By Lauren Paterson, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Assistant Professor Tom Collins has been confirmed as president of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) for 2021 – 2022.

ASEV is a professional society dedicated to the interests of viticulturists, enologists, and scientists who work in grape growing and wine production. Formed in 1950, ASEV’s membership includes 1,600 members from wineries, vineyards, and academic institutions worldwide.

“It’s a big deal, personally, for me to get to this step,” said Collins, who has been a member of ASEV for nearly 30 years and served in leadership for a decade.

Known nationally for his work with smoke exposure and how it affects wine fermentation, Collins will lead the 12-member ASEV board while continuing research at WSU on analytical chemistry in wine and distilled spirits.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Tom for many years and it is an honor to have him as President,” said Dan Howard, executive director of ASEV. “He is brilliant, thoughtful, and a consistent voice of reason for ASEV. We are incredible thankful for his service and we look forward to working with Tom during his presidency.”

Through ASEV meetings, programming, and networking, Collins plans to take on challenges currently faced by the Washington wine industry, such as smoke exposure, as well as difficulties faced by vintners marketing wine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A big goal is to get people energized, and back to meeting in person,” he said.

Of the current 12 member ASEV board, four are WSU faculty members. Michelle Moyer, associate professor and Extension viticulturist, currently serves as second vice president. Chateau Ste. Michelle Distinguished Professor Markus Keller is science editor, while James Harbertson, associate professor of enology, serves as technical program director.

“We’ve learned a lot in the last 18 months on how to engage with our membership in different, meaningful ways, and also what is fundamental to our traditions,” said Moyer. “Under Tom’s leadership next year, I expect we will see more of that blend – the ability to revisit what we love about meeting in person, and on-demand learning through webinars and new programs. It’s an exciting time to be part of ASEV.”

Collins said his appointment is the culmination of his service to ASEV and reflects the strength of the Viticulture & Enology program at WSU.

“Taking responsibility for leadership positions in the industry reflects that we have great people, and that we’re doing great things for the industry.”

To learn more about Collins’ work and the Viticulture & Enology program, visit the WSU Wine Science .

By Lori Wollerman Nelson, ���سԹ�

A team at Washington State University Tri-Cities is researching the impact that a type of fungus could have on vineyard growth and associated nutrient uptake, which could lead to less watering and less fertilizer required for a successful grape crop.

Tanya Cheeke, assistant professor of biology, was awarded a $25,000 grant by the Washington State Grape and Wine Research Program to support a series of greenhouse experiments, as well as a two-year $40,000 grant to support a field experiment from the BIOAg program of the WSU Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Cheeke is working with graduate student KC Cifizzari and undergraduate Dylan Hartwig on the project specifically to understand the role that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, or AM fungi, play in plant nutrition and production for grapevines.

���سԹ� 85 percent of all plant species, including most crop plants, have an intimate relationship with AM fungi, Cheeke said. The naturally-occurring soil fungus forms a dense network of connections with the plant by inserting tiny threads, called hyphae, into its roots. Through this shared connection, the plant sends food to the fungus and the fungus increases water and nutrients available to the plant. AM fungi usually enhances plant nutrient uptake from the soil.

Cifizzari said they are including phosphorus treatments to see if the grapevines grown with AM fungi do just as well as plants that are only given fertilizer. If grapes grow as well with additional AM fungi and a lack of additional phosphorus as the grapes given only phosphorus, then adding AM fungi could reduce how much fertilizer vineyard managers need to apply to their vines, they said.

“The nice thing about AM fungi is that they are living organisms and the treatment should be self-renewing,” Cheeke said. “With fertilizers, you have to reapply regularly to get the same effect. That can be expensive.”

Merlot grapes are a popular varietal in Washington and were shown to respond more strongly as part of a greenhouse experiment by Cheeke and her team as compared to another varietal studied – Chardonnay.

Cheeke said the variability between varieties of crops is not uncommon, however, the researchers also caution that greenhouse conditions don’t necessarily mimic field conditions. Future research will investigate this further. A second greenhouse experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of different commercially-available AM fungi products is ongoing this fall.

“We will compare the growth of grape vines grown with three commercially-available AM fungi products, soil from a natural sagebrush habitat, and soil from a 50-year old vineyard,” Cheeke said.

