Cheers to Sustainability: Grape Pomace as a Key Ingredient in Piquette

Description
Wine production in the U.S. accounts for 12% of global output, with more than three million liters of wine produced in 2017. It is estimated that for every 6 L of wine produced, about 1 kg of GP is generated. This grape pomace is a by-product of the wine industry and is considered a waste commonly used as compost or dumped in landfills. In this presentation, I am going to introduce the process and challenges of piquette making. I will share the research project’s findings carried out on piquettes made from two red grape varieties using three different yeast strains and different ratio of pomace to water.
Presenter: Dr. Aude Watrelot is an Assistant Professor and Extension specialist of Enology in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University. Dr. Watrelot’s research area is fruit, grape and wine tannin and polysaccharide chemistry and their relationship with wine quality. Dr. Watrelot graduated with a PhD degree in Food Science from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) and the University of Avignon in France. Following graduation, Dr. Watrelot moved to California both at CSU Fresno and UC Davis to keep conducting research into polyphenol-macromolecular interactions on red wine chemistry. At ISU, she is currently conducting research and developing Extension programs on understanding viticultural and winemaking practices that could maximize phenolics extraction and improve wine quality. She had developed extension programs such as webinars, workshops, field days, articles to answer the growing wine industry in Iowa and in the Midwest. She is currently serving as the chair for the American Society of Enology and Viticulture - Eastern Section (ASEV-ES) and as the vice-president for the Groupe Polyphenols.