Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/131907
EDITOR'S LETTER Academia and Industry Must Meet Improving relevance of ASEV Conference is a healthy priority T he American Society for Enology and Viticulture has been promoting the wine industry's health by supporting research and education for 64 years. That's why this is our 64th annual Enology and Viticulture Issue, which coincides with the annual conference of the ASEV (see page 46 for more details about this month's conference in Monterey, Calif.). I thought it was a good time to ask the society's leadership about its current priorities and challenges. After interviewing the director and three board members, it seems the ASEV is engaged in a healthy campaign to improve its relevance and expand its reach. And that it all comes down to bringing academia and industry together for the benefit of both—sometimes in spite of each other's inclinations. Based in Davis, Calif., the society has 2,200 members, 100 industry affiliate companies and three chapters: an Eastern U.S. chapter, a Northwest chapter and the ASEV Japan chapter. The organization publishes the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture (AJEV), comanages the mammoth Unified Wine & Grape Symposium each January with the California Association of Winegrape Growers and runs the smaller ASEV National Conference on its own each June. The society funds annual scholarships, which this year total $80,000. Past challenges It all comes down to bringing academia and industry together for the benefit of both— sometimes in spite of each other's inclinations. The organization watched membership decline after the banking crisis of 2008, and then it dramatically altered the Annual Conference in 2009 by dropping the accompanying trade show, to the disappointment of some industry suppliers and the relief of some others. Andrew Walker of the University of California, Davis, is the ASEV's technical program director. Walker said the society is still grappling with how that smaller conference is moving forward. "The scientists want more science, and the industry members want more applied information," he said. "They are not mutually exclusive at all, and they shouldn't be." "The National Conference is a great opportunity for the scientists to tell the industry what they're doing—and this is essential, because if they don't do it then they won't get the funding they need from the industry." ASEV president Leticia Chacon-Rodriguez underscored the importance of connecting researchers with potential industry sponsors, and she lamented the U.S. wine industry's relatively 8 W in es & V i ne s J U NE 2 0 1 3 shallow commitment to research funding. As a winemaker for Treasury Wine Estates in Napa, Calif., she said, "In industry we don't focus on research as much as we want to because it takes too long. We want answers right now, and we don't have five years to wait, so sometimes we take temporary measures. To get deeper into the root cause it takes more time and money." One industry member who enthusiastically attests to the relevance of the National Conference is Lise Asimont, the ASEV's second vice president and director of grower relations for Francis Ford Coppola Presents winery in Geyserville, Calif. "Every single time at the National Conference I learn about something and I say, 'Why are we not doing that?'" A session about climate change caused one of these epiphanies, after which Asimont went back to the winery and ordered inexpensive weather data loggers for her growers. ASEV executive director Lyndie Boulton reported that membership is ticking back up. She stressed that the national conference has evolved to include more fundamentals of winemaking and grapegrowing. Today's priorities Boulton said she hopes all members will explore the powerful research tools and article archives from the academic journal now available at ajevonline.org as well as in print. A big item on the agenda includes changes in the bylaws to make the society more relevant to industry and to encourage early career members. The challenge of serving the now far-flung U.S. wine industry is also top of mind. The National Conference has traveled to the Northwest three times since 2008, and the 2014 conference is now scheduled for Austin, Texas. Walker said that the potential for change in the AJEV is coming along. As for the National Conference, it's important for it to be a true national meeting that draws more members from outside California, he said, as well as attracting the entire research community and as many technical industry people as possible. "It's the only place the industry is going to find answers to very key questions," Walker maintained. We will be at the National Conference June 24-28 because it is a great source of inspiration for Wines & Vines' editorial content. Hope to see you there.