Andreea Botezatu

Education: Ph.D. in Biological Sciences – Wine Science from Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. M.S. in Agricultural Business Management with a focus on Human Resources Management from the University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Iași, Romania. B.S. Honors Degree in Horticulture, majoring in Oenology, from the University of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Iași, Romania.

Employment: Associate Professor and Extension Enology Specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas A&M University, 2023-present. Assistant Professor and Extension Enology Specialist, 2017-2023. Previous appointments include Lecturer and Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Brock University. Earlier career experience includes practical winery work in Romania and Canada.

ASEV Activities: Board of Director (2023-2024), American Society for Enology and Viticulture – Eastern Section. Committee member: Membership Committee, Oenolympics Committee, Merit Award Committee ASEV-ES. Technical Committee Member – ASEV, 2025. Presenter at ASEV-related conferences and technical events, including presentations on verjus as a wine acidifier and other wine chemistry and enology topics.

Other Activities: Leads the statewide Texas A&M Extension enology program, delivering technical support and research-based education to Texas wineries through workshops, webinars, factsheets, newsletters, digital media, and applied research. Her research focuses on practical enology issues in hot climates, including wine pH management, acidification, aroma and flavor management, wine faults, and sensory science. A significant part of her scholarship examines the relationship between wine chemistry and sensory perception, including how production decisions and compositional changes influence acidity, aroma, flavor, and overall wine quality. Sensory-focused work has included research on the impact of verjus additions on wine acidity and sensory profile, educational programming on sensory science in enology, and training activities such as the Wine Sensory Short Course. Her scholarly work has resulted in peer-reviewed publications in Q1 journals in the field, and she has served as a reviewer for the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, Molecules, Beverages, and the Journal of Food Science. She collaborates with her enology and viticulture colleagues in other states and participates in the Eastern Enology and Viticulture Forum (EVEF) series of educational webinars. She also hosts The Wine Lab podcast as part of her broader wine education and outreach efforts and has participated in national extension collaborations connected with NVEELC-related efforts.