Events: Arizona - Phoenix - Scottsdale

In the past decade alone, the Arizona wine industry has grown from 20 to over 100 licensed wineries. On Friday, April 24 (from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.) and Saturday, April 25 (from 9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.), the passion and talent of those helping to shape this flourishing industry will be celebrated at the 3rd Annual Emerging Winemakers Competition & Symposium. Organized by the Grand Crew, a Yavapai College Viticulture and Enology student/alumni organization, at the Yavapai College’s Verde Valley campus in Clarkdale, Arizona, the two-day event will feature six wine seminars with seven speakers and the competition’s seven judges will choose the one “Best in Show.”

“This is one of our state’s fastest growing industries so we wanted to have a platform for those new to the industry to be recognized for their efforts and part in helping it flourish,” said the Competition Organizer Bill Anderson. “We expect to have the most wine entries yet and are looking forward a wonderful panel of speakers at the Symposium.”

An “emerging” winemaker is anyone at least 21 years of age whose wine is not available commercially. Wine submissions are being accepted for the competition between March 1 – 31, 2020. For entry forms and submission details, visit www.emergingwinemakers.com.

Also a great opportunity to learn from industry leaders and winemakers, the seminars being held during the two-day symposium include the following along with an awards celebration for the winning wine:

April 24, with check-in at 4:30 p.m.:

• Biodynamic Viticulture by Phillippe Coderey
• Wine Microbiology Overview: From Crush to Bottle by ETS Laboratories

April 25, with check-in at 9:30 a.m.:

• Keynote: Different Beginnings, Same Destination by Jennifer Montgomery, Executive Director of the Arizona Wine Growers Association
• Sustainability from Grapes to Glass by Lisa Francioni-Hai from the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance
• Sustainable Best Practices: Practical Applications in Viticulture + Enology by Eric Glomski from Page Spring Cellars
• Fining and Filtration by Maria Peterson of Scott Laboratories
• Wine Flaws & Faults: How to Prevent Them in the Bottle by ETS Laboratories

The Friday night events are FREE and open to the public and includes a light snack. Tickets for Saturday’s seminars are available for an early bird rate of $30 online or $35 at the door and include a light lunch with a glass of wine from the Southwest Wine Center and a commemorative wine glass.

For more information on the Symposium, the full rules of the competition and entry forms, along with purchasing tickets to attend, visit www.emergingwinemakers.com.