George Kotseridis

Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) team is now complete, with George Kotseridis arriving this month from Europe to become CCOVI’s new oenologist.

Kotseridis joins viticulturist Jim Willwerth to complete a new tandem of CCOVI researchers whose work will focus on priority research and outreach needs identified by the grape and wine industry.

The two senior positions were created last summer through $1.4 million in funding under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Developing Innovative Agri-Products initiative, which supports industry-led research and innovation. This project is a collaboration between AAFC, the Grape Growers of Ontario and CCOVI. It is a key part of CCOVI’s heightened emphasis on outreach to the grape and wine industry.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. George Kotseridis,” said CCOVI director Debbie Inglis. “With this addition, CCOVI is in a great position to continue offering exceptional support and knowledge transfer to the Canadian grape and wine industry.”

Kotseridis holds a PhD in wine analytical chemistry from the Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, and brings years of expertise in wine flavour chemistry, fermentation, aging aroma compounds and winemaking technology. He has been teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in oenology, wine chemistry and wine technology in Greece as well as worked at several analytical laboratories in France.

In the mean time, viticulturist Willwerth – a graduate of Brock’s oenology and viticulture program who joined CCOVI last July – has been busy supporting grape growers through two significant projects that the industry has embraced.

Wine grape preharvest monitoring, launched in August, tracks key factors that determine the quality of wine grapes coming off the vines. And the latest project, VineAlert, is an advanced cold hardiness database that helps Ontario grape growers develop improved winter protection strategies for vineyards.