Patty SkinkisAs of July 1, Dr. Patty Skinkis, Viticulture Extension Specialist and Professor at Oregon State University (OSU), has been confirmed as the 2020-2021 president. She succeeds Kristen Barnhisel, winemaker for white wines at J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines. Dr. Skinkis will lead ASEV’s 12-member board.

Dr. Skinkis spends most of her time developing and delivering research information and educational outreach materials for the commercial winegrape industry in Oregon. As part of her viticulture program at OSU, Dr. Skinkis conducts applied research that impacts the commercial winegrape industry and contributes to the broader knowledge of grapevine physiology and vineyard sustainability. She teaches an upper-division viticulture course in the Department of Horticulture. Some of her outreach efforts include building community between industry members and researchers through technical groups to allow information exchange that drives research and innovations.

“I am pleased to be serving as ASEV president during these trying times. The challenges provide us with opportunities to change as a society and envision a new reality that may better serve the industry and the culture of scientific exchange long-term,” says Skinkis.

In addition to Patty Skinkis, the board’s Executive Committee for 2020-2021 includes: Tom Collins, assistant professor at the Wine Science Center, Washington State University, Tri-Cities, first vice president; R. Keith Striegler, grower outreach specialist of E. & J. Gallo Winery, California, second vice president; and Merilark Padgett-Johnson of the Natural Resources Department at Santa Rosa Junior College, California, secretary-treasurer. Continuing on with their board positions are Markus Keller, professor and Chateau Ste. Michelle distinguished professor in viticulture at the Department of Horticulture, Washington State University, Prosser, Washington, as the ASEV science editor, and James Harbertson, associate professor of enology at the Wine Science Center, Washington State University, Tri-Cities, as the technical program director. Current directors include Torey Arvik, Sonomaceuticals/WholeVine Products, California; Anna Katharine Mansfield, Cornell University, New York; Michelle Moyer, Washington State University, Prosser; and James Osborne, Oregon State University. New incoming ASEV directors include Kristen Barnhisel, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, California, and Federico Casassa, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. For a full board list, click here.

For the full press release and to read more about this, click here.

Congratulations to this year’s Best Student Presentation Award winners! Due to the National Conference being canceled this year, ASEV had to find other ways to continue with the student activities and presentations that are normally held during the conference. This year, students were required to submit a video to be considered for the Best Student Presentation Awards, and with Lallemand’s generous sponsorship, we were able to award six students. All the winning videos can be viewed here.

This year’s winners are as follows:

Viticulture

• First Place – Andrew Harner, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, for “Preliminary Insights into Grapevine Ecophysical Responses to Spotted Lanternfly Population Density in Pennsylvania”
• Second Place – Harper Smith, University of Missouri, Columbia, for “Potential Insect Vectors of Grapevine Red Blotch Virus in Missouri Vineyards”
• Third Place – Andrej Svyantek, North Dakota State University, Fargo, for “Observations on Inheritance of Lacinate Leaves in Hybrid Grapevine Populations Derived from “Chasselas Cioutat’”

Enology

• First Place – Rachel Allison, Cornell University, New York, for “Glutathione Increases Formation of Unstable Copper-Sulfhydryl Complexes Capable of Releasing H₂S During Bottle Storage”
• Second Place – Demetra Perry, Cornell University, New York, for “Effects of Pre-Fermentative Treatments on Juice Fermentation Kinetics, Color Extraction, and Volatile Composition”
• Third Place – Hannah Charnock, Brock University, Canada, for “Impact of Production Method on Metal Content in Sparkling Wines”