The results of this study could help Cheeke know which AM fungi products to recommend to vineyard managers, if results prove successful.

Both Cheeke and Cifizzari are interested in the role that AM fungi could play in sustainable agriculture. Agricultural crops usually have reduced colonization of AM fungi because practices like applying fungicides and tilling the soil can deplete naturally-occurring sources of these fungi. Without their fungal helper, agricultural crops can require more water and fertilizer to be productive and can be more susceptible to plant diseases.

“Grape growers are very interested in the potential benefit of AM fungi, but they need more information to feel comfortable using it.” Cheeke said.

“Adding AM fungi to vineyard soils could be a way to make agriculture better for the health of the land and the people who work it,” Cifizzari said.

By Lauren Paterson, College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences

Extreme heat, and too much water in response, affects a delicate balance in wine grape quality.

WSU researchers are studying the effects of heat, and developing an electronic, open-source cooling system to protect plants and wine quality, supported by the U.S and Washington State Departments of Ecology and recent grant awards from the U.S. and Washington State Departments of Agriculture and the Northwest Center for Small Fruits Research.

Markus Keller, professor of viticulture at WSU, is examining the effects of heat stress on grapes.

Heat causes physiological reactions in plants that affect growth rate and sugar content, and ultimately influence the flavor of wine.

“If grapes develop too rapidly, there will be too much sugar at harvest and too much alcohol in the wine,” Keller said. “Acidity also decreases with too much heat, making the wine taste bland.”

Vineyards that get too hot can also affect the color of the wine. To predict and prevent heat damage, WSU offers growers an online  (GDD) tool.

“We track temperatures and make the data available through GDD,” said Keller. The tool estimates growth and development of plants during the growing season by comparing average heat throughout regions of Washington.

Since 2011, when the GDD tool was launched, each growing season has been unseasonably warm.

“Every year, the average moves up a little,” Keller said. “It’s getting warmer.”

Evaporative cooling in vineyard canopies

Keller is now focusing on mitigating heat stress.

In his research, he discovered that fruit quality is more influenced by temperature than water.

“That was something unknown to us before,” he said, and runs against prevailing wisdom.

“When we water stress the plant, it grows less. It turns out, the effects of this water deficit in terms of fruit quality is really about temperature,” he said.

To avoid overwatering plants while keeping them cool amid heat waves, Keller and his team have developed a cooling system for vineyard canopies.

“Heat waves in Washington can reach temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit or more,” said Ben-Min Chang, a doctoral candidate in WSU’s Department of Horticulture who works alongside Keller. “This is a very hot region.”

Over-watering in response to heat can cause plants to become oversaturated with water.

“It eventually penetrates to the soil and reaches the roots, which can cause excessive growth out of sync with the normal season,” Chang said.

Chang said the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, which usually has a complex flavor ranging from blackcurrant to cedar, might end up tasting like a green pepper. “That is a sign of excessive growth,” Chang said. “Growing grapes is a balancing act. Growers need to ensure their response to heat doesn’t tip the balance.”

Over the past two growing seasons, Chang developed a mechanized machine to lower the temperature of vineyard canopies.

He used a sensor from an infrared thermometer gun to read the temperature of the canopy, and an electronic micro-controller to activate misters installed throughout the vineyard.

“I use the micro-controller as the brain, and I use the infrared thermometer as the eye to measure the temperature,” Chang said. The device automatically runs the water misters when the canopy reaches 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a sensor to measure water saturation on canopy leaves, Chang was able to improve his device. When the sensor detects that leaves have reached their saturation point, the mist stops.

To protect his sensors from ultraviolet rays, Chang uses a shiny aluminum wine can.

“Aluminum is a great reflector, so the sensor inside is protected,” he said.

The software that runs the electronic cooling system is open source. Chang plans to do the same with his canopy cooling device, so any grower can build their own.

“It’s a good way to pay it forward,” he said.

Following this season’s harvest, both Keller and Chang will see the results of their temperature control techniques.

In preliminary research, the team found that the evaporative cooling technique caused grapes to grow differently.

“The cooled grapes are already larger than the control group,” Chang said. While the control grapes take the brunt of the sun’s rays, those cooled with Chang’s device have fared better so far. Now comes the taste test.

