Enology and Viticulture

Research in enology is focused primarily in the area of grape and wine flavor components in addition to evaluation of vineyard management and processing alternatives. The influence of grapevine canopy management on the incidence of fruit rot metabolites and their effect on native grape aroma components is currently being investigated. Viticultural and enological practice affecting grape phenols and their polymerization and stabilization is also investigated. The evaluation of new cultivars and the wines produced from those cultivars attempts to provide practical information to enhance the growth and development of the Virginia wine industry.

Emphasis Areas

• Relationships between vineyard management and grape aroma components
• Grape and wine flavor component isolation and characterization
• Grape and wine phenols and phenol stability
• Processing methodologies for flavor enhancement
• Evaluation of new cultivars