Speakers
Wineries Unlimited 2009
Location: Valley Forge Convention Center, King of Prussia, PA
Conference Dates: March 10-13, 2009
Trade Show: March 11-12, 2009
Here are some of distinguished speakers and moderators who will be joining us this year:
 | Johann Angres received a Bachelor of Technology Diploma from Senior Technical College in Bochum, Germany. He began employment with Steinfurth in October 1992 as a development engineer. Since January 1996, he has functioned as technical director with the focus on instrument production and technical support. He has served Steinfurth on the international level as managing director with the focus on new business development and becomes President of Steinfurth, Inc. in Fayetteville, GA in 2005. | ||
 | Dr. Kevin Atticks is the executive director of the Maryland Wineries Association, the industry trade group representing Maryland's wineries. He is a regular contributor to the Maryland Beverage Journal, Daily Record and was the wine editor of The Grapevine magazine. Atticks was the founding host of Word on Wine - a weekly show that explores the history and culture of wine WBJC-FM in Baltimore. Atticks has been writing about wine since 1997 when he took interest in wineries in Colorado. After traversing that state and all of its wineries, Kevin returned to his home state of Maryland to publish a tour guide to the local wineries, titled "Discovering Maryland Wineries," the first of its kind in the state. Atticks then researched the wineries surrounding Lake Erie and soon published "Discovering Lake Erie Wineries," which covers wineries in the lake regions of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Ontario. The series continued in 2000 with the publication of "Discovering New Jersey Wineries." He has been a member of the Communication faculty at Loyola College since 1999, where he teaches public relations and publication design. | ||
 | Thomas Bachelder is Vineyard Manager And Winemaker at Le Clos Jordanne. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Thomas was introduced to winemaking in 1985 when he received a "Beaujolais-style" home winemaking kit for Christmas. Thomas has ten years of professional experience in Canada, the United States and France, along with educational credentials that include a professional Agricultural Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology from the CFPPA (Centre de Formation Professionelle pour Adultes) in Beaune, Burgundy. Thomas accepted the new position of viniculture manager at Le Clos Jordanne in 2003, then a new vineyard estate in the Niagara Peninsula, jointly owned by Burgundy-based Boisset, La Famille des Grands Vins and Canadian-based Vincor International. During the first three years, Thomas worked with long-time comrade, Pascal Marchand, the régisseur for Boisset's Domaine de la Vougeraie and Executive Overseer for the Clos Jordanne project. Dedicated to the production of world-class wines through time-honoured Burgundian and innovative New World practices, Thomas is responsible for managing LCJ's winery's exacting viticultural practices, and for making the winery's super and ultra-premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. Le Clos Jordanne was certified Organic by ECOCERT** in 2005 for all of its vineyards. | ||
 | Peter Bell has been making wine in the Finger Lakes since 1990, first at Dr. Frank's Winery and, since 1995, at Fox Run Vineyards. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Enology from Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, Australia and an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Trent University in Ontario, Canada. Before coming to the Finger Lakes, Peter worked as a winemaker in Australia and New Zealand. Peter is also an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University, and consults to a number of wineries in the eastern United States as well as speaking at conferences throughout the world. | ||
 | Marco Bertaccini was born in Bologna, Italy. He has a Master in Agriculture from Bologna University, Italy; and a Master in Enology at UC Davis. With AEB Biochemical USA since 2001, he works with wineries in USA, Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Italy. His work experience includes an internship at Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, winemaker in several regions in Italy (Abruzzo, Puglia, Sicily), and winemaker at a boutique winery in West Virginia. | ||
 | Ed Boyce is Founder /Winegrower at Black Ankle Vineyards in Mt. Airy, Md. With a 22 acre vinifera vineyard which provides all of our fruit, Black Ankle is dedicated to producing World Class wines while farming as sustainably as possible. Our first releases won the top award at the Maryland Winemasters Choice competition as well as the Maryland Governor's Cup and numerous awards in other competitions, we believe in part due the way we farm. Careful site selection, thoughtful vineyard design and meticulous vineyard care have allowed us to eliminate herbicides and chemical fertilizers from our vineyard, and to utilize a very "soft" spray schedule. We continue to experiment with alternative treatments for our vines, and hope to work our way to Biodynamic certification in the future. | ||
 | Jason Burrus has been winemaker at Rappahannock Cellars in Virginia since 2006. He began his career in California where he worked at various wineries in Napa Valley, Sonoma mountains and the Central Valley. Afterwards, Jason spent three years making wine in Malta, a tiny country in the Mediterrenean Sea. Jason's time in Europe allowed him the opportunity to make wine in Italy and the Republic of Moldova in Eastern Europe. Jason has an MS degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis. | ||
