2024 Eastern Winery Exposition

Vinny Aliperti

Billsboro Winery

Owner & Winemaker

Vinny was hooked on winemaking as a teenager in his grandfather’s cellar in Queens NY, where he was first introduced to his family’s annual tradition. Vinny’s winemaking style is often described as energetic and fruit-driven, focusing on creating textural, contemplative wines. For over 25 years, his dynamic approach has earned him praise both locally and nationally, including several write-ups in Decanter, VinePair, Wine Spectator, the Washington Post, Wine and Spirits, Wine Enthusiast, and the New York Cork Report.

Maureen Ballatori

29 Design Studio

Founder and CEO

Agency 29 is a creative agency for food, beverage, and agriculture brands. Maureen’s experience in brand strategy helps companies scale business growth, define their unique marketing message, and attract their ideal audiences. She grew up on a farm in upstate NY and Maureen’s rural roots are the source of her passion for food and agriculture. (Agency 29 is formerly known as 29 Design Studio)

Peter Bell

Winery Consultant

Peter, a Canadian native, was the winemaker at Fox Run Vineyards from 1995-2022. He holds degrees in Enology from Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, Australia and in Anthropology from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He worked as a winemaker in Australia and New Zealand before landing in the Finger Lakes region of New York in 1990 to be head winemaker at Dr. Frank’s. He was also an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Food Science at Cornell University and lectured to wine industry professionals throughout the world.

Peter is also a member of the EWE Program Advisory Board. He retired from full-time winemaking in 2022 and is active as a consultant to wineries in the eastern U.S.

Tim Benedict

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars, East Coast Crush & Co-Pack

Consultant Winemaker

Tim is a native of the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York who grew up around his grandfather’s vineyards. His early formal training was in the field of music but other than an inspired period as a traveling musician, he brought the creative sensibilities of a musician to the craft of winemaking. Tim has 30+ years experience in the grape and wine industry. Throughout his career, he has crafted many award-winning wines from vinifera, hybrid, and native varieties, specializing in dessert wines like port, sherry, late harvest and ice wines. In recent years he has expanded his portfolio to include formula wines, hard cider, and wine spritzers. Tim is an experienced project and production manager and has judged wines in several international competitions.

Damien Blanchon

Afton Mountain Vineyards

Winemaker

Damien has been making wine in Virginia since 2006, since attaining his degree in viticulture and enology in his native France. He joined Afton Mountain Vineyards in 2011 where he continued his family tradition of making wine and growing grapes. Damien oversees wine production and vineyard operations implementing sustainable, environmentally respectful practices in both areas. His philosophy is good wine comes from good grapes, focusing on understanding the specific terroir of our site and each vintage to create wines reflecting this philosophy.

Clint Bradley

Bradley Group

Founder

Clint is the founder of the Bradley Group a strategic consulting firm that helps small and medium-sized businesses identify and exploit opportunities for growth. Over the past 23 years, Clint has worked with hundreds of companies in industries ranging from tech startups and media companies to industrial manufacturers. In addition to consulting, Clint has started and/or acquired several businesses including a roofing company, a commercial welding company, a podcast streamer, an electronic sports timing company, and an escape room business.

Clint holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and a Master’s degree in Accountancy from Cleveland State University.

Paul Brock

Silver Thread Vineyards

Winegrower and Co-owner

Paul has been the winegrower and co-owner of Silver Thread Vineyard in the Finger Lakes since 2011. Paul is driven by his desire to learn about and know how to explain classical and cutting-edge techniques useful to small scale winemaking and vineyard operations. His current interests include developing and practicing biointensive viticultural techniques which reduce synthetic pesticides while focusing on regenerating soil health and balanced vine nutrition to achieve high-quality grapes for wine production.

Paul retired as associate professor of viticulture and wine technology at Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) in 2021. He is also a winemaking consultant for The Gotham Project, a company that primarily markets keg wine to New York City restaurants. Before purchasing Silver Thread, he worked as a commercial winemaker in both the Finger Lakes and Marlborough, New Zealand. Paul has an M.S. in Enology and Viticulture from Cornell University and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has earned a wine judge certification from the American Wine Society and a level three Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust of London.

Roger Brooks

Destination International

Travel Expert & Speaker

Roger is a keynote speaker and expert on travel, tourism, downtowns, community branding, and destination marketing. He is the founding member of the Destination Development Association and shares his love of going to communities as a change agent.

Howard Bursen

Wineryplan.com

Consultant and Principal

A winery designer, winemaker and grapegrower for over 30 years, Howard’s wines have received more than 500 medals in national and international competitions. He has contributed to winery designs on three continents. His last two design projects were in New Hampshire and Mexico. Past President of the New England Wine Council, former member of the USDA Advisory Council for the Northern Grapes Project, cooperating winemaker with Cornell University’s Enology program, and serving member of the ASEV Scholarship Committee, he can be reached at his consulting website www.wineryplan.com.

