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May 2017 WINES&VINES 27 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS BioCool ™ is a food-safe, sustainable alternative to conventional glycols. It has a USDA BioPreferred ® designation and is certified 100% plant-based. BioCool ™ delivers increased performance at lower temperatures, improves pumping efficiencies and flow rates, reducing energy costs and stress on equipment. For more inFormation about how cool biocool ™ is, contact atPgrouP at (707) 836-6840 or online at www.atPgrouP.com ATPGroup introduces BioCool ™ , a natural alternative to glycol. ASEV names Walker Merit Award winner Professor and geneticist Dr. Andrew Walker of the University of California, Davis, is the recipi- ent of the 2017 Merit Award, the highest honor bestowed by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV). He will be sharing his presentation, "The Southwestern Vitis—A Grape Breeding Motherlode," on June 29 at the ASEV's 68th National Conference in Bellevue, Wash. Walker's lab focuses on grape breeding and the genetics of re- sistance to pests and diseases. He breeds rootstocks for resis- tance to nematodes, phylloxera, fanleaf, drought and salinity, and wine grapes with resistance to Pierce's disease and powdery mildew. He served as the Louis P. Martini Endowed Chair from 2000 to 2015 and was appointed the Louise Rossi Endowed Chair in Viticulture in 2015. He is currently a geneticist and professor at UC Davis teaching general viticulture and grapevine identification. New COO at Don Sebastiani & Sons Don Sebastiani & Sons in Sonoma promoted Tom Hawkins to the post of chief operating officer. Hawkins joined the company in 2009 as vice president of fi- nance. His responsibilities grew to include finance, operations, winemaking, marketing, human resources and information tech- nology. Following Hawkins' pro- motion, the company hired Omar Percich as its new CFO. Percich previously was the CFO at Foley Family Wines. Odette earns LEED Gold certification Odette Estate Winery in the Stags Leap District AVA earned Leadership in Energy and Envi- ronmental Design Gold certifica- tion from the U.S. Green Building Council. Odette is owned by the PlumpJack Group, which also owns CADE Estate Winery, the first winery in Napa Valley to earn the gold certification for its entire estate. In a statement announcing its certification, the winery noted it is a member of the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) organization and utilizes 100% organic farming methods. The property features an 8,500-square-foot planted liv- ing roof and 2,500 square feet of solar panels generating 30,000 kilowatts of solar power per year. Polycarbonate paneling is used around the building to create light without the use of energy, and shipping containers have been recycled into the winemaker's office and laboratory, employee break room and restroom. Green Medal winners announced The California Sustainable Winegrow- ing Alliance, California Association of Winegrape Growers, Wine Institute and other groups announced Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards and Monterey Pacific Inc. as the 2017 recipients of Green Medal awards as part of the third annual Sustainable Winegrowing Leadership Awards. Francis Ford Coppola Winery won the Leader Award; Spottswoode Estate won the Environment Award; St. Francis won the Community Award, and Monterey Pacific received the Business Award. NORTHWEST New winemaker at Dancin Southern Oregon winery Dancin Vineyards, which produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Barbera and fortified wine, hired Bryan Wil- son as winemaker. Wilson began working in wine production in So- noma County in 1980. He became winemaker at Benziger Family Win- Tom Hawkins