| | Ellie Butz (Harkness) began her work with the wine industry in 1979 as a microbiologist employed by Tri Bio Labs to produce the first American freeze dried malolactic bacterial culture, LeucoStart. With the encouragement of Philip Wagner, she established a wine analysis lab to support the growing eastern wine industry. From 1984 until 1992 Ellie worked with the Mississippi State University Enology and Viticulture Program. She recently retired from Purdue University after 15 years as Enology Specialist for the Indiana wine industry, working with the commercial wineries to teach winemaking methods, quality control techniques and laboratory analyses. During that time she also coordinated the the Indy International Wine Competition, worked 12 years on the board of directors for the American Society for Enology & Viticulture, Eastern Section, co-authored the book, "Winemaking from Grape Growing to Market Place", and has been an invited speaker at wine conferences from Nebraska to Florida, and wine judge at many competitions in the US and Europe. Ellie plans to continue her association with the wine industry with a consulting service to help new and established wineries determine their analytical and quality control needs, assemble the equipment, and train winemakers to be proficient QC technicians. Phone: 765-412-7183. Email: elliebutz@gmail.com. | ||
 | Dr. Christian E. Butzke is an Associate Professor of Enology, Department of Food Science, Purdue University. He is a leading member of the Purdue Wine Grape Action Team, a cooperation between the Indiana Wine Grape Council and Purdue University. His extension responsibilities include the planning and teaching of a wide variety of professional education programs as well as winery "house calls" to troubleshoot emerging winemaking issues. His research program focuses on the biological and chemical parameters affecting wine and brandy quality, and he teaches FS470 "Wine Appreciation" to over 300 students every semester. Before joining Purdue, Dr. Butzke was Director of Winemaking for Sakonnet Vineyards, coastal New England's premier winery, where he crafted many award-winning wines. Prior to making wines professionally, he was a tenured faculty member in the renowned Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California at Davis. Prof. Butzke is the chief judge and chairman of the Indy International Wine Competition, one of the largest of its kind in the United States. He serves on the program committee for the wine industry's largest conference, the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, and as Second Vice President of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, the winemakers' professional guild. | ||
 | Doug Campbell is a long-time veteran of the software side of winery operations. He has over 20 years experience in the wine industry as the creator of the Blend software suite, which has been used throughout the US at over 100 wineries. Doug started his career in the industry creating his first software product, PC-Blend, for Louis Martini Winery in 1988. As the wine industry grew, so did his customer base where he built a successful software company, Blend Winery Software, that created, marketed and supported a full range of software for wineries focusing on inventory management and compliance. With the sale of his software company to eSkye Software in 2003, it led Doug to explore recent advances in technology from around the world that were enhancing winery operations. So in 2008, Doug teamed up with Wine Technology Marlborough from New Zealand to form Wine Technology America and bring their proven state-of-the-art technology platform, VinWizard, to the United States. | ||
| | Mark Chien was born in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1981 he entered the graduate program in viticulture at UC Davis where he worked at the research vineyards. His first job was at Pindar Vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island where he eventually became vineyard manager and its first winemaker. In 1985 he migrated to the Willamette Valley of Oregon to manage a 220-acre farm. He served on various boards in Oregon, including the research committee of the Oregon Wine Advisory Board. In 1999 he became the first wine grape extension agent for Penn State Cooperative Extension, based in Lancaster. In 2005 he was assigned state-wide responsibility for wine grapes. His experience is grounded in commercial viticulture, and he delivers a wide variety of educational materials to local and regional wine growers. He has been a long time member of the national American Society for Enology and Viticulture and is currently the secretary of ASEV Eastern Section. He also serves on the board of the National Grape and Wine Initiative. Mark lives in Lancaster with his wife, Judi, and cat, Mandy. | ||
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Carter D. Clary, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor, Viticulture/Enology Program, Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Washington State University, 2001 to present with expertise in harvesting and processing fruits and vegetables. He was Research Scientist, Viticulture and Enology Research Center, California State University, Fresno, 1994-2001.
