Oregon Wine Research Institute

The Oregon Wine Research Institute (OWRI) is the region's first multi-disciplinary comprehensive program dedicated to addressing the research and outreach needs of the wine industry in Oregon. The Institute is housed in Oregon State University's College of Agricultural Sciences and is led by its inaugural director, Dr. Neil Shay with the guidance of an advisory board comprised of industry and university leaders. For more information about OWRI, please see About Us.

What's New?

Jobs and Internships
Virgina Tech is looking for an Enology Extension Specialist & Boedecker Cellars is looking for a Cellar Intern

Wine industry developments in the Pacific Northwest: a comparative analysis of British Columbia, Washington State, and Oregon
Recently published by the International Journal of Wine Research and written by Richard Carew of the Pacific Agri-Food Research Center, BC Canada & Wojciech J. Florkowski of the University of Georgia. Take a look at our business research page for recently published articles on wine business and economics

American Association of Wine Economists Annual Conference
Princeton University, June 7-10

OWRI e-Newsletter: April 2012
In this Issue: Vaughn Walton and Chris Hedstrom recieve awards for their research at the Pacific Branch Entomology Meeting; 2012 Pest Management Guide; New Plant Disease Management Handbook Website; eViticulture.org; Spray Technology Specialist Dr. Andrew Landers shares tips on vineyard sprayers; OSU appoints Dan Arp as the new Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Jobs and Internships
Ravenswood Winery in Sonoma California is looking for lab and cellar interns for the upcoming harvest

SoWine 3
Registration is now open for the Southern Oregon Wine Marketing and Sales Conference on June 12th. This is a full-day seminar featuring expert speakers providing the tools and guidance to build a practical and effective sales plan.

2011 Oregon Vineyard Report
Oregon wine grape production rose 33 percent in 2011 to a record high 41,500 tons. Although planted acres dipped 100 acres, fewer acres were left unharvested in 2011. Yields increased 28 percent to an average 2.37 tons from 17,500 harvested acres.

Jobs and Internships
Graduate Research Assistantship at Oregon State University

Jobs and Internships
Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, Brock University, Niagara Region, Ontario Canada

New Faculty Member Announcement
We are extremely pleased to announce Dr. Elizabeth Tomasino will join the Oregon Wine Research Institute and the OSU Department of Food Science and Technology and as a tenure-track assistant professor. Elizabeth received her Ph.D. in Wine, Food and Molecular Biosciences from Lincoln University in New Zealand, focusing on sensory and chemical analysis of Pinot noir wines. Prior to moving to New Zealand, she received an M.S. in Food Science from Cornell University.
Elizabeth will have an office and laboratory in Wiegand Hall on the OSU campus, and will teach FST 466: Wine Production Principals.
We anticipate her arrival to be mid-July, and we will send out her OSU contact information so that you can all give her a warm Oregon welcome.

The Erath Family Foundation Supports Development of OWRI Wine Sensory Panel
Thanks to a generous donation from the Erath Family Foundation, OSU Department of Food Science and Technology faculty member James Osborne held two Wine Sensory Workshops with guest presenter WSU Associate Professor Carolyn Ross. These workshops are the first step in developing a standing industry panel for the evaluation of experimental wines. Held over the course of two days at the Southern Oregon Wine Institute in Roseburg, and the Food Innovation Center in Portland, the workshops were attended by approximately 30 people each. They included an overview of wine sensory evaluation and techniques as well as taste and aroma training exercises and specific training in the use of free-choice profiling. Dr. Osborne will utilize the panel for further evaluation of research wines.