradition of […]
What’s that smell? It’s a Monday morning inside the WSU sensory science lab where volunteers meticulously and anonymously sample everything from baked trout to french fries to wine, helping scientists glean information about the human senses. With the push of a blue button, a stainless steel panel lifts and a pair of hands slide forward […]
Science and Sensibility: Part Two In “Science and Sensibility: Part One,” Jim Holmes, known as the first to plant grapes on Red Mountain, shared his experience getting started in the wine industry in the early 1980s. You can read part one in November’s Voice of the Vine, here. In the early days, Jim Holmes struck a deal […]
Wine Talk: Holiday Pairings The holiday season is upon us and that means time for good company and, of course, good food. We asked a few of our viticulture and enology experts from WSU Pullman, Prosser, and Tri-Cities what they’re planning to dish up for the holidays and some of the wines that might go along as […]
Tell Us What You Really Think We think it’s about time we ask our readers what they think. Would you please take five minutes to answer a short poll about our online newsletters? In appreciation, we’ll enter your name (if you so choose) in a drawing to win one of three prizes: The Crimson Spoon […]
New Electric Tongue Evaluates Washington Wines An “electronic tongue” at Washington State University is hard-wired to taste wines in a way that human tongues cannot. Unlike human taste buds, this so-called “e-tongue” never tires or takes a day off, even after hours of around-the-clock sampling, said Carolyn Ross, associate professor of food science and viticulture […]
Why Fine a Wine: Visiting Wine Scientist from Germany Talks Production In the film Bottle Shock, based on a true story of the late 1970s “Judgment of Paris” wine competition, winemaker Jim Barrett almost throws out his chardonnay when it turns brown in the bottles. His son, however, keeps the wine and later discovers it’s […]
Soil Scientists Dig into the Mystery of Replant Disease Concord grape growers have had a problem for years: when they plant a young vine in a gap where another grape plant was removed, the new vine frequently dies in the first year. Some suspect nematodes, others blame bacteria but, in fact, no one knows for […]
A New Virus Disease Poses Additional Threat to Viticulture in Washington A newly discovered grapevine virus is challenging Washington vineyard managers, just as it is challenging researchers to understand its nature and spread. Naidu Rayapati, a grape virologist at the Washington State University Irrigated Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Prosser, leads the team that […]
With Brew Techniques From Sierra Nevada, Cougar Ale Underway Now for something completely different: it isn’t exactly about wine, but in the spirit of fermentation science, here’s a story about a Washington state connection to one of America’s classic and most popular breweries. Ruth Henderson pours hops into a tank at the Sierra Nevada Brewing […]