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 | Dr. Tom Cottrell was born in Philadelphia, PA. He got started in the wine industry in 1970 in the Napa Valley, founding Cuvaison. Later, he co-founded Pine Ridge Winery, and started several others as a consultant. In 1982, Tom arrived in Geneva, NY as Cornell's first Associate Professor of Enology, became acquainted with winemaking in the East, and learned how to make and track 550 lots of wine in a season. Asked in 2005 to fill a serious need in Kentucky, Tom is now the Extension Enologist for the University of Kentucky in Lexington, primarily assisting the burgeoning wineries of Kentucky in making consistently good wine. Based in Winchester, KY, Tom continues his consulting for wineries as ‘Wine Doc', doing winemaking consulting, winery design and planning, and valuations. He is the eastern representative for Nadalié, USA, a French oak and American oak barrel producer, and for The Winemaker's Database, a tracking system for wine production. Tom may be reached by phone at 859 533-8759, or 800 793- 6436, by e-mail: Tom@winedoc.com. In-depth information is also available at www.winedoc.com. | ||
 | Larry Ferar has been designing wineries for 15 years. His Portland, OR architecture and landscape architecture firm - Laurence Ferar and Associates, Inc. has been involved in the planning of over 40 wineries in 6 states and 3 foreign countries from Nova Scotia to New Zealand. He has published several articles on winery design and has lectured on the subject at Wineries Unlimited, the Oregon Winegrowers Association and to Nelson (New Zealand) regional Winemakers. He has an undergraduate architectural degree from Washington University in St Louis and Masters in Architecture and Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon. | ||
 | Matthieu Finot was born in Crozes Hermitage in the Rhone Valley. From a family of viticulturists and wine lovers, Matthieu was predisposed to continue his family's pursuit of winemaking and enjoying. He first studied viticulture and oenology at Beaune, in the heart of Burgundy. After successfully receiving his advanced BTS degree, Matthieu worked in many different wine regions around France including Rhone Valley, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Provence, and Jura. Matthieu then wanted to gain world-wide experience. He worked in Italy and South Africa before settling in Virginia. Since arriving in 2003, Matthieu has worked with wineries throughout the state. He enjoys working in the Monticello Appellation most because he likes being close to Charlottesville, and the excitement of the regions growth. He also teaches classes on winemaking and taste analysis at Piedmont Valley Community College. When not at the winery, Matthieu likes to play rugby, rock climb, cook, snowboard and drink wine with his friends. | ||
 | Dr. Joseph A. Fiola has over 20 years of academic and industry experience in research and extension in viticulture, small and tree fruit culture, and enology. He is currently a Professor and Specialist in Viticulture and Small Fruit for the University of Maryland. He coordinates a statewide R&E program, concentrating on variety testing, as well as conducting small batch winemaking studies of the experiments. He is has been experimenting with different styles of apple wines from barrel fermented to Madeira, and has won numerous medals for these unique wines. | ||
 | Rose Fiore immigrated to the U. S. from Italy in 1954. Lived in Massachusetts until her marriage to Michael, then moved to Maryland in 1965. She worked at the First National Bank of Maryland for 30 years, and retired in 1995. Her last assignment as Assistant Vice President was to manage one of their banks in a less affluent neighborhood but she increased the size of the branch from 5 million to over 30 million dollars. Her experience from the banking industry was easily transferable to the wine industry when she began to manager Fiore Winery full time in 1996. She was able to triple, the business in one year, and their winery has been growing ever since. The Fiore's currently process 30,000 to 40,000 gallons a year. Their mission statement states " produce the best wine that their ability allows and sell the wine at the most reasonable price possible while giving their customers an enjoyable winery experience." Rose is currently treasurer of the Mason-Dixon Business Association, past president and treasurer of Maryland Winery Association, member of Agri-Tourism Bureau of Harford County and various other community associations. | ||
 | Born in Scotland Gary Finnan was raised in Rhodesia and South Africa. Gary has over 20 years of experience in Architectural Design, Project Management, and Business Development. Gary has specialized in the design and development of strategic architectural and Destination Retail solutions for varied clientele in diverse industries and locations worldwide. For 10 years Gary was Principal and CEO of Bel Geddes Design in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was primarily responsible for the development and execution of multiple projects, including an international roll out of a Customer Service based retail concept in several central African countries for one of Africa's largest Television studios. After relocating with his wife and two daughters from South Africa to Healdsburg California, Gary established Santa Rosa-based Kyoob Design Group in January 2001. As a President and CEO, Gary succeeded in developing well-recognized high-end commercial designs, nationally and throughout the greater Bay Area. Gary sold Kyoob Design group in 2005 in order to explore more creative ways of working in the Destination Environment sector. Over the past three years as Gary Finnan Creative LLC, Gary has as lead consultant develop numerous Destination Retail Environments within the Winery, Banking and Retail industry, including a 20 store franchise roll out within only 2 years as consulting Director of Development for PSS. With the desire to act as a catalyst for the many talented individuals Gary has worked with over the years, Gary now facilitates varied projects from Strategic Planning through implementation, and is a regular speaker at educational and industry events. Gary is currently collaborating with Elizabeth Slater on the writing of Destination Marketecture, "The revolution of Destination Winery Environments", due to be published in 2009. GFC is currently leading the development of California's first Platinum LEED certified, Zero Carbon emissions sustainable Winery due for completion in 2010. www.garyfinnan.com gary@garyfinnan.com | ||