Nova Cadamatre MW

Trestle 31

Consulting Winemaker & Owner

Over the course of almost two decades, Nova has become one of the most versatile and experienced winemakers in the industry. She holds a Bachelors from Cornell University in Viticulture. In 2017 she achieved the title of Master of Wine, the first female winemaker in the U.S. to do so. She has worked with some of the best vineyards in the world, including significant time at the iconic To Kalon vineyard while working as the senior director of winemaking for Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, CA. While there she crafted the #6 wine of 2022 for Wine Spectator’s top 100 list. She has been named to Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 under 40 and has numerous 90+ scoring wines from both coasts to her credit.

Nova owns three brands of her own; Trestle Thirty One and Snowshell Vineyards from the Finger Lakes and Fiadh Ruadh (Fay-ah Roo-ah) in Napa, CA. As a true “flying winemaker” she travels between Napa and the Finger Lakes to manage both her projects and several consulting clients.

Bennett Caplan

FIVS & FIVS-Abridge

Head of Secretariat & Executive Director

Bennett is the head of secretariat FIVS and the executive director of FIVS-Abridge since 2003. An attorney and government affairs specialist with extensive experience in public policy and regulatory matters regarding the alcohol beverage industry, he was previously senior director of international and government affairs at Allied Domecq, director of policy development at Seagram, and a partner at McDermott, Will & Emery. He has served as president of the Washington Foreign Law Society, as vice president of the Washington Fletcher Alumni Association, and as a member of the board of directors of the International Wine Law Association. Bennett has taught graduate-level courses on international trade policy at the University of Maryland and Syracuse University. He is a graduate of Columbia University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Boston College Law School.

Michela Centinari

Pennsylvania State University

Associate Professor of Viticulture

Michela received her BSc and PhD in horticulture at the University of Bologna, Italy, and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Cornell University. At Penn State, Michela works with a multidisciplinary research and extension team and the Pennsylvania grape and wine industry to solve vineyard management issues and optimize crop production practices. Her program investigates the effects of environmental factors, cultural practices, and biotic stressors, such as the spotted lanternfly, on grapevine physiology, production, and fruit and wine quality.

Dr. Imed Dami

The Ohio State University

Associate Professor & Extension Viticulture Specialist

Imed is a professor in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science and state viticulture specialist at The Ohio State University with research and extension responsibilities in viticulture. His research interests include cold hardiness of grapevines and developing methods of cold protection; improving fruit and wine quality using cultural practices; and germplasm evaluation and matching varieties with climates and sites. He participated in research assignments and educational tours in Canada, Chile, China, Italy, Tunisia, and the U.S. (CA), and has been invited to speak nationally and internationally in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Italy, New Zealand, and Tunisia. Imed was the editor and lead-author of an Extension book titled Midwest Grape Production Guide, authored Spring Frost Injury of Grapevines and Protection Methods and co-authored Winter Injury to Grapevines and Methods of Protection, and co-produced two educational videos titled Grapevine Canopy Management and Grapevine Nutrient Management: Petiole Sampling and Analysis. All were awarded best extension publications by the American Society of Horticultural. Imed served as Chair of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture-Eastern Section (ASEV-ES), Board Director in ASEV-E, and as academic advisor to Ohio grape and wine industry organizations for the past 19 years. To learn more about the viticulture program at OSU, visit Buckeye Appellation at https://ohiograpeweb.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/.

Steve DiFrancesco

Winemaking Consultant

Steve became fascinated with wine while working in a restaurant during college and became the wine specialist there. He graduated with a BS in Plant Science from Stetson University, entered the wine business in the Finger Lakes of New York, and has since enjoyed 42 harvests there (plus one in Chile).

Steve worked with Guy DeVaux and Charles Fournier at Gold Seal Vineyards (owned by Seagram’s), with their excellent sparkling wines, from the late ‘70’s to the mid ‘80’s. He then worked with high quality red hybrids at Bully Hill Vineyards, and became an assistant winemaker at Glenora Wine Cellars in the late ‘80’s. He became winemaker at Lucas Vineyards in the early ‘90’s and helped expand production in high quality sparkling and still wines.

Steve returned to Glenora in 1995 and has helped expand its reputation and production. In 2000, the owners of Glenora purchased Knapp Winery, and Steve was responsible for production at both wineries. Riesling is at the forefront of a broad production line, including sparkling wines, red and white viniferas, as well as hybrids and natives.

During Steve’s career he has been involved in scale-ups, scale-backs, acquisitions, start-ups, and shutdowns. His wines have won over 450 gold medals in regional, national, and international competitions. He has made over 40 professional presentations in the Northeast and Midwest.

