DAVIS, Calif., July 14, 2021…Dr. Tom Collins, assistant professor at the Wine Science Center at Washington State University (WSU), Tri-Cities, has been confirmed as 2021-2022 president of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (ASEV) as of July 1, succeeding Patty Skinkis, Oregon State University’s Viticulture specialist and professor. Dr. Collins will lead ASEV’s 12-member board.
Known for his extensive work in chemical analysis and more recently, smoke exposure in wine, Dr. Tom Collins has been an active member of ASEV since 1993. He is also a familiar face at the Unified Wine & Gape Symposium, having served as its program development chair in 2015 and 2016 and co-chair in 2019, and currently part of the winemaking program subcommittee. Dr. Collins was also a Unified Symposium, LLC Managing Committee member in 2009-2018. He has been at his current position at WSU since 2015. Prior to WSU, he was director of research at the Food Safety and Measurement Facility at UC Davis (2013-2015), senior manager/research & development at Treasury Wine Estates (2008-2012), assistant winemaker/winemaker at LangeTwins Winery (2006-2008), manager/research at Beringer Winery (2002- 2006) and manager/grower relations/vineyard operation at Constellation Wine Company (1997-2002).
Dr. Collins is also a member of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers Outreach and Technology Transfer Committee, AOAC, American Society of Mass Spectrometry, American Chemical Society and the Gold Standard Committee. He taught “Successful Home Winemaking” at UC Davis Extension from 2008-2015. His past technical activities include being a member of the Napa Valley Wine Technical Group (2004-2006), reviewer for Viticulture Consortium East’s research proposals, member of the Organizing Committee for the Viticulture 2000 and 2003 symposia, member of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation Research Funding Committee, member of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Wine Technical Committee, member of Cornell Cooperative Extension Finger Lakes Viticulture Program Guidance Committee and member of Cornell Cooperative Extension – Lake Erie Region Processor Committee. He received his doctorate in agricultural and environmental chemistry from UC Davis in 2012 and his bachelor’s in Russian and Soviet Studies from Cornell University in 1984.
“It is an honor to serve an organization that I hold with high regard. I believe that the Society provides an invaluable service and community for the wine and grape industry, and I anticipate a successful year ahead as we move forward after a challenging year,” says Collins.
In addition to Tom Collins, the board’s Executive Committee for 2021-2022 includes: R. Keith Striegler, grower outreach specialist at E. & J. Gallo Winery, Calif., first vice president; Michelle Moyer, viticulture extension specialist and associate professor at the Department of Horticulture, Washington State University, Prosser, second vice president; and Merilark Padgett-Johnson of the Natural Resources Department at Santa Rosa Junior College, Calif., secretary-treasurer. Continuing on with their board positions are Markus Keller, Chateau Ste. Michelle distinguished professor in viticulture at the Department of Horticulture, Washington State University, Prosser, ASEV science editor, and James Harbertson, associate professor of enology at the Wine Science Center, Washington State University, Tri-Cities, technical program director. New incoming ASEV directors include Hope Goldie, director of winemaking at Darioush Winery in California, and Yun Zhang, viticulturist at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in Washington. For a full board list, go to asev.org/board-directors-staff
Formed in 1950 as a professional society dedicated to the interests of enologists, viticulturists and others in the fields of wine and grape research and production, ASEV’s membership of approximately 1,600 includes professionals from wineries, vineyards, and academic institutions and organizations from around the world. In addition to publishing the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture (AJEV) and the Catalyst: Discovery into Practice, the Society also hosts its National Conference, which will be the 73rd ASEV National Conference, scheduled for June 19-22, 2022, at the Paradise Point Resort, San Diego, Calif. ASEV co-hosts the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium with the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG), which will be held on January 25-27, 2022, at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center (formerly Sacramento Convention Center). For more information, visit www.asev.org.