 | Mark Friszolowski became winemaker at Childress Vineyard in Lexington, NC in 2004. Formerly he was cellarmaster at Pindar Vineyards on Long Island's North Fork for the past 17 harvests. He holds a B.A. and B.S. from SUNY Stonybrook, and a Master's in International Diplomacy from Columbia University. He formerly held winemaking positions at Bidwell and Duck Walk Vineyards on Long Island and was consulting winemaker at two additional wineries. Mark was a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and has 23 years of service in the U.S. Army Reserve where he holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. | ||
 | John Garn is a contributing author of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Practices workbook and has delivered over 35 Sustainable Winegrowing Practices assessment workshops throughout California since the program's launch in 2002. He is currently working for the third season in partnership with PG&E as the lead developer and facilitator of the Energy Efficiency workshop series for the California wine community. | ||
 | Bryan Hed is a Research Support Technologist in the Plant Pathology Department at Penn State University. Bryan has been conducting research to evaluate chemical and cultural disease management strategies for grapes for ten years at the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Center in North East PA. His most recent focus has been the development of effective disease control programs in organic grape production. Bryan holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Illinois and an M.S. in Plant Pathology from the University of Tennessee. | ||
 | Patty Held of Hermann, Missouri, graduated from the California State University at Fresno with a bachelor of science degree in Enology in 1982. She was winemaker at Taylor Wine Company in New York from 1982 to 1988 before returning to her family-owned winery, Stone Hill Winery, in Hermann, Missouri, where she was director of public relations and special events from 1988 until July, 2008. Currently, Patty has started her own winery consulting business, Patty Held Winery Consulting. Patty has judged at prestigious wine competitions in California, New York and Indiana. Patty is also actively involved in local industry and community organizations. She is currently on the Marketing committee for the Missouri Wine and Grape Board and the Hermann Area Chamber of Commerce Wurstfest Committee. In 2004, Patty was instrumental in forming the Hermann Wine Trail, a collaboration among seven local wineries for the purpose of promoting and advertising the Hermann area wine country. She currently serves as president of that organization. | ||
 | A graduate of St. Olaf College and Cornell University, Peter Hemstad has been the grape breeder at the University of Minnesota since 1985 and was largely responsible for the introduction of Frontenac, La Crescent, Frontenac gris, and Marquette. These new varieties combine cold hardiness and disease resistance with excellent wine quality and are now being widely planted throughout the Midwest, New England, and Quebec. Since 1992 Peter has also been one of the owners and winemakers of Saint Croix Vineyards winery in Stillwater, Minnesota. | ||
| | Andrew Hodson, a life-long avid wine enthusiast and enophile, was involved in buying Bordeaux wine futures prior to taking up full time wine growing and wine making. He established Veritas Vineyard and Winery from scratch in 1999 and successfully produced gold medal-winning wines in 2001 and 2002. His background in Bordeaux wines stimulated interest in growing mostly Bordelais grapes with emphasis on cabernet franc, petit verdot and merlot. | ||
 | Patricia Howe is currently the owner of 16019, perhaps the smallest freestanding bonded winery in the US, where she produces handmade methode champenoise sparkling wines. But before she hit her head on the rock, she had real jobs making wine for Domaine Chandon, Mumm Napa Valley, and Sterling Vineyards in California. For several years she owned and operated Ascent Laboratories and Consulting. She has worked at the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology as the Teaching Laboratory Manager, and did a brief stint as token female in an evil corporate winemaking factory. Pat is also past president of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture, and co-founder of the California Enological Research Association. She speaks and writes frequently on winery laboratory quality issues, and recently wrote a two-part series on blending for Vineyard & Winery Management.
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| | Art Hunt, with his wife Joyce, own Hunt Country Vineyards, a 70,000 gal. farm winery in Branchport, New York. They also grow 55 acres of various wine grapes on the seventh generation family farm. He and Joyce began growing grapes in 1973 on a sixth generation family farm and have been steadily increasing the business since. Art and Joyce have three grown children. Two are interested in the farm and winery including Jonathan who is working full time in the business. When time permits, Art enjoys working with his hands, sailing and is an active member of the Branchport - Keuka Park Volunteer Fire Department. | ||
 | Dr. Nancy Irelan has over 20 years of experience troubleshooting and applying new technologies within commercial vineyards and throughout large- and small-scale wine production processes. Formerly the VP of Viticulture and Enology R&D for Gallo, Nancy is now an industry consultant and serves on a number of industry committees relating to technical and research issues. She and her husband Mike Schnelle recently developed their own 20 acre vitis vinifera vineyard and are producing wines as Red Tail Ridge Winery in the Finger Lakes of New York. Mike and Nancy are committed to sustainable vineyard and wine production practices. They are currently in the process of planning and initiating construction of a new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating SystemTM ) certified wine processing building. | ||
 | In 1971, at the age of 21, Michael Jones made the jump from enthusiastic amateur to semi-impoverished professional in the wine business, eschewing the corporate life in favor of a total dedication to liquid assets. In 1974, he and his brother made their first barrel of zinfandel when they realized that as wine became more popular, they could no longer afford to drink either the quality or the quantity that they desired. This modest start has now taken over the basement and garage of the family home in Napa, where the winemaking has continued uninterrupted since its inception. Throughout this period, Michael found the time to work 18 years at Domaine Chandon and was assistant winemaker at Hanzell Vineyards in Sonoma. After getting his degree in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, he spent 2 ½ years in grower relations for Nova Vine Grapevine Nursery. However, the dark side drew him back, and he has been involved with winemaking ever since. In addition to working in Napa, Michael has also worked in wineries in Burgundy and the Hunter Valley, Australia. He is currently the point person in the field for the fermentation division of Scott Laboratories. | ||
