Newsletter Articles

Maureen Moroney

I recently had the privilege of attending the International Cold Climate Wine Competition (ICCWC) as a judge. The competition was organized by the Minnesota Grape Growers Association and the University of Minnesota, and featured more than 300 wines from cold-climate varieties, plus 24 judges and numerous hard-working volunteers.

Earlier in my wine-world career, the idea of serving as a judge at a wine competition would have seemed inconceivable to me. Now I have three under my belt, and I don’t find it at all uncomfortable or stressful. Read more about Building Skill and Confidence in Your Wine-Tasting Palate

Sam Anderson

Time flies by when you’re having fun! The fall semester begins very shortly for ISU students, including myself, an undergraduate who has been working in the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute’s laboratory this summer. The past three months here have been filled with learning, research projects, some field time, and lots of wine analysis in the lab. Read more about A Recap: Summer in the Lab from our Students

Maureen Moroney

One question that comes up often – whether in the course of my own work, from other researchers and lab techs, or from wine industry members doing their own in-house wine analysis – is which method is “best” and gives the “right” answer.

This is a complicated topic. It touches on ideas related to sources of error, types of variation, method validation, instrument performance, staff training, quality assurance, critical thresholds, and impact on winemaking decisions, just to name a few. Read more about Variation within and among analytical methods for wine testing

ISU has hired Dr. Aude Watrelot as an Assistant Professor in Enology. Dr. Watrelot will begin her new position in August of 2019. Dr. Watrelot holds a PhD in Food Biochemistry from Avignon France, a MS degree in Biology and Health from University Nantes, France and a BS degree in Plant Physiology and Biotechnology from University of Tours, France. She has conducted research as a post-doctoral fellow with Dr.  Waterhouse at UC-Davis and Dr. Kennedy at CSU-Fresno. Both are leaders in the enology field. These projects related to tannins in red wine and astringency perceptions. Read more about Enology Faculty Hired at ISU