Washington Winegrape Industry Announces Honors

The Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers announced annual awards at its convention, which was held in Kennewick Feb. 10-13.

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Awards were:

Grower of the Year
Robert Rivera of Goose Ridge Winery received the Erick Hanson Memorial Wine Grape Grower Award for exceptional viticultural skills. Rivera is known for his wealth of experience in the wine industry and his dedication to the betterment of vine structure, canopy management and everything it takes to keep a vineyard growing and thriving.

Industry Service
Kevin Corliss of St. Michelle Winery Estates received the Industry Service Award for his tireless dedication on behalf of and for the continual improvement and benefit of the winegrape industry. He began his career at St. Michelle in 1983 as a lab assistant intern. He is now vice president of vineyard operations. His passion for the industry and years of experience have made him one of the most-trusted people in the industry.

Lifetime Achievement
Rich Wheeler of St. Michelle Winery Estates received a Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize his outstanding service to the Washington grape and wine industry. Wheeler started his career with St. Michelle in 1979 and retired in 2010 as vice president of vineyards. The development of vineyards, especially in the Horse Heaven Hills and Red Mountain regions, is just one of his many accomplishments.

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Restaurant of the Year
Each year, a restaurant is selected that does an exceptional job of showcasing and educating diners about Washington wines. This year’s recipient was the Seaview restaurant, 42nd Street Café & Bistro, which has been serving food to residents, friends and visitors of Oregon’s north and Washington’s south coasts since 1994. The food is accompanied by an attentive staff and an impeccable wine list that features many of Washington’s best.

Posters
Posters provide an opportunity for students, educators, researchers and other professionals to present new information and discuss the work they are doing with wine and grape industry stakeholders. Displays provide information on a variety of topics, including wine and grape research, wine marketing and promotion, extension and educational outreach, educational class projects, technology transfer, tax and/or assessment-funded industry support and institutional research funding.

Posters were judged by industry stakeholders, and prizes were awarded in three categories: Professional, Graduate and Undergraduate:

Professional
First Place: Trent Ball, Ray Folwell, Doug Walsh and Naidu Rayapati
Topic: Is Grape Virus Tax Hitting Your Pocketbooks?

Second Place: Richard C. Larsen, Maria M. Mireles and James F. Harbertson
Topic: Impacts of Grape Maturity and Ethanol Concentration on Wine Tannin Concentration

Third Place: Markus Keller, Laura S. Deyermond, Sushan Ru and Bhaskar R. Bondada
Topic: The “Big Vine”’ Effect: Why Vigor Declines in Grapevines With High Shoot Numbers

Graduate
First Place: Golnaz Badr and Gerrit Hoogenboom
Topic: Site Selection of Vineyards

Second Place: Leslie A. Holland, Gary G. Grove and Dean A. Glawe
Topic: A Reassessment of Grapevine Trunk Diseases in Washington State Vineyards

Third Place: Zachary M. Cartwright and Charles G. Edwards
Topic: Evaluation of the Survival of Brettanomyces bruxellensis in Grape Pomace

Undergraduate
First Place: Joe Sperry and Thomas Spotteck
Topic: Growth Characteristics, Fruit Composition and Wine Quality of Syrah as a Function of Trellis System

Second Place (tie): Leslie Walker, Basavaraj Bagewadi, Prashant Swamy, Andrew Schultz and Naidu Rayapati
Topic: A New Soil-Borne Virus Disease in Washington Vineyards

Second Place (tie): Brooke Kietzman and Jameson Clark
Topic: Riesling – Fining Trials Pre-Fermentation vs. Post-Fermentation

Source: Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers

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