 | Jim Law's love affair with wine began as a teenager sharing wine at the table with his parents. A wild and restless young adulthood included studying, traveling and consuming copious amounts of cheese and rustic wines in Europe. Jim was an agricultural Peace Corps Volunteer in Congo and cellar rat in Ohio. All this lead to what has now become 25 wonderful years of winegrowing in Virginia. Still restless, but not quite so young or wild, Jim's focus is taking Linden Vineyards to the next level by practicing extreme viticulture and high risk winemaking. | ||
 | Bernie Linn has been with USDA Rural Development since 1981, and has served in several Pennsylvania offices, and was a County Supervisor in Appomattox, Virginia for four years. In 1997 he joined the staff at the Rural Development State Office in Harrisburg. As a Business Program Specialist he is involved in Specialty Lending, and is the lead contact in Renewable Energy, Value-Added Producer Grant and Cooperative Development programs. Mr. Linn received B.S. and M. Ed. Degrees in Agricultural Education from the Pennsylvania State University. In 2007 he was the recipient of the President's Community Service Award. Bernie and his wife, Candace live in Lebanon, PA, and their two daughters also reside in Lebanon County. | ||
 | Anna Katharine Mansfield is an Assistant Professor of Enology at Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. She holds an MS from Virginia Tech and a PhD from the University of Minnesota, and served as the first Enology Project Leader at the U. of MN from 2001-2008. Anna Katharine's research interests include wine aroma characterization, wine sensory evaluation, enological evaluation of novel wine grape cultivars, and defining terroir in non-traditional wine regions. | ||
 | Richard Mansfield and his cookbook authoress wife, Leslie, are the owners of Mansfield Winery, a small ultra-premium boutique winery located in the heart of the Napa Valley in St. Helena, California. Mansfield Winery is dedicated to creating hand-crafted wines, focusing on small lot production. Richard uses traditional techniques to bring out the clearest expression of terroir from vineyards that are farmed using sustainable agriculture. The hallmarks of Richard's wines are deeply concentrated flavors with elegance and finesse. Mansfield holds Master's degrees in both Viticultural and Enological Engineering from Germany's prestigious University at Geisenheim as well as a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from the University of Oregon. Following eight years of formal training in the vineyards of northern Europe, Mansfield returned first to his native Oregon to start his own winery where he pursued the passion of Pinot noir and the seduction of White Riesling. His winery, Callahan Ridge, grew to become the state's sixth largest winery, before he decided to strike for the fertile fields of the wine country of Northern California. He sold his winery and headed for the Napa Valley. Stags' Leap Winery in the Napa Valley was his first stop, where he was responsible for the production of Cabernet sauvignon and Merlot. After great success with those wines, Mansfield was asked by Bill Hambrecht to design and build a new estate winery in the Dry Creek Valley which became the Bradford Mountain Winery. While there, he produced award winning Zinfandels, Cabernets, and Pinot noirs. He then was asked to be the operating winemaker and general manager at Palmaz Vineyards, one of the Napa Valley's newest and most innovative wineries. While there he worked with consulting winemaker Randy Dunn to craft wines reflective of the vision of the owners. After two years he left to concentrate on producing his own wines under his Mansfield Winery label. Additionally, Richard consults for several wineries both within and outside of California and is the consulting winemaker for numerous other small custom-crush wineries. Also, he is the North American Winemaker for the Winery Exchange, a 200,000+ case winery specializing in Private Label brands for Off-premise accounts. Mansfield brings many European traditions to his style of winemaking. He walks every row of the vineyards during harvest and custom tailors his picking to choose only those grapes that are perfectly ripe and ready for the fermentation vats. Instead of large tanks with uniform wines, he shepherds carefully selected individual small lots through fermentation and barrel aging. It is only at the final blending that the finest are selected to become the wine which bears his name. Together with his wife Leslie, Richard is embarking on the renovation of one of the Napa Valley's last historic pre-prohibition wineries. The winery, built in 1876 and formerly known as the Franco-Swiss Winery, will be restored to its former glory and will house the fine wines of Mansfield Winery. Mansfield has been making wine since 1979 and his thirty years of experience and passion are evident in the wines he produces. | ||
 | Tim Martinson is Senior Extension Associate with the Department of Horticultural Sciences at Cornell's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, where he leads the Statewide Viticulture Extension Program. Tim leads the New York Sustainable Viticulture project, which produced the New York Guide to Sustainable Viticulture Practices in 2007. In his 11 years with Cornell Cooperative Extension, he has organized numerous workshops, field days, and winter meetings and collaborated in numerous on-farm research projects with Cornell faculty. He is 2008-2009 chair of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture - Eastern Section. | ||
 | John McDermott is the President and CEO of Label World, a printer of custom labels based in Rochester NY. John served previously as VP of Sales and Marketing after joining Label World in 2006. Prior to that he served in a variety of marketing and general management positions for Eastman Kodak for 23 years. He spent much of his career in international assignments in the Middle East, Africa and Europe where he worked on consumer and business-to-business marketing and sales in multiple countries. After returning to the US in 1999 he worked in e-commerce and then as a product manager in Kodak's digital kiosk business before joining Label World. He has extensive experience creating marketing and sales plans, working with advertising agencies, using the web for business development and building robust brands. | ||