“This experiment started in the vineyard and will end with us testing grapes and tasting the wine,” Chang said. “We’ll be able to see how the heat and evaporative cooling have affected the grapes and their overall quality.”

Wine-making normally takes four weeks after harvest, so Chang hopes to have more answers by the end of the year.

“We are thankful to the donors who allowed us to continue this important research,” Keller said. “We are hoping we can develop our cooling approach as a practical solution for growers and winemakers.

Leading smoke exposure scientist will help wineries prepare for future wildfires

By Washington State Wine

SEATTLE – Wildfires bring devastation to land and property, and in wine growing regions the smoke can affect the quality of the crop.  The impact of this smoke exposure is the focus of the Washington Advancements in Viticulture and Enology (WAVEx) research seminar on April 17, 2019, in Richland, Washington.

Washington State Wine has funded research led by Washington State University’s Dr. Tom Collins, one of the nation’s leading smoke exposure scientists, since 2016. Collins developed a portable smoke hoop house to initiate smoking trials in WSU’s research vineyard so he could control when and the amount of smoke to the grapes. His project has studied the timing of exposure and the role of fuel source in smoke exposure. He is also working to develop analytical methods to accurately predict the potential for smoke exposure in wines and identify winemaking practices to mitigate smoke exposure.

Collins will review the current state of smoke exposure knowledge during the seminar and share the outcome of his first three years of study. The seminar will include tasting wines made from Collins’ smoke exposure timing trials, fuel source and mitigation through reverse osmosis.

The WAVEx seminar at the WSU-Tri-Cities campus is sponsored by Washington State Wine and WSU. WAVEx is a condensed version of the signature WAVE seminar. The purpose of WAVE is to raise awareness of Washington wine grape growers and wineries of industry-supported research, share research outcomes and encourage two-way communication between growers, vintners and scientists.

Pre-registration is required as seating is limited. Register: .

 

Media Contact:

Heather Bradshaw, Communications Director, 206 326-5752, hbradshaw@washingtonwine.org

By Brian Charles Clark, Washington State Magazine

As microscopic particles and liquid droplets ooze and eddy through the vineyard, grapes are coated with toxic chemicals. Worse, smoke from forest and range fires manages to get into the plant itself, wreaking havoc with the plant’s internal chemistry.

In self-defense, grape vines attempt to sequester toxic smoke particles that infiltrate berries and leaves by binding sugar molecules to the offending invaders. The plant can then metabolically shuffle the sugar-trapped particles into places where the smoke won’t be as harmful to the vines’ mission: produce grapes and reproduce.

Humans interfere with the vines’ mission when we harvest grapes for wine. Making wine from smoke-tainted grapes, though, is a frustrating enterprise. According to the Washington State University wine science team, smoke-tainted wines are in danger of developing “unpleasantly ‘pharmaceutical,’ ‘dirty,’ ‘ash tray,’ ‘medicinal,’ ‘camp fire,’ or ‘burnt’” flavors and, to add insult to injury, the taint compounds “reduce the perception of varietal fruit aroma.”

The tainting compounds can’t be washed off. With much less overall skin contact, the juice from white grapes can be quickly extracted and clarified. But, to get the color right, red wines are made with prolonged contact with skins, so taint compounds are a permanent part of the wine.

Filtering and fining techniques have been used to try to clear the juice of offending chemicals but, as Tom Collins, a wine chemist based at ���سԹ�, says, the problem is much deeper. Sugar-sequestered smoke particles are very similar to other desirable compounds. Filtering techniques, such as reverse osmosis, remove both the good and the bad compounds, resulting in a wine that Collins charitably describes as “neutral.” This bland concoction could be blended with unaffected wines to produce something consumable but, even then, trouble lurks.

Over time, the acidity of bottled wine cleaves the sugar from the particle, releasing a new wave of off-flavors and aromas.

Collins points out that not much is really known about smoke taint — except that it tastes nasty and can have a negative impact on the bottom lines of both growers and winemakers.

Collins and his team are engaged in an ongoing project that seeks to answer several big questions: How much smoke exposure, and at what period in grape development, is too much? And what can be done to clean up tainted fruit so that it can be used to make a useful product?

