Industry conventions are an opportunity for organizations to recognize accomplishments, highlight research and even do a little good for the community. And that’s what happened at the Washington Winegrowers Association Convention and Trade Show held earlier in February. The event drew nearly 2,000 state, national and international participants from the grape and wine industry.

Ahead of the event, the association announced the first honoree for a new award, the Bill Powers Sabbatical Award. The first to be honored with the recognition is Brad Binko, owner and head winemaker of Drink Washington State and Eternal Wines.

As part of the honor, Binko will travel to Chile in March, just ahead of the Chilean winegrape harvest, to learn about the country’s vineyard and winery practices, and report his findings back to the Washington wine industry.

The new award was established to honor Bill Powers, the late owner and general manager of Badger Mountain Vineyard. Powers’ family and associates developed the fund to enable a degreed professional currently employed in the Washington state grape or wine industry to undertake a sabbatical. The sabbatical must be to an established wine-producing region of the world to learn about an aspect of winegrape growing or winemaking that will further the individual’s professional career. The knowledge is to help benefit Washington’s grape and wine industry.

The sabbatical award gives up to $5,000 to one individual currently working in the Washington state grape or wine industry, with five years of experience in viticulture or enology. Funds may be used for travel, room and board, and other education-related expenses.

For the 2018 honor, the deadline for application submittals is May 1. An award is made once per calendar year. Learn more at washingtonwinefoundation.org/scholarships.

Highlighting industry leaders
During the annual convention, the Washington Winegrowers recognized achievements of industry leaders. Here's a rundown of the honorees:

• Grower of the year. Mike Andrews, owner of Coyote Canyon Vineyards and Winery, received the Erick Hanson Memorial Winegrape Grower of the Year Award for demonstrated viticultural skills that provide impact in the vineyard and in the bottle. Andrews has been growing grapes for more than 20 years and has consistently produced brilliant results. His grapes have been part of numerous 90-point wines from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. In the award presentation, it was noted he understands grape growing from a vintner’s perspective, and treats all grapes as if they are destined for reserve wines. Andrews’ hybrid of machine and hand labor has allowed his vineyard to evolve while maintaining perennial quality.

• Industry Service. Tom Waliser, owner of Beresan Winery, received the Industry Service Award for a lifetime of effective service to and for the grape and wine industry. Waliser was one of the first growers in the Walla Walla, Wash., area to plant Gala and Fuji apples, and was instrumental in bringing new apple varieties and high-density plantings to the area. Shortly after he started with winegrapes, he became a local authority — consulting on planting and managing vineyards. Waliser has planted more winegrape acres in the Walla Walla Valley appellation than anyone else. He has trained many of the vineyard managers who now oversee the competition as well as some orchard managers over the past 20 years: teaching young men and women in the vineyard the what, the how and the why.

• Lifetime Achievement. Paul Champoux, former owner of the famed Champoux vineyards, received the Lifetime Achievement Award to recognize his work as a pioneer of the Washington grape and wine industry. Champoux is one of the state’s most respected vineyard experts, with more than 40 years of experience. As a forerunner in the industry, he worked to produce the same quality of grape for the winemaker. He is also a consistent and supportive volunteer. Champoux was a longtime board member of the Washington Winegrowers and a founding member of the Washington Wine Industry Foundation, where he still serves.

• Grand Vin. Rick Small, owner of Woodward Canyon Winery, received the Grand Vin Award for making a significant impact on a winery, wine, brand or process. Small has done them all. With deep agricultural roots in the Walla Walla Valley, Small believes strongly that the quality of the wine starts in the vineyard, and that one must never compromise by cutting corners. He is known for setting a standard of quality, collaboration and camaraderie among Washington wineries. Studying agriculture at Washington State University and then going back to school for architecture, Small never planned to grow grapes or make wine. But then curiosity got the best of him, after seeing work being done at Chateau Ste. Michelle, and his passion for wine began. He started planting winegrapes at his family wheat farm at Woodward Canyon, educated himself about viticulture, and — through lots of trial and error — started crafting award-winning wine.

Recognizing research
The association also used its annual event to hold a poster session for students, educators and researchers to present their latest work to the organization. And in a new event this year, graduate students had the opportunity to present their research findings in an oral presentation, which was also judged and had prizes awarded. For the posters, there were three categories: undergraduate, graduate and professional. Here's a look at this year’s honorees, along with their topics:

Undergraduate
• First place: Corydon Funk, Washington State University, “Impact of Tobacco Ringspot Virus on Vine Growth and Grape Quality”

• Second place: Mitchell Williamson, Washington State University, “Impact of pH on the Wine Microbial Population”

• Tie for third place: Gillian Hawkins, Washington State University, “Cabernet Sauvignon Berry Quality in Vines Watered Through Direct Root Zone Irrigation”; and Carlos Zúñiga-Espinoza, Washington State University, “Proximal and Remote Sensing Methods to Evaluate Vine Water Status in Subsurface- and Deficit-Irrigated Cabernet Sauvignon Grapevines”

Graduate
• First place: Margaret McCoy, Washington State University, “Accessing and Optimizing Sprayer Technologies in Commercial Eastern Washington State Winegrape Vineyards”

• Second place: Katherine East, Washington State University, “Developmental Dynamics of the Northern Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne Hapla in Washington State Vineyards”

Professional
• First place: Naidu Rayapati, Washington State University, “The Mantra of ‘Start Clean, Stay Clean’ for Healthy Vineyards”

• Second place: Sridhar Jarugula, Washington State University, “Impact of Two Distinct Virus Diseases in Washington State Vineyards”

• Third place: Michelle Moyer, Washington State University, “Field Performance of Nematode-Resistant Winegrape Rootstocks in Washington”

Graduate presentation
• First place: Zachary Cartwright, Washington State University, “Quantification of Brettanomyces Bruxellensis in Oak Barrel Staves and Removal Strategies Using Heat”

Source: Washington Winegrowers