 | Andrew Meggit ‘s career in winemaking began in 1990 while attending the University of Canterbury. He was invited to work at a winery managed by a friend. Living in London with his wife, they spent three years traveling in Eastern and Western Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the USA. The wine experience during these travels has influenced his outlook not only on winemaking styles but his methodology. These travels simply reinforced his desire to be part of the wine industry and encourage other people to enjoy the wine experience. He has been Head Winemaker at St. James Winery in Missouri since 2002, and is very proud of the accomplishments of the winery in the past 36 years. Building his cellar team into a group of individuals with the aim of "producing quality wine through involved production methodology, and bringing the best wine they can to the consumer" is his highest achievement thus far. | ||
 | Dick Naylor says about himself and his career, "From growing up a on a farm in Maryland with its backyard grape arbor, to a sales job where impressing customers at dinner by knowing which wines to order, to growing grapes and making homemade wines in the early ‘60s, to planting a vineyard and then a winery, to the creation of Wine Packaging by Naylor in 1995, I am currently selling wine gift boxes, retail carriers and wine shippers to over 1,800 accounts nationally. Love my job so much that retirement will never happen." | ||
 | Bill Nelson was appointed President of WineAmerica, in September 2005, after a decade of service as Vice-President of the national association of American Wineries. Prior to joining WineAmerica in 1994 he served as lobbyist and then Executive-Director of the Oregon Winegrowers Association and as a winemaking consultant for Oregon wineries for almost 20 years. Since the 1980's Bill has been very active in the battle to provide direct shipping rights for American wineries, first working on the concept of reciprocal shipping laws during his days as lobbyist for the Oregon Winegrowers association, and most recently in coordinating and drafting the national winery brief for the successful Supreme Court challenge. | ||
 | Bernie Parker has been Vineyard Manager for Oliver Winery for the past nine vintages. Prior to entering the wine industry, he spent 22 years in the United States Navy as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician. At Oliver Winery, he built the estate's Creekbend Vineyard from 4 to over 37 acres, with 13 varieties of grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, Chambourcin, Chardonel, Traminette, and Catawba. Working closely with the winemaking team he has grown many award-winning wines, making Oliver Winery one of the country's hottest brands in recent years. | ||
 | Russell Robbins received his Masters degree in Enology at the University of California, Davis in 2000. He also has a degrees in chemistry and biology from Florida State University. Russ has been a winemaker at Etude, Opus One and Domaine Carneros prior to joining the Laffort company. Mr. Robbins is currently the Market Manager and Enologist for Laffort USA based in Napa, California where he also makes George IV wines in St. Helena, CA. Laffort, based in Bordeaux, France, is a major producer of yeast and bacteria, nutrients, enzymes, fining agents and of course, enological tannins. | ||
 | Tom Payette, a premier hands-on and analytical winemaking consultant, assists clients entering the wine business and established wineries making fine wines that consumers purchase and enjoy. His company focuses on winery start-ups and expansions, still and sparkling wine production and general winery issues. Tom has 25 years of experience in still and sparkling wine production in Virginia along with 3 years experience in ultra-premium Bordeaux varietal wine production in the Napa Valley while studying under famed Bordeaux enologist Jacques Boissenot. In addition to winemaking, Mr. Payette is a recognized International wine judge and Wine Tech columnist for Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine. Mr. Payette is a member of the ASEV/ASEV-ES, The American Wine Society, The American Vineyard Foundation Review Board and serves on the advisory board to Wineries Unlimitedt. He is a past member of the Governor's appointed Virginia Winegrowers Advisory Board where he served as technical committee chair. Vineyard & Winery Management magazine named Tom "Winemaker of the Year" in 1999. | ||
 | Since 1996, Karen Ross has been president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG). CAWG's mission is to improve the profitability of its members and the reputation of California wine through unified, proactive grower advocacy of sound public policies, research and education programs, and best business and environmental practices. She also serves as Executive Director of Winegrape Growers of America, a membership organization representing the national winegrape growing industry, and as Executive Director of the California Wine Grape Growers Foundation which was established to sponsor scholarships for the children of vineyard employees. During her 30-year career, Ross has served in a number of leadership roles on the staff of a United States Senator and with trade associations serving public power districts and farmer-owned cooperatives. She serves on numerous boards and advisory committees at the state and national level, including the USDA-USTR Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee and the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, and is a frequent industry presenter about the wine industry and its Sustainable Winegrowing Program. She and her husband, Barry, own a dry-land grain farm in western Nebraska that has been in her family for four generations. | ||
 | Justin Scheiner is a Ph.D. student at Cornell University. His dissertation research is based on physiology and cultural practices that affect wine grape quality with a specific focus on understanding how to manage methoxypyrazines. | ||
 | Jennie Schmidt is the President of the Maryland Grape Growers Association. Jennie and her family farm a 3rd generation, 2000 acre farm full-time on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The farm grows traditional row crops such as corn, soybeans, wheat and barley, but also diversifies production to make all crops as value-added as possible. This includes growing popcorn which is sold at the Washington Nationals baseball stadium under the Chesapeake Fields brand name, food-grade soybeans which are sold to Asian markets along the Eastern seaboard, certified seed for corn and bean seed companies, as well as tomatoes, green beans, timothy, alfalfa, and orchard grass hays. Winegrape production was an additional diversification effort that has proven to be a profitable endeavor for the family farm. The family's vineyard is currently 14 acres with an additional 6 acres to be installed in 2009. Schmidt Farms also will be undertaking a Vineyard Management Company in 2009 to provide cultural and management services to the Eastern Shore region's growing vineyards.
