2018 Oregon Wine Symposium | Producing High-Quality Sparkling Wine: An Exploration from Farming to Tirage

Eglantine Chauffour, technical winemaker at Enartis USA, is responsible of research projects, technical support and consulting services for the wine industry. After been graduated with a double Master Degree in Viticulture-Oenology and Agronomic engineering from Montpellier SupAgro (France), she travelled the globe making wine in France, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and now USA. Her international experiences working with diverse varieties, various wine styles, in large and small-scale wineries has given her the expertise to find solutions to most winemaking situations. Eglantine enjoys helping winemakers optimizing their process, troubleshoot difficult wines and making rosé and sparkling wines!

Gina Hennen holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Reed College and an AAS in Winemaking from Chemeketa Community College. Before transitioning to a career in winemaking, she worked as a semiconductor engineer for seven years in both Oregon and Dublin, Ireland. Desiring a career that no longer involved cubicles, she returned to Oregon to establish roots in the wine industry, and joined the Adelsheim cellar crew in 2007, working her way up through the ranks and becoming Winemaker in January of 2018. She serves on the OWB Research and LIVE Winery Committees, Chardonnay Tech Tasting Committee, and sits of the IPNC Board of Directors.

Belinda Kemp is senior staff scientist in Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) at Brock University, and adjunct professor in the department of Biological Science, and faculty of Mathematics and Science. As well as a scientist, Kemp gained practical still and sparkling winemaking experience in commercial wineries in New Zealand and the UK, with her main areas of focus being wine flavor and aroma. She is currently investigating the impact of clones of four grape varieties, and soil type on sparkling wine as well as leaf removal method, timing and severity for still and sparkling wines. She currently organizes FIZZ Club for Ontario sparkling winemakers and serves on the VQA-Ontario Standards Development Committee and the VQA-Ontario sparkling wine regulations committee. She earned her PhD at Lincoln University, New Zealand studying the timing and severity of leaf removal on tannin, flavor and sensory characteristics of Pinot noir.

Nate Klostermann worked for vineyards in both Minnesota and Augstralia, Nate joined Argyle in 2005 as a harvest intern. He was quickly promoted to enologist and then assistant to Rollin Soles, founding winemaker of Argyle. Nate was appointed Head Winemaker of Argyle Winery in March 2013. Nate has a “hands on” approach to winemaking and works closely with José Sanchez with respect to the vineyard operations of Knudsen Vineyard.

Emma Rice A double magnum of 1979 Krug Brut Champagne served at an event first piqued Emma Rice’s interest in wine, while she worked part-time at the White Horse Inn, Chilgrove UK, during her college years. Emma subsequently worked for Oddbins, then Domaine Direct, a Burgundy importer and merchant in London. This was followed by three years as editor of Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book. Today, Emma’s role as Head Winemaker at Hattingley Valley is varied, including overseeing the development of estate and partner vineyards. Emma is the first female winemaker to have been twice-awarded the UKVA Winemaker of the Year trophy, in 2014 and again in 2016.

Rob Stuart has a degree in biochemistry from Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in New York, and a short but eye-opening career in the labs at Baylor University in Texas, Rob Stuart started his winemaking journey on the bottling line at Hans Kornell in Napa, California. From there he went on to work in the cellar at Valley View Vineyards and then on to Staton Hills in Yakima, Washington where he made wine for ten years. Rob returned to Oregon in 1994 when he became the winemaker at Erath Vineyards, his home away from home until he started R. Stuart & Co. in 2002. Now he makes the wines he loves: Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and sparkling wine. Life is good.