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34 W i n e s & V i n e s J U n e 2 0 1 4 F or the first time, the American Society for Enology and Viticul- ture will hold its national con- ference in conjunction with the annual meeting of the ASEV- Eastern Section. Usually ASEV holds its national meeting on the West Coast, and the Eastern Section meets somewhere east of the Mississippi. This year, both meetings will be integrated into a five-day program in Austin, Texas, from June 23 to 27. According to Lyndie Boulton, executive director of ASEV, the society has been looking for a place to hold a joint meeting for about five years. "We value the Eastern Section," Boulton told Wines & Vines. "We wanted to find a site to host a com- mon event, a place that would work. It's amazing the positive commentary we've gotten since the conference location was announced. Evidently many California wineries do a lot of business in Austin. It's a diverse city, centered around the univer- sity, but with a mix of larger and smaller businesses. There are good restaurants, and the city is known for its food trucks. And there are a lot of activities—kayaking, walking, running—that can be done right from the hotel in downtown. It's an eclectic city with an independent identity." Pre-conference winery tour One of the traditions of the Eastern Section is to begin the annual meeting with a daylong pre- conference tour of local wineries, and during this 39th year that tour will take conference attendees to visit four wineries located in the Texas Hill Country AVA surrounding Austin. On June 23, the first stop will be at Flat Creek Estates in Mar- ble Falls. The winery opened in 2002 and now has 20 acres of vines and produces 10,000 cases. The second winery, Becker Vineyards in Stonewall, is Texas' third- largest winery. Established in 1992, Becker has 46 acres of vines and is a 65,000-case winery. After lunch at the Salt Lick Restaurant in Driftwood, the tour will head to Salt Lick Vineyards next door. The 35-acre vineyard was planted in 2006. The final stop will be Driftwood Estates Winery in Driftwood, which started in 2002 and now makes 6,000 cases. Symposium sessions On June 24 the 65th ASEV conference will officially open with a symposium about water-use efficiency. Given that both California and Texas have had problems with drought, the topic is appropriate for growers across the coun- try. Speakers from Australia to Spain and California to Ontario will focus on such issues as managing salinity in vine- yards, using reclaimed water for irrigation and improving water-use efficiency in grapevines. A second symposium will be held June 27, this time with the focus on winemak- New Venue Unites ASEV and Eastern Section American Society for Enology and Viticulture to hold 65th conference in Austin, Texas By Linda Jones McKee Highlights • The American Society for Enology and Viticulture will hold its national conference with ASEV-Eastern Section this June in Austin, Texas. • Activities include visits to four area wineries and the Eastern Section's fourth annual Oenolympics. • Drs. Linda Bisson and Terry Bates will be honored with awards for their achievements in enology and viticulture. The temporary exhibit of a longhorn sitting in a field of blue bonnets at Flat Creek Estate makes for the quintessential Texas scene. The winery features rotating works of art. Located in the Texas Hill Country, Becker Vineyards is the state's third-largest winery. nichOLE A. BEnDELE A S E V P R E V I E W