He has judged in wine competitions from California to New York to Virginia. In 2022, Steve was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Eastern Winery Exposition. He is also a board member for the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association. Steve retired during the summer of 2021, and is now available as a winemaking consultant.

Contact: steve.difrancesco@gmail.com | P: 315-719-2113

Kelly Downs

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

Technical Advisor

Kelly Downs is a Technical Advisor in the Application Services Division of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). Kelly began her Treasury career in 2008 with the Internal Revenue Service as a Business Contact Representative. In 2018, Kelly joined TTB as a Call Center Specialist providing guidance and explanation to specific inquiries including permit applications and maintaining compliance including reporting requirements and federal excise taxes.

In her current role as a Technical Advisor, she is responsible for providing training to Application Specialists/Technicians as well as providing guidance, responding to complex inquiries from industry members and TTB Specialists involving Wholesaler/Importer, Winery, Brewery, and Distilled Spirits Plant applications and related operations.

Brian Eshenaur

Cornell University

Senior Extension Associate

Brian is the Senior Extension Associate at Cornell University’s Integrated Pest Management program. With an emphasis in plant diagnostics, his work focuses on insect & plant problem identification and sustainable pest management. Brian’s current efforts emphasize the detection and control of new invasive pests. In this role he is providing leadership for outreach of the invasive spotted lanternfly in NYS.

David Falchek, Moderator

EWE Moderator

David is executive director of the American Wine Society, the oldest and largest organization of wine consumers in the U.S. He serves as publisher of the AWS’s two publications, the AWS Wine Journal and AWS News. A longtime wine writer, he continues to write a weekly wine column for several publications in Pennsylvania and New York that are part of Times-Shamrock Communication. David has a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from the Kania School of Management at the University of Scranton and he teaches bartending and bar management at Luzerne County Community College. He is a member of the Order des Compagnons du Beaujolais. For several years he was an elector in the Vintners Hall of Fame in Napa Valley.

Dr. Joseph A. Fiola

University of Maryland

Professor and Specialist in Viticulture & Small Fruit

Joseph has over 30 years of academic and industry experience in research and extension in viticulture, small fruit culture, and enology. He is currently a professor and specialist in Viticulture and Small Fruit for the University of Maryland. He coordinates a statewide R&E program, concentrating on grape variety testing, as well as conducting small batch winemaking studies of the experiments. He also has been awarded 12 patents for small fruit variety development and has extensive experience fermenting berry and fruit wines.

Tyler Franzen

Enartis USA

East Coast Technical Rep

A stint as a harvest intern in 2009 set Tyler on the path to becoming a winemaker. However, it was the pursuit of knowledge and working through trials that landed him at Enartis USA the last six years, covering a large portion of North America. It is here that he was exposed to a wide range of regions and industry leaders – each possessing their own unique philosophies. Each territory faces its own diverse challenges compounded by the vintage variances. Tyler recognizes the uniqueness of these challenges and avoids the ‘one size fits all’ approach to the variables that meet us every day. As the Enartis East Coast Technical Rep, his goal nowadays is to present information and techniques in a no nonsense, laid back, and easy to digest style.

Morten Hallgren

Ravines Cellars

Owner & Winemaker

Morten is a native of Copenhagen, Denmark. He grew up on Domaine de Castel Roubine, a 250 acre estate in Cotes de Provence producing about 40,000 cases annually. After working on a PhD in Theoretical Astrophysics in the U.S., he returned to France in 1993. He completed his Diplome Nationale d’Oenologue at the Ecole Nationale Superieure d’Agronomie in Montpellier. After an internship at Chateau Cos d’Estournel in St. Estephe and winemaking positions for Cordier Estates in Ft. Stockton, TX and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, he held the position of chief winemaker at Dr. Frank’s for six years before concentrating on Ravines Wine Cellars. Together with his wife Lisa, Morten founded Ravines in 2002 as perhaps the first winery in the Finger Lakes to focus on traditional dry wines. Currently, Ravines farms about 125 acres of vineyards and produces about 25,000 cases annually. His wines have consistently gained accolades and have contributed to bringing more recognition to the wines of the Finger Lakes.

Karl Hambsch

Loving Cup Vineyard & Winery

Vineyard Manager & Winemaker

Karl is the vineyard manager/winemaker at Loving Cup Vineyard & Winery, Virginia’s only certified-organic vineyard and winery. Loving Cup has been growing organically since 2008 and has just finished its 11th vintage as a commercial winery. Karl was awarded the Virginia Vineyards Association’s Grape Grower of the Year Award after the 2018 season, during which Loving Cup survived 100+ inches of rain. Karl credits Loving Cup’s success to his focus on disease-resistant grape varieties, the power of teamwork, and his desire to farm with humility.

