Scharlau joins grape board

Vicky Scharlau, executive director of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers, has been elected to the board of the National Grape Clean Plant Network to succeed Tedd Wildman, owner of Stone Tree Vineyard near Mattawa, Washington.

The National Clean Plant Network was created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect specialty crops—including grapes, nuts, apples, and peaches—by creating standards for clean plant programs to prevent the spread of pests and diseases.

Each commodity group within the network has its own national governing board. The grape board has 22 members from throughout the country who represent the nursery and grape industries, state regulatory agencies, research, and extension.

Grape clean plant centers in Washington State, California, New York, and Missouri, test for pathogens and maintain grapevine foundation blocks following procedures developed by the board to meet national and international standards for producing and maintaining clean plant material.

Wine legends

Guy “Bill” Powers of Badger Mountain Vineyard and Powers Winery and the late David Lake, longtime winemaker for Columbia Winery, were inducted into the Legends of Washington Wine Hall of Fame during a recent gala at the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center at Prosser. Legends are selected for their significant ­contributions to the community and the wine industry.

Powers planted his Badger Mountain vineyard in 1982 after consulting with Washington State University researcher Dr. Walter Clore. In 1990, his vineyard became the first vinifera vineyard to be certified organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture. He has helped the Washington wine grape industry move towards low-input, sustainable, and organic viticulture. He was a founding member of the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers and was selected Grower of the Year in 1996. He received the association’s Lifetime Achievement award in 2007.

David Lake began his career in the wine industry in 1967 and became a Master of Wine in 1975. He joined Columbia Winery in 1979. Lake was most renown for his experimentation with new varietals. He was the first winemaker in Washington to produce Washington Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Gris. He served as a director of the Washington Wine Institute and was a wine judge. He died in 2009.