SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024
9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. 

Lecture Topic

Wines from great vintages to wildfire catastrophes: Merging natural products chemistry with sensory evaluations

Wine is a complex liquid comprised of many bioorganic compounds. Wine quality assessment and winemaking methods have been in place for many centuries. In this wine‐centric event, principles of wines and winemaking will be explored through sensory evaluations. The flavor outcomes as a function of grape variety and the terroir differences of vineyards will be illustrated. The complex aromas associated with wines will be dissected to correlate them with key biomolecules. Vexing questions will be sought and answered through tasting three different Burgundy style California wines. Forecasting wine quality caused by wildfire smoke will be discussed through recent advances obtained by using natural product wine chemo‐markers.

About the Speaker

Dr. Phil Crews is a distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he has served as a faculty member for decades. His research focuses have been Marine Bioorganic Chemistry, particularly the pursuit of biosynthetic products from tropical sponges and marine microorganisms, as well as Enology and Wine Chemistry. His work on bengamide B has led to an anti‐cancer Phase I clinical trial on a close analog. Dr. Crews has received many honors and awards throughout his career, including recognition with a special issue of the Journal of Natural Products and receipt of the 2022 Paul J.
Scheuer Award for Marine Natural Products. Dr. Crews founded the Pelican Ranch Winery in 1997, where he serves as the Director of Wine Making.