Cain Hickey, PhD

Penn State Extension

Assistant Teaching Professor of Viticulture

Cain has been engaged in viticulture research and extension since 2007. Cain has presented at state, regional, national, and international academic and industry conferences, and has developed and coordinated numerous extension workshops. He co-coordinates the Eastern Viticulture and Enology Forum webinar series with regional colleagues. Cain has authored peer-reviewed journal articles, extension publications, facts sheets, and trade publications. His research has an applied viticulture emphasis, and has recently been focused on pruning, training, and canopy management. Cain works with the grape and wine industry to solve vineyard management issues and optimize grape production.

Craig Hosbach

Fox Run Vineyards

Winemaker

Born and raised in New Jersey, Craig Hosbach’s winemaking journey began in 2004, close to home, before finding his calling in the Finger Lakes of New York. Embarking on his professional path, Craig accumulated over a decade of experience across multiple wineries within the northern New York winemaking region before assuming the role of head winemaker at Hunt Country Vineyards in 2017. From there, he honed his craft and shared his boundless enthusiasm for winemaking. Fast forward to 2023, Craig now has a pivotal role at Fox Run Vineyards as head winemaker, infusing his expertise and passion into every bottle. Just a year after being hired, his first vintage of Dry Rosé was released just a few months ago and is receiving high praise from some of the most well-respected names in the wine industry.

Tim Hosmer

Hosmer Vineyards

Vineyard Manager

As the next generation of the Hosmer family, Tim is an esteemed member of the wine industry. Growing up surrounded by grapes, most of his knowledge comes from experience as he watched his parents, Cameron and Maren Hosmer, begin and grow Hosmer Winery into the respected estate winery it is today. This hands-on knowledge is also supported by his Environmental Studies degree from the University of Vermont. In his day-to-day, Tim not only oversees vineyard and tasting room operations at Hosmer Winery, but he also works with several neighboring vineyards. For 15 years, Tim also carried over his knowledge of viticulture to Benchmark Custom Vineyard Planting, where he utilized GPS guided vineyard planting equipment to install new or add to existing vineyards across the Eastern U.S. Nowadays, Tim has taken a backseat in planting and has taken the reins in leading the team at Hosmer Winery & Patrician Verona Vineyards.

Adam Howell

NY FarmNet

Outreach Director

Adam is a strategic communications professional with over 15 years of experience in outreach, marketing, and legislative affairs. As outreach director for NY FarmNet, Adam travels throughout New York State helping to bring the services offered by NY FarmNet to any farmer in need of assistance.

Adam also serves on the board of the Finger Lakes Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. Prior to joining NY FarmNet, Adam served as the marketing and communications manager for the Cornell Local Roads Program from 2017-2022 and as director of external affairs for the national non-profit, Partners for Automated Vehicle Education from 2022-2023. Before working at Cornell University, Adam served as a legislative liaison for the Illinois Department of Revenue, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the Illinois Governor’s Office. Adam currently lives in Lansing NY, with his wife and children.

Justin Jackson

New York Wine and Grape Foundation

Sustainability Program Manager

Justin is responsible for the New York Sustainable Winegrowing program and oversaw the first group of vineyards to be certified sustainable in 2022.

Before working at the NYWGF, Justin studied Horticulture at Texas A&M where he was first introduced to the world of wines and vines. It was love at first sip. Following his undergraduate work, he completed his master’s degree under Justine Vanden Heuvel at Cornell University. His research focused on alternative vineyard floor management strategies particularly the efficiency, economics, and consumer perception of integrating sheep into vineyards.

He looks forward to helping growers across New York State improve the sustainability of their vineyards and increase consumer recognition of their efforts. He can be reached at justinjackson@nywgf.org.

Joe Juniper

Ohio Vineyard Management, Vermilion Valley Vineyards, The Winery at Sandusky

Co-owner and Winemaker

Joe’s love of plants led him to the Ohio wine industry at the young age of 13. Working in vineyards in Sandusky OH, Joe quickly grew a deep interest for the byproduct of his hard work, wine! Over the years he has assisted many vineyard operations throughout Ohio and the Midwest. At the age of 22 Joe became managing partner of Vermilion Valley Vineyards. He takes great pride in his 100% estate grown business model and is a huge advocate for Ohio grown fruit and environmental sustainability.

Beyond growing grapes and making wine, Joe serves the wine industry at large as the president of the Ohio Wine Producers Association, a board member of National Grape Research Alliance, a member of The Government Affairs Committee for WineAmerica, and on the National Clean Plant Network. Joe’s company, Ohio Vineyard Management, currently owns and operates 120 acres of vineyards on the south shore of Lake Erie.

Michael Kaiser

WineAmerica

Executive VP & Director of Government Affairs

Michael is the main voice of WineAmerica on Capitol Hill, taking WineAmerica’s message to Members of Congress and their staff.

