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Washington wine research seminar set for July 11 in Woodinville

By Eric Degerman on June 30, 2018

Jim Harbertson, wine chemist for Washington State University, leads a tour of the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Wine Science Center in Richland, Wash. (Photo courtesy of WSU Tri-Cities)

WOODINVILLE, Wash. — Organizers for WAVEx, a condensed version of the acclaimed Washington Advancements in Viticulture and Enology (WAVE) research seminar series, have opened registration for Wednesday, July 11 at Chateau Ste. Michelle theater in Woodinville.

Cost is $30, and the half-day, WAVEx-Woodinville presentations will explore how to take wine quality to the next level through the theme Making Better Wine through Chemistry.

Washington State University scientists Jim Harbertson, Thomas Henick-Kling and Tom Collins will share practical tips and application of research to help winemakers avoid wine faults, use sulfur dioxide appropriately, know what’s living in their wine, winery sanitation methods and more.

The half-day session runs 1-4 p.m., and is sponsored by the Washington State Wine Commission, WSU and Woodinville Wine Country. Pre-registration is required as seats are limited.

In each of the past two years, the American Society of Enology and Viticulture has awarded work that Harbertson has been involved with. This year, it was Best Enology Paper for the impact of grape maturity and ethanol concentration on sensory properties of Washington state Merlot wines. In 2017, he and other WSU researchers won the Best Enology Paper for the effects of vineyard and winemaking practices impacting berry size on evolution of phenolics during winemaking.

One of Harbertson’s recent projects was a study by tracking color changes that occur during fermentation and after a rosé is bottled.

The purpose of WAVEx is to raise awareness about the value of research funded by the wine industry through the grape and wine assessments paid to the Washington State Wine Commission. The WAVE and WAVEx events seminars have been developed to help growers and winemakers access and apply research.

For additional information, contact research program manager Melissa Hansen at mhansen@washingtonwine.org.

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About Eric Degerman

Eric Degerman is the President and CEO of Great Northwest Wine. He is a journalist with more than 30 years of daily newspaper experience and has been writing about wine since 1998. He co-founded Wine Press Northwest magazine with Andy Perdue and served as its managing editor for a decade. He is a frequent wine judge at international wine competitions throughout North America and orchestrates 10 Northwest competitions each year.