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22 WINES&VINES September 2018 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS CALIFORNIA Matchbook hires Brandon Reitz as winemaker Matchbook Wine Company in Zamora named Brandon Reitz as the company's new winemaker. Reitz has spent the last five years in Napa at Bin to Bottle, most recently as assistant director of winemak- ing. Reitz will be working alongside head winemaker Dan Cederquist. New chair, faculty at Fresno State The Department of Viticulture and Enology at California State Univer- sity, Fresno hired Luca Brillante as viticulture professor and Bronco Wine Co. viticulture research chair. The department also announced that Anil Shrestha, a plant science professor at Fresno State, is the new chair of the department. Shres- tha is the department's first perma- nent chair in about three years. Whitaker named assistant winemaker at Frank Family Corey Whitaker is the new as- sistant winemaker at Frank Family Vineyards in Napa Valley. Whitaker joined Frank Family in 2016 as enologist and previously was a lab technician at Ferrari-Carano Vine- yards & Winery in Sonoma County. Waverly Accurso, who most re- cently was an enologist at Roederer Estate in Philo, is taking over the role of enologist at Frank Family. Master Somm Dame joins DAOU DAOU Vineyards announced master sommelier Fred L. Dame joined the company as its global wine ambassador. Dame will work with founders Georges Daou and Daniel Daou to bring the Adelaida District of the Paso Robles AVA to the attention of the global wine trade and to enhance international awareness of DAOU wines. Fayard joins Krupp Brothers as winemaker Krupp Brothers announced Julien Fayard as its new winemaker. Fayard, who is originally from the Provence region of France, trained in Bordeaux working for Château Lafite-Rothschild and Smith Haut Lafitte where he oversaw vineyard management and developed his winemaking skills. After moving to Napa in 2006, Fayard worked alongside Philippe Melka as direc- tor of winemaking at Atelier Melka before launching his own brand Azur Wines. Sonoma Winegrowers move to new office The Sonoma County Winegrowers announced it moved its offices to a new workspace at Sunnyview Vineyard. The organization plans to host all future committee and board meetings on-site. Located on Guerneville Road in Santa Rosa, the property includes a vineyard and a 2,700-square-foot building for offices and a board room. Additional warehouse space exists for storage and classroom space for grower education. Previ- ously, the winegrowers had been sharing office space with the Sonoma County Vintners and So- noma County Tourism in the Amer- ican Ag Credit Building on Aviation Boulevard in Santa Rosa. Napa Vintners donates $2.5 million The Napa Valley Vintners pro- vided $2.5 million in grant funding for children's education in Napa County. The funds were distrib- uted to nearly a dozen commu- nity groups that support youth education and other services to children. The group has also provided $4 million to support the construction of two new Boys & Girls Clubs facilities in American Canyon and Calistoga. NORTHWEST New winemakers at Okanagan Crush Pad Steven Latchford and Lynzee Schatz joined the winemaking team at Okanagan Crush Pad in Summerland, B.C. Latchford will manage the winery's custom crush business while Schatz will oversee sparkling wine production. Latch- ford has worked at various winer- ies in the Okanagan Valley since 2007, and Schatz previously was at Vancouver Urban Winery. Both winemakers will work closely with chief winemaker Matt Dumayne. Latchford and Schatz replace Jor- dan Kubek and Tyler Knight who are planning to open a new winery with Ron Kubek in Summerland. Montinore hires viticulturist Karen Peterson is the new viticul- turist at Montinore Estate in Forest Grove, Ore. Peterson comes to Montinore Estate after working at Domaine Drouhin Oregon as a vineyard assistant and later at A to Z Wineworks as a viticulturist. Pe- terson will be responsible for Mon- tinore's 250 acres of vineyards. Columbia Crest announces new winemaker Columbia Crest Winery in Pat- erson, Wash., appointed Katie Nelson as senior director of wine- making. In her new role, Nelson will be responsible for all winemaking decisions across the entire range of Columbia Crest wines, includ- ing the Reserve, H3 and Grand Estate tiers. She will also manage other innovation projects. Nelson previously worked for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates from 1999 to 2015. Chehalem earns B Corp certification Chehalem winery in Newberg, Ore., announced it achieved B Corp Certification status. The cer- tification assesses companies to ensure they meet a high standard of verified social and environmen- tal performance, public transpar- ency and legal accountability. Chehalem joins its sister winery Stoller Family Estate along with A to Z Wineworks, Sokol Blosser Winery, Winderlea Vineyard & Win- ery and Patton Valley Vineyard, making it the sixth Oregon winery and 114th company in Oregon to attain the status. Road 13 named No. 1 in Canada Road 13 Vineyards in Oliver, B.C., received the title of No. 1 Winery in Canada after ten consecutive years placing within the Top Ten Winery in Canada list by the Na- tional Wine Awards of Canada, which has been managed by Wine Align since 2013. Accord- ing to a press release, Road 13 Vineyards is the only winery in Canada to win both platinum and a top-ten national spot for six consecutive years. Delicato, Mercer collaborate on wine brand Delicato Family Vineyards and Mercer Wine Estates in Prosser, Wash., announced the launch of a collaborative new wine pro- duced with Washington grapes. The new, national brand, Mercer Family Vineyards, is a partnership between the two fourth-generation family-owned wine companies. The inaugural release includes a Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, red blend and reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. A Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Malbec and reserve red blend is planned for the Pacific Northwest market. Washington golf tourney raises nearly $60,000 The Washington Wine Industry Foundation announced the group's 18th annual Wine Cup golf tourna- ment raised more than $58,000 for Corey Whitaker Regional News Steve Latchford (left), Matt Dumayne (center), and Lynzee Schatz LIONEL TRUDEL