Michael is also the main point of contact between the organization and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and handles general regulatory concerns for WineAmerica members. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Free the Grapes. Michael is a regular fixture at industry trade shows and conferences throughout the country. He has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Associated Press, USA Today, Wine Business, and Wine Spectator.

Prior to joining WineAmerica, Michael provided research and logistical support to two DC-based lobbying firms. He also handled compliance issues with a major political party. Michael earned his BA in American Studies and Political Science from Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ, and MA in Political Science from American University in Washington, DC.

Kathy Kelley

Penn State University

Professor of Horticultural Marketing and Business Management

Kathy teaches a Retail Horticultural Business Management course at Penn State. Her research interests include studying consumers’ wine consumption, purchasing attitudes and behaviors, wine tourism, what encourages tasting room visits, and related. Her extension responsibilities also include developing business and marketing educational programs for wine brands and winery tasting rooms.

Molly Kelly

Penn State University

Extension Enologist

Molly joined Penn State University as the enology extension educator in the Department of Food Science in February 2018. She has led workshops including winery sanitation, filtration, microscopy, wine analysis and berry sensory analysis. Her research has focused on the effect of nitrogen and sulfur applications on Petit Manseng wine aroma and flavor. Current research includes the impact of the spotted lanternfly on wine quality.

Prior to this, Molly was the enology extension specialist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg VA. She also held the position of enology instructor at Surry Community College in Dobson NC, where she developed the enology curriculum and managed all aspects of the college’s 1,000-case bonded winery. Under her direction, Surry produced numerous international award-winning wines. Prior to her position at Surry, she was a biodefense team microbiologist with the New York State Department of Health.

Chris King

Sawtooth Vineyard Management and Consulting

Owner and Principal Consultant

Chris has over 25 years of experience working with dozens of vineyards primarily in the Finger Lakes region of New York. In addition, he is an auditor for the Vine Balance sustainability program and president of the New York State Wine Grape Growers. He specializes in optimizing production and achieving both yield and quality goals. Chris lives with his wife and two boys off the grid surrounded by the Finger Lakes National Forest.

Roger Kissling

Iron Heart Canning Company

VP, Sales and Client Management

Roger is the Vice President of Sales and Client Management for Iron Heart Canning Company which offers industry leading quality mobile canning services to all segments of the beverage industry. Previously, he worked in supply and sales for eight years in various positions with Gallo Wines and Terlato Wines International. Roger began his career in the wine industry working as vineyard manager and assistant winemaker for 5 years at a boutique East Coast producer, Alba Vineyard. Accreditations include CS, CSW, CSS.

John Irving Levenberg

The Wine Collective & Nueva Vista Consulting

Winemaker & Managing Partner

John’s interest in wine started while pursuing a degree in Neurophysiology at UC Davis. After receiving his undergraduate degree, he decided to reject all the advice he’d been given and pursue a Master’s degree in the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program. After completing his coursework, John spent the first decade of his career working in Napa, France and New Zealand. He has experience at all levels of production but as winemaker has been responsible for award-winning wines on three continents.

John has been making wine on the East Coast since 2005 and has designed over 20 wineries. He has worked closely with start-ups and industry leaders. Although John’s higher education in enology occurred in California and France, his practical education began as a winemaker on the East Coast. Crafting nuanced wines in a challenging growing region broadened John’s horizons to appreciate the full breadth of what quality winemaking can achieve. He is driven by the pursuit of that brilliant moment that winemaking provides, when the exceptional qualities of ripe fruit can be captured in a bottle and shared with loved ones.

Greg Loeb

Department of Entomology, Cornell AgriTech

Professor of Entomology

Greg earned his Ph.D. in Entomology at the University of California at Davis in 1989 where he studied insect ecology and pest management, including research on biological control of spider mites on grapes. He came to the Department of Entomology at Cornell as an assistant professor in 1995, establishing a research and extension program at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, NY, with responsibilities for arthropod pests of grapes and small fruit crops. Over the intervening years Greg’s lab has worked on the biology, ecology and management of a number of impactful arthropod pests of grapes including spider mites, leafhoppers, grape berry moth, grape mealybug and vinegar flies among others. The overall goal of the research program is to develop sustainable tools for managing arthropod pests that are cost-effective and environmentally sound.

Tim Martinson

CALS

Senior Extension Associate (retired)

Tim has been involved in grape extension and research with Cornell University since 1991. After completing his M.S. (1988) and Ph.D. (1990) degrees in Entomology at Cornell, Tim served as research associate with the grape entomology program from 1991-96. In 1997, he was hired to be area grape extension educator in the Finger Lakes region, where he led development of the VineBalance sustainable viticulture program, and production of the The New York Guide to Sustainable Viticulture Practices Grower Self-assessment Workbook. In 2007, he was appointed senior extension associate to develop the Statewide Viticulture Extension Program. He edited the Veraison to Harvest weekly newsletter distributed statewide each Fall in New York from 2007-21, and Appellation Cornell, a quarterly publication highlighting research, extension, and teaching programs in Viticulture and Enology at Cornell from 2010-21. From 2014-18 he was project director for the Northern Grapes Project (USDA’s Specialty Crops Research Initiative), which focused on viticulture, enology, and marketing of wines made from cold-hardy grape cultivars in 12 midwestern and northeastern states. From 2018-22, he served as outreach/extension leader for the multistate VitisGen2 project. He retired from Cornell in 2022.