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| | Michael Shaps began his winemaking career as a student at the Lycée Viticole de Beaune in Burgundy, France where he earned a degree in enology and viticulture before returning to the United States. For the past nine years Michael has worked as a consultant for wineries along the East Coast including over a dozen start-up wineries. In 2004 Michael and his partner Michel Roucher-Sarrazin founded Maison Shaps & Roucher-Sarrazin in Meursault, France where they produce small lots from Burgundy's most prestigious vineyards. In 2007 Michael and his partner Philip Stafford created Virginia Wineworks, Virginia's first custom crush operation.
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 | Gene Sigel has been Vineyard Manager at Chalet Debonne Vineyards in Ohio for the past decade, where he manages encompass 105 acres and 25 varieties of grapes. Gene has planted over 50 acres of new vineyards in the Grand River Valley and has been a leader in introducing wind machines and new drainage technology to area grape farmers. In 2002 he opened South River Winery in Harpersfield, Ohio. The winery specializes in small lots of Vinifera wines and is located in a century old church building. | ||
 | Elizabeth Slater is a marketing savant, internationally recognized within the wine industry as a seminar and workshop leader, a speaker, and trainer. Specializing in all facets of direct marketing, her seminars, presented with humor and enthusiasm, are jammed with innovative, useful and easy to implement concepts and information.Through her company, In Short Direct Marketing, Elizabeth works with small and large wineries, winery and state associations. While consulting on all facets of creating and implementing marketing and public relations programs and strategies, her focus is primarily aimed at marketing wines directly to consumers. She writes a regular marketing column for Vineyard & Winery Management magazine and served as Public Relations Chair for the Sonoma County Tourism Council. | ||
| | Chris Stamp is a partner and winemaker of Lakewood Vineyards in Watkins Glen, NY, the heart of beautiful Finger Lakes Wine Country. He grew up on a grape farm, is a graduate of Cornell University's Food Science program, and has worked at several Eastern wineries as well as performing extension services for Ohio State University. He is also the Eastern distributor for Gultig Cork. He resides and works with his wife Liz, and three kids, Ben, Abby and Amelia. | ||
 | Jack Steinmetz is the Director of Economic Development for Kent County, Maryland. Although the smallest county in Maryland, Kent County was named "The Best Place To Live In Rural America" by Progressive Farmer Magazine. Jack is a retired President & CEO of a suburban Chicago bank, who moved with his wife, Margie, to the Eastern Shore in 2004, after a 35-year career in Michigan and Chicago banking. He assumed the Economic Development Director position in Kent County in 2006. Although he had no prior background in vineyards or wineries, he began actively investigating the potential for vineyard/winery operations and expansion in Kent County and the surrounding counties. He has partnered with the Maryland Winery Association and the Maryland Grape Growers Association to help establish the first Vineyard Management Company in the State of Maryland, and has established a unique first-of-its-kind county-sponsored Vineyard Loan Program in the State of Maryland, and probably in the country. | ||
| | Paul Thomas is currently the Executive Director of Seneca Lake Winery Association (29 wineries in 2006), grew up in the Finger Lakes Region andhas applied his education and experience in marketing and communications, combined with a longtime fondness for wine, to do his utmost to help continue the marked success this Trail has always enjoyed. Paul is a 1991 graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelors Degree in Public Communications, whose professional experience includes Web Solutions Architect, First Horizon Home Loans; Assistant Vice President, Product Development, Bonanza.com; and Director of Communications for the Corning Area Chamber of Commerce. | ||
 | Dennis Urffer is shareholder of Resnick Amsterdam Leshner, PC, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. He is a Tax and Business Development Specialist, specializing in business planning, tax planning, succession planning and estate planning. Areas of expertise include the Closely Held Family Corporations involving Manufacturing, real estate developers, engineering and profession services, and a special focus on the businesses in the wine industry. Mr. Urffer was a speaker at The Wineries Unlimited Trade Show 2007 and 2008, with presentations on Winery Cost & Tax Accounting, Planning for Profitability and The Advantages of Accrual Accounting Systems for Wineries. He will be returning to the Wineries Unlimited 2009 in March. He was also a speaker at the Wine Club Summit "Power Hour" in 2008 with a presentation on Key Performance Indicators. Mr. Urffer graduated magna cum laude from Bloomsburg University. He is a Former assistant professor of accounting at Montgomery County Community College and has lectured before various PICPA Chapters, Montgomery County Bar, and Business Organizations. | ||
