2019 Oregon Wine Symposium | Oxygen Management in Your Cellar for Wine Quality and Health

Jasha Karasek currently works in the technical department for Enartis USA as their winemaking specialist. A graduate of enology and viticulture from the University of California, Davis, Jasha utilizes his production and lab experience to host educational webinars on topics such as wine stabilization, sensory improvement and product application. His work in the wine industry focuses on analysis and winemaking techniques for quality improvement.

Emily Terrell joined the team at Brittan Vineyards in 2013, where she is currently associate winemaker. Prior to that, Emily earned her M.Sc. in food science/wine biotech at the University of British Columbia, where she studied mixed Saccharomyces strain fermentations in Pinot noir. After a few years at the lab bench working with fermentation in miniature, she couldn’t wait to get her hands dirty working in cellars and vineyards worldwide, including formative stints in Marlborough, the Okanagan, the Mornington Peninsula, Central Otago, Corsica and the Northern Rhone. Emily was thrilled to arrive in Oregon in 2012 and looks forward to many more years of making site-driven wines of distinction in this very special region.

Anita Oberholster’s research focuses on both the vineyard and the winery. In the vineyard, the influence of growing practices, disease and environmental factors such as climate change on grape ripening and composition is investigated. In the winery, the influence of different winemaking techniques on wine composition and quality is studied. The link between grape and wine composition and final wine sensory characteristics is of great interest. Sustainability in both focus areas are important and alternative practices to enhance sustainability is investigated. Her work has been cited 628 times and she has presented her research at international and national conferences, seminars and workshops 89 times. In her extension activities she leads a team that facilitates interaction among several grape and wine industry stakeholder groups through in-person meetings, state-wide workshops and seminars as well as electronic communication tools. She serves on the board of directors for the American Society of Enology and Viticulture (ASEV).

Jen Walsh grew up in Maryland and worked in her family’s restaurant during high school and college. As a result, she developed a strong interest in wine long before considering it as a career. Before moving west to receive her master’s degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis, she worked at Elk Run, a small estate winery in Maryland. Elk Run was a true family operation where she had the opportunity to work in the vineyard in the mornings and in the winery in the afternoons. While there, Jen learned how much hard work and dedication it takes to bring grapes from vine to bottle.

Before joining the La Crema team in 2017, Jen worked at numerous wineries around the globe. Most recently, she was associate winemaker at Benovia Winery in the Russian River Valley, where she worked with myriad heritage Pinot noir clones from different terroirs to craft distinctive single vineyard wines. Her passion has always led her to wineries that focus on expressive, cool-climate Pinot noir and Chardonnay.