Last updated on March 11, 2010

Date: Thursday, June 24
Time of seminars: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Location: Washington State Convention Center

These seminars are an ASEV program feature that emphasizes the fundamentals of commercial winemaking and viticulture practices. They are designed to emphasize useful, practical, hands-on knowledge of the general topic category with specific product focus. The speaker panels will integrate industry and/or academia with supplier expertise.

Speakers will be added as confirmed.

Oak Barrels and Alternatives II

This seminar will address barrels and alternatives and their application to winemaking. Each winemaker makes decisions based on preference, experience and wine style. We have a slate of suppliers who will share their knowledge of their products in tandem with industry speakers willing to share their experiences. The impact of different products and mastering their use are the key to success.
Chair Leticia Chacón-Rodriguez, Foster’s Wine Estates Americas, California
Suppliers Roger Burson, Quality Wine Barrels, California
Cyril Derreumaux, Vivelys USA–Oenodev Inc, California
Industry Jordan Ferrier, Constellation Wines US
Michael Silacci, Opus One, California

Closures

Winemakers now have a number of choices in wine bottle closures. With more choice comes increased need for information in order to make informed decisions. In this seminar winemakers and suppliers will share their knowledge on the use of different types of wine bottle closures. In addition to answering your questions, potential topics include: factors to take into account when choosing a closure, advantages and disadvantages of various products, and whether or not changes in winemaking parameters should be considered.
Chair Linda Trotta, Swiftwater Cellars, Washington
Suppliers Carlos Macku, Cork Supply USA, California
Kyle Rossler, Encore Glass, California
Industry Bob Bertheau, Chateau St. Michelle Winery, Washington
Sandra Oldfield, Tinhorn Creek Winery, Canada

Winegrowing in a New Economic Paradigm

Winegrowing in a New Economic Paradigm:  Farming for Quality with Efficiency There has been a paradigm shift in consumer wine buying trends over the past two years and wineries have embraced this shift by changing bottle price points and analyzing cost of goods for opportunities to increase financial efficiencies. Simultaneously, during this shift, the wine industry is trying to incorporate sustainable practices into their production systems, which may offer a vehicle for positive change. Winegrowers are now attempting to embrace sustainable practices in the face of these new economies.This session will discuss how winegrowers can accommodate their annual growing plans to farm for a lower price point, maintain a targeted level of wine quality, and incorporate sustainable winegrowing practices. There is a respectable amount of tons available throughout the state of California right now and a fair percentage of these grapes once went into wine programs that have either lowered their price point or no longer exist because of a shrinking luxury brand market. The speakers will discuss how, as an industry, we can farm in this rather new, but seemingly permanent paradigm.
Chair Lise Asimont, Francis Ford Coppola Presents, California
Suppliers Rob Wood, ScanControl Inc, California
John Felice, Pringle Tractor Co.
Industry Simon Graves, Foster’s Wine Estates Americas, California
Mark Greenspan, Advanced Viticulture LLC, California