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30 WINES&VINES October 2016 Viewpoint "T he faster the scientific advances, the greater the risk of widening the gap between what we know and what we do. —Emile Peynaud For a long time, I have been fascinated by how the wine industry acquires and uses knowledge. That interest was highlighted when I came to Virginia Tech. They say nothing goes faster than the future, because, for most of us it seems that only yes- terday we were calling today tomorrow. For me it seems like only yesterday I began my teaching/research and extension appointment at Virginia Tech, but indeed it was 1985. For those not engaged in the wine industry in 1985, it may not be easy to understand and appreciate how truly embryonic the Virginia industry was back then. There were 34 winer- ies producing wine, some of which you could even drink! Admittedly, when I arrived, I was feeling a bit apprehen- sive about being in Virginia working on wine. At the time it was widely assumed that the real wine industry stopped at the California border. To add to my already vast sense of insecurity about being in Vir- ginia, in late 1985 a friend sent a book authored by a leading wine expert at the time, an expert de- fined as anyone who guesses cor- rectly more than once! Imagine my surprise when I discovered Virginia listed in the index. I quickly turned to the back of the book to locate nearly 1.5 pages about Virginia wines. While I cannot offer an exact quote, I cer- tainly remember the essence. To paraphrase, this "leading authority" wrote something like this: "Yes, they do make wine in Virginia, but one has to ask why." This was not simply a singular commentary on quality. He sug- gested that it is so much easier to produce wines in arid California, why would anyone bother to grow wine grapes in the warm, humid environment of Virginia? Fortunately for us all, this author did not understand the soon-to-emerge in- terest in regionalism, including regional cuisine to which wines pair nicely. That interest, among others, is the reason for growth and development of so many wine regions throughout the entire country to the benefit of our society. Initially, our goal at Virginia Tech was to review the factors n DR. BRUCE ZOECKLEIN In Vino Veritas: Relaying Science- Based Knowledge Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from Dr. Bruce Zoecklein's Extension Distinction Award presentation, which took place June 29, during the 67th annual conference of the American Society for Enology & Viticulture in Monterey, Calif. The locavore movement has spurred wine industry success in many states including Virginia (seen here at King Family Vineyards). "