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22 WINES&VINES March 2018 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS One of the pioneers in engineering crossflow filtration, Romfil Crossflow systems have been filtering wine since 1998. Romfil crossflow stands for quality and precision in manufacturing and processing. Our filters are simple, gentle, modular and thoughtfully engineered. With capacity ranges from 200 gallons an hour to over 5000 gallons an hour – we have a system to simplify your life. FOR THE LOVE OF WINE West: 707-864-5800 East: 540-825-5700 info@euromachinesusa.com – www.euromachinesusa.com ROMFIL CROSSFLOW FILTRATION Ohio, to expand educational op- portunities for students in its wine degree programs. The school and winery are producing wines to provide students an opportunity to participate in all aspects of grapegrowing and winemaking. The program culminates in the production of a new "Kent State Ashtabula" labeled wine. The first two wines—a Riesling and a Cab- ernet blend—were released in December. Under the new agree- ment, students will work and learn in the vineyards owned and operated by Laurello's and in the cellar at Laurello's Harpersfield Township winery. EAST Penn State hires enology extension educator Dr. Molly Kelly is the new enology extension educator at Pennsylvania State University. Prior to joining Penn State, Kelly was the enol- ogy extension specialist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., and also held the position of enology instructor at Surry Community Col- lege in Dobson, N.C., where she developed the enology curriculum and managed all aspects of the col- lege's 1,000-case bonded winery. At Penn State, Kelly will support the technical needs of the Pennsylvania wine industry and lead educational programming focusing on wine quality. Kelly's current research includes a pre-harvest, on-the-vine dehydration study in collaboration with Virginia Tech University. SUPPLIER NEWS M&A firm launches in the Northwest Metis, a new mergers and acquisi- tion advisory firm specializing in the hospitality and beverage alco- hol industries, publically launched after closing two deals in January. The firm, which is based in Se- attle, advised on deals with Walla Walla Vintners, Firesteed Winery and Tamarack Cellars. The firm's managing partner is Andy Stein- man, who is assisted by associate Philippe Michel and analyst Jes- sica Leung. The new company, named after a Greek goddess, is part of the larger M&A firm Exvere. Vinventions increases market share Closure supplier Vinventions an- nounced it delivered 2.7 billion closures in 2017, about 200 million more than what the company sold in 2016. Vinventions now claims to be the second-largest wine closure supplier with 13% of the global market. Sales growth was fueled by the company's Nomacorc Green Line and Vintop screwcaps. The Nomacorc PlantCorc had the fastest growth with more than 800 million units sold worldwide. Key to growth is the company's research and de- velopment division, which launched 30 new products in the past 10 years and has secured 97 patents and has 47 pending patents. Western Square improves powder coating Barrel rack manufacturer Western Square Industries announced it has completed an upgrade and modern- ization of its powder-coating system. The Stockton, Calif.-based company reports the new, automated system is more efficient and also safer for its employees. The new system is ex- pected to pay for itself in three years and is easier to use and provide for easier color changes and improved quality control. CORRECTIONS A table that ran with the article "Wineries Diverge on Profitability Concerns" in the January 2018 issue of Wines & Vines listed the incorrect case production and average bottle price for Charles Krug Winery. The table should have specified that the numbers were for parent company C. Mondavi & Family. Pinot Noir accounts for more than half of all grapes grown in southern Oregon, which is the source of about a quarter of the state's entire wine grape crop. This informa- tion was incorrect in the Technical Spotlight article in the February 2018 issue of Wines & Vines.