ASEV sadly shares the news of the recent passing of Past President and Merit Award recipient Dr. James (Jim) A. Wolpert. He passed away in his Missouri home on Sunday, October 14, 2018. Read his obituary here.

Jim Wolpert served as president from 1996 to1997 for ASEV and received the Merit Award in 2013, where he imparted his substantial career knowledge on the changing role of extension in the winegrape industry. His work at University of California, Davis, focused on rootstock performance, winegrape clones and varieties, and improvements in vineyard design and cultural practices as they influence wine quality. He served as the Viticulture and Enology Department chair for 10 years beginning in 1996 and was instrumental in developing the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science on the UC Davis campus.

Jim was a co-organizer on many ASEV symposia on topics such as rootstocks, winegrape clones and alternative varieties. He was the recipient of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture – Eastern Section’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 2012. He’s received many invitations to speak at industry meetings in Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, New York, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington as well as Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand and Spain. He’s authored more than 50 scientific and technical publications.

Jim’s considerable contribution to ASEV and his impact in the industry will be greatly missed.