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June 2016 WINES&VINES 59 WINE EAST WINE INDUSTRY NEWS C harlottesville, Va.— In the Monticello American Viticultural Area that sur- rounds Charlottesville, winemakers meet four times per year with a spe- cific purpose: reviewing the results of research trials done by fellow winemakers with the goal of evaluating techniques and expanding knowl- edge that will be directly applicable to the Virginia wine industry. According to Scott Dwyer, coordinator of the Winemaker's Research Exchange (WRE) and assistant winemaker at Pollak Vineyards, three winemakers—Kirsty Harmon at Blenheim Vine- yards, Matthieu Finot of King Family Vineyards and Emily Pelton at Veritas Vineyard & Winery— were the impetus behind starting the WRE in 2014. The trio wanted to see more research done that would be applicable to Virginia and went to the Monticello Wine Trail for support. They secured a $5,000 grant from the group and set up 25 projects for the 2014 harvest. Dwyer, who has a background in biochemis- try, met with local winemakers to help design research protocols. The WRE board reviewed the projects, and after harvest, Dwyer conducted another round of reviews to determine which research projects could move forward. The board then met to see what projects they had and to set four dates to present the results. In 2015, WRE received a $30,000 grant from the Virginia Wine Board as well as con- tinued funding from the Monticello Wine Trail. More than 40 projects were completed in 2015, and four sensory sessions were scheduled to present the results. Eight research projects were presented at the final sensory session for the 2015 vintage. Two were difference tests (tasters were to iden- tify the different wine). On the other flights, participants compared aroma and taste char- acteristics and determined their favorite wine. The wines were numbered, but no information was given about the varietal or the project. Information about the research project was handed out after each flight, and the wine- maker conducting the research described his or her project and answered questions. The final flight was designed to help deter- mine the aging potential for Petit Manseng wines. The varietal has increased in popularity during the past 10 years, but not many wineries have a long history of producing that wine. Michael Heny, winemaker at Horton Vineyards, has made Petit Manseng wines for approxi- mately 15 years, and he selected four vintages (2008, 2011, 2012 and 2014) from the Horton wine library for attendees to taste. The May 4 session had 24 participants (mostly winemakers from the Monticello Wine Trail), although winemakers from wineries outside the trail are welcome to attend. Learn more at winemakersresearchexchange.com. —Linda Jones McKee Virginia Winemakers Conduct Research and Taste Results Participants taste through wines created from the 2015 harvest during a sensory session hosted by the Winery Research Exchange in Virginia.