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6 WINES&VINES February 2016 A member of Wine Communications Group Inc. ADVERTISING Vice President & Director of Sales Jacques Brix jbrix@winesandvines.com (707) 473-0244 West Lydia Hall lydia@winesandvines.com (415) 453-9700, ext. 103 Midwest Hooper Jones hooperhja@aol.com (847) 486-1021 Northeast Marsha Tabb marshatabb@comcast.net (215) 794-3442 East Laura Lemos laura@boja.com (973) 822-9274 International Dave Bayard dave@bayard.com (973) 822-9275 Advertising Manager Christina Ballinger ads@winesandvines.com DIGITAL EDITION All print subscribers now get digital access to Wines & Vines. You can: • DOWNLOAD pages or full issues • BROWSE current and archived issues • WATCH videos • ACCESS via desktop, tablet or smartphone • SEARCH by keyword or table of contents • NAVIGATE by topic or page thumbnail • QUESTIONS? Contact customer ser- vice at custserv@winesandvines.com or (866) 453-9701 Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. PDT. CONNECT WITH US CONTRIBUTORS One of three principals at Zepponi & Co. of Santa Rosa, Calif., Mario Zepponi has extensive experience performing valuations and negotiating and structuring purchase, sale and lease transactions in the wine and beverage businesses. His Viewpoint article on page 38 assesses the climate for deals of these kinds in 2016. Prior to forming Zepponi & Co., he practiced law as a corporate, real estate and food and beverage attorney. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and law and MBA degrees from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Marie-Laure Badet-Murat is the lead author of the cover story "Innovative Tools for Stave Selection and Toasting," beginning on page 44. She joined Denis Dubourdieu's research team at the Univer- sity of Bordeaux (France) for her Ph.D., which focused on Sauvignon Blanc and rosé aromas. Post doctorate, she joined the Laffort Group and assisted in establishing the renowned SARCO Laboratory, special- izing in wine-specific analysis as well as research services. With 20 years of experience in the wine industry, she founded Œnologie By MLM, a consulting and research-services firm based in Bordeaux. In his article beginning on page 76, "The Two Faces of Ice Wine Production," Ray Pompilio looks at the differences between ice wine and "iced wine" production. While wineries in Ontario usually make ice wine, in which the grapes are allowed to hang on the vines until they freeze, some wineries in New York make iced wine, where the grapes are harvested at normal times and then frozen. ON THE COVER The story on page 44 profiles steps taken by Vicard Generation 7 to ensure consistency during the stave-selection and toasting processes. A subsequent research study went on to examine the compounds present in toasted barrels and how they were perceived by trained tasters of the finished wines. QUESTION FOR FEBRUARY: How do you choose which barrel suppliers to use? Cara Morrison Chardonnay winemaker Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards Windsor, Calif. Sonoma-Cutrer chooses our coopers based on long-standing relationships and experience, knowing their barrel style and them knowing our business. But it's not all based on tradition, we set up a barrel trial every year to compare all our coopers to ensure their quality and diversity of style fit our wines. Celia Welch Winemaker and owner Celia Welch Wines Napa, Calif. Recommendations from col- leagues, often. If the flavors and texture are right, I will work two or four barrels into a barrel trial for a few years to try to gauge the compatibility with my wines, variability between barrels, and to see how things go with the service, cost, etc. It's a very slow process but leads to bar- rels that are a perfect fit. Jeff Cohn Winemaker and owner Jeff Cohn Cellars Oakland, Calif. I consider myself a Rhône-cen- tric winemaker, thus my view is very Rhône. I prefer to work with cooperages that understand this philosophy and put a focus on larger format barrels. I also like cooperages that do not look at me as someone who buys a few barrels, but someone who becomes part of their family and an ambassador.