Austin Montgomery

Cornell University, Gavin Sacks Lab

Austin graduated from Juniata College with a chemistry degree in 2020. Since then, he has been a Ph.D. student in Gavin Sacks’ flavor chemistry lab at Cornell University. His research focuses on understanding and mitigating off-aroma formation in beverages stored in aluminum cans. Outside of thesis work (which is primarily wine focused), he is passionate about beer and coffee chemistry as well. He serves as president of the Cornell brewing club, Big Red Brewing and briefly worked as an innovation chemist for Atomo Coffee, developing “beanless” coffee grounds from upcycled food waste.

Ankita Okate

Beverage Trade Network

Chief Growth Officer

As chief growth officer at Beverage Trade Network (BTN), Ankita leads the company’s development and growth strategies, connecting the wine, beer, spirits, and cannabis drinks trade globally. She holds an MBA from Stanford and a thesis on Artificial Intelligence: Generating Authenticity in Automated Work.

Ankita is an innovative and ethical leader who strongly believes in building purpose-driven companies that solve real problems and help make a positive impact on people’s lives. She has 6+ years of experience managing and accelerating innovation and organizational processes. She has proven her ability to lead large workforces at Fortune 500 Companies. Ankita’s expertise in organizational behavior, human resources, global public relations, C-suite stakeholder management, media relations, thought leadership, internal engagement, corporate, and strategic communications has made her a valuable asset in the industry.

Besides being a successful corporate executive, she is also an avid badminton player, golfer, passionate trekker, and animal enthusiast.

Tom Payette

Winemaker & Winemaking Consultant

Tom is a hands-on, analytical, East Coast pioneering, winemaking professional with a Food Science Degree. His extended expertise focuses on winemaking, winery and vineyard start-ups and expansions, still and sparkling wine and general winery issues. Tom has over three decades of well-rounded experience in still and sparkling wine production in Virginia along with nine years in ultra-premium Bordeaux varietal wine production in Napa, CA. Tom studied under famed Bordeaux enologist Jacques Boissenot. He was awarded Winemaker of the Year in 1999 by Vineyard & Winery Management and most recently named a “Wine Industry Leader of the Year” by Wine Business Monthly. Visit winemakingconsultant.com to learn more about Tom.

Phil Plummer

Montezuma Winery

Winemaker

Phil has been making wine in New York’s Finger Lakes region for over a decade, spending the bulk of those years at Montezuma Winery, where he has served as head winemaker since 2013. In his time at Montezuma, Phil has taken a leading role in the development and production of a wide-ranging portfolio of wines made from grapes, fruit, and honey, and was instrumental in the launch of Montezuma’s sister winery, Idol Ridge.

Chris Puppione

Coravin

Regional Key Account Manager

After a 15-year career in teaching and coaching, Chris transitioned to a life of wine in 2012, taking a position in hospitality with Robert Mondavi Winery. In the years since, he has diversified his experiences within the industry by way of education and working in the vineyard, cellar, visitor’s center, marketplace, and boardroom. He was honored to serve as marketing manager with world-renowned importer Martine’s Wines, sharing the stories of over 50+ brands from France, Italy, and Portugal, as well as a few domestic wineries. In recent years, Chris led the team at Passalacqua Winery in the Dry Creek Valley as director of sales, where his team distinguished itself as an industry leader in virtual experiences and high-touch hospitality programs.

Currently, Chris serves wineries as the regional key account manager for Coravin. He also writes for K&L Wine Merchants, teaches WSET courses at Napa Valley Wine Academy, and coaches for WISE Academy. He has been a featured speaker at wine industry events, such as the DTC Wine Symposium, Wine Business Monthly’s Innovation + Quality, and the Idaho Wine Commission’s annual meeting. In his “spare time,” Chris and his wife Dolores own and operate Puppione Family Wines–a small winery brand they started to celebrate the birth of their family and honor their traditions.

Believing that every person is an experiment of one, Chris aspires to be a designer of moments who engages and transforms each guest and business partner. Chris currently resides in the Russian River Valley with his wife and two young children.