Collins and colleagues have constructed an in-vineyard method of controlling and testing smoke exposure, with the aim of answering the first question. And the second, he suggests, might lie in spit.

Since the enzymes in our saliva can cleave sugars entrapping smoke particles, perhaps a process could be developed using similar, non-saliva derived enzymes to liberate the sugars from the smoke particles, which then might be filtered out by one means or
another.

Research-wise, it’s early days — but the pressure is on. Fires in Australia, California, and Washington state threaten a beloved industry and there is much interest in finding ways to salvage fine wines from tainted grapes.

By Maegan Murray

Wine is a $2 billion industry in Washington state, but many students will not be exposed to the science behind the field as a possible career option until they reach college. Thanks to the Partners in Science program, however, one high school teacher had the opportunity to shadow and complete research alongside a renowned wine science researcher and professor at Washington State University Tri-Cities – the science behind the experience, of which, he is now introducing to his high school students.

Fred Burke, a teacher at Chiawana High School, had the opportunity to shadow and complete research with Tom Collins, wine science researcher and assistant professor of wine science at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

“This experience has allowed me to show my students how the nature of science is more than what they experience through a text book and allow them to experience the techniques and capabilities of it in a real-world setting,” Burke said. “It has not only allowed me to participate in research that will have an impact in the wine industry today, but it also it makes doing science a lot more fun for my students.”

Through the Partners in Science program, which is supported by a $15,000 grant from the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust, high school teachers are paired with a university professor in their field and the pair spends two consecutive summers completing research. During the end of each summer experience, the teachers prepare a presentation on their research and how they plan to implement what they learn into their classroom setting. The university professors also get the value of an additional hand in the lab and in the high school teacher’s second summer, an experienced lab researcher to help with their studies.

As part of his research experience, Burke worked with Collins to characterize wine grape varieties using sophisticated research techniques known as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. For the techniques, the researchers use devices that allow researchers to look into the intricate chemical and other properties of each type of grape for classification and categorization. Burke also had the chance to work with Collins to start a study analyzing the impact of wildfire smoke on wine grapes, which could hinder the taste and overall quality of the wine.

“Both projects are relevant to the classes we’re teaching,” Burke said. “In environmental science, we’re able to look at how the smoke impacts not only the wine grapes, but also the chemical components and properties of the wine.”

The study of the impact of wildfire smoke on wine captured the interest of the Washington wine industry, with Collins stating that since they announced they were completing the research, he gets calls throughout the year on updates for the research, results they’ve tabulated and generally how they can protect wine grapes from the exposure. The interest grows each year as the summer wildfire seasons commence.

“We got three calls today, alone, regarding smoke taint,” Collins said. “The fact that Fred has been able to be a part of this project provides him with a great in-depth look at how lab and field research have a substantial impact on industry. The Washington wine industry increases exponentially year, with the mid-Columbia region being a hub for the industry. So this research is crucial for our area’s winemakers.”

Last summer during Burke’s first of two summers working with Collins in the lab, the duo set up experiments at the WSU Prosser Research Extension to test different amounts of smoke on grape vines. They are now in the process of analyzing samples collected from that experiment. Collins plans on continuing the study for at least the next several years.

“Just being able to look at all the parts that go into a real-life field of scientific study has been immensely beneficial,” Burke said. “I get to share that with my students and they benefit from that real-world application. Within their science classes, our students have to conduct procedures, collect data and analyze that data through labs and lessons. This real-world experience allows me to show them that what they’re practicing in class can be applied out into the field, as well as provide them with concrete examples of stuff we’re actively doing in the labs.”

Burke also had the opportunity to bring some of his classes out to the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center to see how the research is conducted and get an idea of how a research lab operates.

“Science in agriculture is kind of one of those unknowns for many of my students,” he said. “They see people planting and watering, but they don’t know the science behind it. This provides them with an in-depth look. It’s a career option that most of my students probably have never even considered.”

Burke plans to apply for a supplemental grant from the Partners in Science program, which would extend his research partnership time frame with Collins and provide Burke with dollars for science equipment for his classroom.

“It would provide us with more money for use in the classroom, which would allow my students to conduct some research of their own,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity.”