Date: Thursday, June 27
Time: 9:00 am – 10:00 am
Location: Monterey Conference Center

The ASEV Merit Award is presented annually to an individual who has significantly contributed in an outstanding manner to the progress and advancement of enology and viticulture or to the Society itself. This award acknowledges excellence in the fields of education, technology, research, management, public relations or any discipline related to enology and viticulture.

Introduction by Glenn McGourty, University of California Cooperative Extension, Mendocino and Lake Counties

The Changing Role of Extension in the Modern Winegrape Industry

Dr. Jim Wolpert
University of California, Davis

The ASEV Board is pleased to honor Dr. Jim Wolpert of the University of California, Davis, as ASEV’s 2013 Merit Award recipient.

Jim Wolpert is a native of Indiana.  He received his bachelor of science from Purdue University in Horticulture in 1973.  He took further training at Michigan State University, receiving a Master’s degree in 1978 and a PhD in 1983.  Both thesis projects involved research on production practices of ‘Concord’ grapes and how these practices influence vine cold hardiness.

In 1983, he joined UC Davis and from 1983 through mid-1985, he worked as a postdoctoral scholar in the Pomology Department, working on production problems of pistachio nut trees in California.

In 1985, Jim joined the Department of Viticulture and Enology as viticulture extension specialist, where he is responsible for applied research and grower education programs for winegrapes in Northern California.  His main areas of research are performance of rootstocks, winegrape clones and varieties, as well as improvements in vineyard design and cultural practices as they influence wine quality.

He has been invited to speak at industry meetings in Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, New York, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, as well as in Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Spain, and is the author of more than 50 scientific and technical publications.

He is past-president of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture and was co-organizer of many successful ASEV symposia on topics such as rootstocks, winegrape clones, and alternative varieties. In July 2012, Jim was the recipient of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture – Eastern Section, Outstanding Achievement Award. He is also past chair of the Department of Viticulture & Enology, where he held the title of Marvin Sands Endowed Department Chair and was instrumental in creating the Department’s Board of Visitors and Fellows to help guide the future vision of the department in sustaining continued excellence. Please join us in our many tributes to Jim for this well-deserved award at the National Conference in Monterey, California, June 24-28, 2013.