Paul E. Read

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Professor of Horticulture and Viticulture

Paul is a New York native, growing up on a small farm in the Finger Lakes. He obtained B.S. and M.S. degrees from Cornell University, sandwiched around three and a half years as a county extension agent in Fulton County NY. Following a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Delaware, he served on the Horticultural Science faculty at the University of Minnesota for 19 years. He was then recruited to fill the Head of the Horticulture Department position at the University of Nebraska where he now serves as the resource person for Nebraska’s developing grape and wine industry. During this time he also worked two vintages in Australia, collaborating with Rob Walker and Peter Clingelheffer at CSIRO and Richard Smart and Steve Wilson at the University of Tasmania. His research and educational programming in Nebraska has focused on cultivar and genotype evaluation, vineyard floor management, trellising, disease management, high tunnel grape production and more recently on crop load impact on grape and wine quality. Paul has taught several courses at the University of Nebraska including the popular “Vines, Wine and You”.

Bill Redelmeier

Southbrook Vineyards

Owner

In 1991 as a third-generation dairy farmer, Bill traded milk for wine, opening Southbrook Winery in Richmond Hill, Ontario, with his wife Marylin. In 2005, Bill moved the winery to Niagara to fulfill his dream of converting to organics and biodynamics. To this day, Bill is a leader in sustainable and regenerative viticulture, never wavering in his dream to make great wine by focusing on soil optimization, natural solutions to managing vineyard challenges, and seeking balance in the vineyard and the cellar, and, of course, in your glass.

Aaron Roisen

Three Brothers Winery

Wine & Cidermaker

Aaron has worked as a winemaker in the Finger Lakes wine industry for over 20 years. He has experience using various methods to achieve cold stability, including with sparkling wines.

Anthony G. Sandonato, Esq.

Mengel, Metzger, Barr and Company

Partner

Anthony is a partner with the accounting firm of Mengel, Metzger, Barr and Company, located in Upstate New York. He has been with the firm for 26 years and his practice focuses on tax planning and compliance for closely held businesses, individuals, estates and trusts. He also practices in the area of business valuations and leads the Firm’s agribusiness and alcoholic beverage industry practice group.

Anthony received his B.S. degree in Accounting from St. John Fisher College and received his Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse University’s College of Law. He is a Certified Public Accountant with the State of New York and is licensed as an attorney in New York State. He holds the business valuation credentials of Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) with the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant’s (AICPA) designation of Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV).

His professional affiliations include the AICPA, the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Estate Planning Council of Rochester, and the Monroe County, New York State and American Bar Associations. He is the current Chair of the Tax Section of the Monroe County Bar Association and has served as Chair of the Tax Committee of the Rochester Chapter of the New York State Society of CPAs.

Abby Stamp

Lakewood Vineyards

Winemaker

Abby is a second generation winemaker at Lakewood Vineyards in the Finger Lakes Region. She majored in Enology and Viticulture at Cornell University. Upon graduation, she worked in the wine industries in New Zealand, Central Florida and Oregon before returning to the family business in late 2014 where she has worked the past nine years. Abby is involved in all aspects of winemaking at Lakewood Vineyards where she works with over 20 grape varieties and oversees the bottling of 40,000 cases of wine annually.

Karen Thornton

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

American Viticultural Area (AVA) Program Manager

Karen has worked on AVA issues since 2012. As the AVA program manager, she reviews all AVA petitions submitted to TTB and determines whether they meet the requirements for proceeding to rulemaking. She also drafts the related rulemaking documents for approved petitions and provides guidance to anyone wanting to submit an AVA petition.

Karen started her federal career at the Office of the Federal Register. She later gained regulations writing experience at the Federal Aviation Administration. She holds a BA in International Relations from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, and a MA in Communications Studies from Texas Tech in Lubbock.

Jim Trezise

WineAmerica

President

Jim is the president of WineAmerica, the national association of American wineries based in Washington, DC. WineAmerica has more than 500 winery members and associations from 40 states, and focuses on national grassroots public policy advocacy to protect and enhance the business climate for the American wine industry.

Jim was on WineAmerica’s Executive Committee for more than 25 years before becoming president in 2017. He also co-created and ran the New York Wine & Grape Foundation for 32 years, as well as the International Riesling Foundation for 10 years concurrently. He serves on many industry broads, judges in major wine competitions, and has received numerous awards for his contributions to the American wine industry.

John Trinidad, Esq.

Dickenson, Peatman and Fogarty, Attorneys at Law

Partner

John is a co-managing partner of Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty, and is a partner in the firm’s Wine Law, Business, Alcohol Beverage, and Geographical Indications practice groups. John advises wine and alcohol beverage industry clients on a broad range of legal issues, including business formation, obtaining alcohol beverage licenses, and the drafting of key contracts, such as grape purchase agreements, vineyard leases, and distribution contracts, and the purchase and sale of winery brands and assets. He also advises clients on federal and state alcohol beverage regulations such as franchise laws, tied-house laws, labeling requirements, and the protection and promotion of American Viticultural Areas.

