DAVIS, CALIF., May 9, 2016…Professor and biochemist Douglas O. Adams of the University of California, Davis, has been confirmed as the recipient of the 2016 Merit Award, the American Society for Enology and Viticulture’s (ASEV) highest honor. He will be sharing his presentation Representations and Interventions in Growing Grapes and Making Wine at the ASEV’s 67^th National Conference in Monterey on June 30, 2016.

            “Scientific research is meant to uncover new information and solve problems,” says Dr. Adams. “I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to apply science to a cherished agricultural plant and the products derived from its fruit.  Of course, it is rewarding to find a new piece of information that improves our understanding of grapes and wine, but finding something that might actually be useful is doubly so. Working with talented students and learning from the keen observations of growers and winemakers has been my reward for being a part of this dynamic industry. Thus, I was surprised and humbled to receive this recognition.”

Best known for his research work on grape berry ripening, Dr. Adams has concentrated his efforts in two principal areas: (1) the biochemical changes that occur during ripening and (2) the development of tannins in skins and seeds of red wine varieties, which led to research related to tannin extraction during winemaking. His work on tannin development during ripening also led to the Adams-Harbertson Phenolics Panel, a protein precipitation assay designed to aid real-time winemaking decisions. He also has a project aimed at understanding factors that influence amino acid metabolism in grapevines and the amino acid composition of grapes at harvest. This work hopes to provide an analytical tool for viticulturists that will inform them about vine nitrogen status in vineyards managed for commercial wine production.

Dr. Adams is currently a viticulture professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis. He teaches Introduction to Winemaking and a graduate level class in grape berry development and composition. He was ASEV’s Honorary Research Lecturer in 2006.         

Each year, the ASEV presents the Merit Award to an individual who has significantly contributed in an outstanding manner to the progress and advancement of enology and viticulture in the industry and/or to the Society. The award acknowledges excellence in the fields of education, technology, management, public relations or any discipline related to enology and viticulture.

The ASEV National Conference was established in 1950 as an annual meeting by a committee of industry and academic representatives comprised of founding leaders such as Maynard Amerine, James Guymon, Joseph Heitz, Louis P. Martini, Harold Olmo, Andre Tchelistcheff, A.W. Webb and A. J. Winkler. The event serves as the wine and grape industry’s platform for progress, offering a unique combination of continued professional education in regard to scientific rigor and fundamental practice. The diverse and comprehensive program includes seminars addressing topics of daily experience in the winery and vineyard as well as reports and updates on original research, and enology and viticulture work in progress.

Open to all industry and academic representatives, the National Conference provides an ideal opportunity for networking among members of all U.S. wine and grape regions as well as international experts and professionals.

Click here for the latest information about the 67^th National Conference.