 | Richard Vine: born and raised in the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York, teenager Richard Vine worked with his grandfather making vineyard trellis posts. Returning from a stint in the U.S. Navy in 1958 he began his winemaking career at Great Western as a cellar worker and then laboratory technician. Several years of evening studies at nearby Corning Community College earned him a science degree and promotion to winemaker responsible for more than 500,000 cases of annual wine production. In 1973 Vine became Vice President of Production at Warner Vineyards in Michigan. Four years later he accepted a research position at Mississippi State University where he earned his BS and PhD degrees while also writing his first textbook, Commercial Winemaking. Purdue University gave him the call in 1991 to fill their initial Professor of Enology position. There he wrote Wine Appreciation and co-authored Winemaking - both works going to second edition. He retired in 2004 with Indiana vintner ranks having grown from 7 to 34. In 2008 he joined with Ellen (Harkness) Butz in forming Vintage Winery Consultants - a comprehensive service for both aspiring and operating vintners. Vine's 47-year wine career has included design and implementation of more than 40 new wineries and 22 years as the Wine Consultant for American Airlines. | ||
 | Paul Wagner formed Balzac Communications & Marketing on April 1, 1991. Clients include a broad range of national and international companies and organizations, with primary focus in the food and beverage industries. Current clients include Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Constellation Wine US, the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, Vinitaly/Veronafiere, Regione Sicilia, DO Navarra, White Rocket Wine Company, and a host of other wine and food specialists. He is an instructor for Napa Valley College's Viticulture and Enology department, is a regular columnist for Vineyards & Winery Management Magazine, and contributes to Allexperts.com in the field of wine and food. With Liz Thach and Janeen Olsen, he has just published a book: Wine Marketing & Sales, Strategies for a Saturated Market by The Wine Appreciation Guild, which won the Gourmand International Award in 2008 for the best wine book for professionals. | ||
 | Mike Williams opened his first winery in Wilcox, Pennsylvania in 1994, which produces 23,000 cases annually. Mike is currently serving on the Board of Directors of WineAmerica, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Wine Association, the Farm Bureau, and along with his wife, Carol, opened the Winery at Versailles in October 2002, now producing 4200 cases. He happily retired from the Corporate World in 1998 to devote his time to the rewarding, frustrating, frantic world of wine in Eastern U.S.A. (besides, who needs money?). Mike is 54 years old, has been married to his supportive, patient, and beautiful wife for over 30 years, and has 2 children, and three grandchildren. | ||
 | Fred Wilson has been the winemaker at Elk Run Vineyards since 1983. He studied with Dr. Konstantine Frank of Vinifera Wine Cellars in New York, has had continuous professional exchange with United States Oenology and Viticulture organizations and has made numerous trips abroad visiting European professional winemakers.
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 | Dr. Randy Worobo joined the Department of Food Science and Technology at Cornell University in August 1997 as an assistant professor of food microbiology. He obtained his Ph.D. in Food Microbiology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1995. Dr. Worobo was awarded a French Foreign Ministry Scholarship and carried out his postdoctoral work on antimicrobial peptide resistance mechanisms of Listeria monocytogenes at the Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering in France. Research areas of interest include non-thermal processing alternatives for beverages; microbial spoilage of beverages, pathogen transmission and survival on fruits and vegetables. Dr. Worobo has extensive knowledge in winery, beverage and food processing plant sanitation and has worked with various industries on sanitation programs. He is a member of the FDA Juice HACCP Curriculum Committee and a certified Juice HACCP Train the Trainer. | ||
 | Dr. Bruce W. Zoecklein worked in the California wine industry, conducted viticulture research and taught Enology at California State University-Fresno prior coming to Virginia Tech in 1985. Dr. Zoecklein is the State Enologist for Virginia and Head of the Enology-Grape Chemistry Group in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Virginia Tech. He conducts research, extension, classroom and graduate student education. He has co-authored two books on wine chemistry and analysis. His research interests include secondary plant metabolites: aroma, flavor and phenolic compounds. Information on the teaching, research and extension activities of the Enology-Grape Chemistry Group at Virginia Tech is available at www.vtwines.info. |