John is a graduate of Harvard College and the New York University School of Law. In 2017-18, he co-taught wine law classes at the University of California Davis School of Law and Napa Valley College. He is also a lecturer on a variety of wine law issues at the University of California Berkeley School of Law, and the University of California Davis School of Law.

John is an avid photographer, and his pictures of vineyards, wineries, and producers were recently published in a book on the history of the Champagne region, But First, Champagne.

Mike Veseth

The Wine Economist

Economist, Editor & Author

Lettie Teague writes “Of all the wine blogs in the wide, wide blogosphere, one that I look forward to reading the most is Mike Veseth’s Wine Economist. There’s nothing else quite like it—a blend of economic insight… and often irreverent winespeak.”

Economist Mike Veseth (pronounced VEE-seth) is an authority on global wine markets who travels the world studying wine economics and speaking to wine industry groups. He reports his discoveries in The Wine Economist (WineEconomist.com), and in more than a dozen books including Wine Wars, Wine Wars II, and Around the World in Eighty Wines. He is a frequent speaker at wine industry events in the U.S. and around the world. Mike is a professor emeritus of International Political Economy at the University of Puget Sound.

Zach Waltz

Waltz Vineyards Estate Winery

Director of Operations

Zach grew up working in the business and developed a passion for grape growing and winemaking from a young age. He is an alumnus of Cornell University where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Viticulture & Enology. Prior to joining Waltz Vineyards full-time, he completed internships at E. & J. Gallo Winery as a winemaking intern and at Chateau Ste. Michelle as a viticulture technician intern.

Donniella Winchell

Ohio Wine Producers Association

Executive Director

Donniella is the Executive Director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association, chair of their Vintage Ohio wine festival, and coordinator of the License to Steal national wine marketing conference.

She is past chair of the WineAmerica State Advisory Committee and is active in Winegrape Growers of America, the Ohio Travel Association, and serves on several other state and national committees. She is a member of the Ohio Agriculture and Ohio Wines Halls of Fame, a Rotary Harris Fellow, a member of the Knights of the Vine, and the recipient of the Monteith Wine Award. In 2020, she was named an industry influential by Wine Business Magazine, and in 2021 was awarded the Rich Smith Award of Excellence in American Wine. In 2022 the Wine Industry Network named her one of the industry’s ten most inspiring people. She has contributed to several national wine publications, writes weekly wine columns for a dozen Ohio print and online publications, authors a marketing e-letter, Tuesday Tidbits, and speaks at numerous wine and tourism conferences. She is an adjunct professor at Kent Ashtabula teaching occasional wine-related courses. Donnie is a graduate of Allegheny College with a BA in history and taught in Ohio public schools before retiring to raise a family and take the Ohio wines position. She has been executive director of Ohio Wines for over 40 years.

2024 Conference & Workshop Speakers

Vinny Aliperti

Billsboro Winery

Maureen Ballatori

29 Design Studio

Peter Bell

Tim Benedict

Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards, Hazlitt Red Cat Cellars, East Coast Crush & Co-Pack

Damien Blanchon

Afton Mountain Vineyards

Clint Bradley

Bradley Group

Paul Brock

Silver Thread Vineyards

Roger Brooks

Destination International

Howard Bursen

Wineryplan.com

Nova Cadamatre MW

Trestle 31

Bennett Caplan

FIVS & FIVS-Abridge

Michela Centinari

Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Imed Dami

The Ohio State University

Steve DiFrancesco

Kelly Downs

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau

Brian Eshenaur

Cornell University

David Falchek, Moderator

Dr. Joseph A. Fiola

University of Maryland

Tyler Franzen

Enartis USA

Morten Hallgren

Ravines Cellars

Karl Hambsch

Loving Cup Vineyard & Winery

Cain Hickey, PhD

Penn State Extension

Craig Hosbach

Fox Run Vineyards

Tim Hosmer

Hosmer Vineyards

Adam Howell

NY FarmNet

Justin Jackson

New York Wine and Grape Foundation

Joe Juniper

Ohio Vineyard Management, Vermilion Valley Vineyards, The Winery at Sandusky

Michael Kaiser

WineAmerica

Kathy Kelley

Penn State University

Molly Kelly

Penn State University

Chris King

Sawtooth Vineyard Management and Consulting

Roger Kissling

Iron Heart Canning Company

John Irving Levenberg

The Wine Collective & Nueva Vista Consulting

Greg Loeb

Department of Entomology, Cornell AgriTech

Tim Martinson

CALS

Austin Montgomery

Cornell University, Gavin Sacks Lab

Ankita Okate

Beverage Trade Network

Tom Payette

Phil Plummer

Montezuma Winery

Chris Puppione

Coravin

Paul E. Read

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Bill Redelmeier