Researchers seeking grape samples

All –

Two well-respected researchers who many of you know – Drs. Anita Oberholster and Elizabeth Tomasino – have asked that we advise industry members of their plan to review historical atmospheric data in developing risk models to mitigate damage from smoke.  They would like to incorporate samples from the 2020 harvest and need to collect grapes and/or wine samples that may have been impacted by smoke.  Please feel free to share their instructions below with any interested growers and wineries in California, Washington and Oregon. 

 

Many thanks, Michele

 

Michele Famiglietti

Senior Director, Federal Relations

Wine Institute

601 Thirteenth Street, N.W, Suite 330 South

Washington, D.C. 20005

202/408-0870

MFamiglietti@wineinstitute.org

www.wineinstitute.org

 

Researchers at UC Davis and Oregon State are seeking samples from grapes or wine from the 2020 harvest that might have been impacted by smoke exposure.  These samples will enable them to study atmospheric data with the goal of mitigating damage as a result of exposure to wildfires and smoke.  Grape and / or wine samples will be stored until funding is secured, and the study gets underway.  Please note: this is not meant to be an alternative to having samples analyzed by commercial labs. Results of the study will not be available for months or years to come. 

 

If you would like to participate in this study, please follow the instructions below. 

 

Please notify the following researchers of your interest in participating in the study before sending any samples:

Dr. Elizabeth Tomasino, Associate Professor of Enology, Oregon State University @ Elizabeth.tomasino@oregonstate.edu

Dr. Anita Oberholster, Associate Specialist in Cooperative Extension in Enology, UC Davis @ Aoberholster@ucdavis.edu

 

Please send either grape clusters or wine (or both). 

·       Please submit unblended wine with no oak/wood contact. 

·       Only 1 sample per vineyard for each variety, please. 

·       Grapes – 1-2kg

·       Grapes should be frozen and shipped frozen in Styrofoam when possible

·       Wine – 375mL

·       Wines should be well sealed with little to no headspace

·       For customs forms, contents should be listed as research samples (not for consumption or sale)

 Each sample must include: 

·       GPS coordinates for grape origin

·       Grape harvest date

 

Please provide as much detail as possible related to: 

·       Grape variety

·       Rootstock

·       Clone

·       Vine age

·       Type of trellising

 
For wines:

·       Yeast and/or MLF used for fermentation

·       Fermentation temperature

·       Skin contact time and pressing details such as inclusion of press fraction

ALL SAMPLES FROM CALIFORNIA MUST BE SHIPPED TO:

Anita Oberholster

1136 Robert Mondavi Institute North

595 Hilgard Lane

Davis, CA 95616-8749

For those located near UCDavis, arrangements may be made to pick up samples. Please contact: Aoberholster@ucdavis.edu.

 

ALL SAMPLES FROM OREGON AND WASHINGTON MUST BE SHIPPED TO:

Oregon State University

Attn: Elizabeth Tomasino

100 Wiegand Hall

3501 SW Campus Way

Corvallis, OR 97331

For those located near OSU, arrangements may be made to pick up samples. Please contact: Elizabeth.tomasino@oregonstate.edu

For those located near WSU-tricities, similar arrangement for pick up may be made by c

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