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May 2017 WINES&VINES 75 WINE EAST WINE INDUSTRY NEWS Georgia and North Carolina Fill Extension Positions Create a classic with our new 8 color UV custom glass printing technology. With the best bottle and closure brands on the market, our printed glass experts will work with you to launch your next best seller. Contact Waterloo Container today. Go ahead… judge a book by its cover. Toll Free: 888-539-3922 | waterloocontainer.com A t h e n s , G a . — D r. C a i n Hickey assumed the posi- tion of assistant professor of viticulture in the University of Georgia-Athens Department of Horticulture on March 1. In his new position, Hickey will be re- sponsible for helping Georgia grapegrowers improve cultural practices in their vineyards, find the most appropriate varieties to grow and the best ways to grow those varieties with the goal of increasing both the quality of and recognition for Georgia wines. Hickey plans to hold workshops, get some vineyard research trials going and learn more about Muscadine grape varieties. Hickey grew up in North East, Pa., in the heart of the Concord grape belt along Lake Erie. He earned a bachelor's degree in horticultural science from Penn State in 2009, a master's from Virginia Tech in 2012, and his Ph.D. in horticultural science from Virginia Tech in 2016. The topic of his Ph.D. thesis was "Fruit Zone Leaf Removal in Bor- deaux Reds in a Humid Climate." After graduation, he was a post- doctoral associate at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Exten- sion Laboratory in Portland, N.Y. Georgia today has an increas- ing number of vineyards planted with vinifera and hybrid grapes for wine production—especially in the higher elevations of north- ern Georgia. The state now has 54 wineries, according to Wines Vines Analytics. North Carolina On July 1, North Carolina will have a new extension specialist to fill the positions previously held by Dr. Sara Spayd, who re- tired as professor and extension specialist in viticulture in October 2016, and Dr. Barclay Poling, who retired in August 2013 as profes- sor and extension specialist in strawberries and Muscadines. Dr. Mark Hoffman will become the new small fruit extension special- ist at North Carolina State Uni- versity, with responsibilities for bunch and Muscadine grapes as well as strawberries. A native of Germany, Hoffman earned his Ph.D. in soil ecology and entomology from the Univer- sity of Mainz in 2012. He worked as an extension assistant at Geisenheim University from 2010 to 2012 and then took a post- doctoral position as a researcher at the University of Florida's Cit- rus Research and Education Cen- ter in Lake Alfred, Fla. In 2015 he became a post-doctoral re- searcher at the University of Cali- fornia, Davis. In that position, he has been working with straw- berry growers and researchers in the Salinas-Watsonville area of California on methods to control weeds and soil-borne pests. The grape and wine industry in North Carolina has grown dramati- cally in the past 15 to 20 years. The state now has 141 wineries, ac- cording to Wines Vines Analytics, 525 vineyards and five designated American Viticultural Areas. —Linda Jones McKee Mark Hoffman Cain Hickey