The Wine Filtration Workshop on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at California State University, Fresno will again cast the viticulture and enology program – already making a name for its award-wining wines – as a leader in the field when industry experts from the Pall Corporation in New York will provide the latest technology to winemakers.

The one-day workshop will be offered from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Fresno State Winery on campus (2360 E. Barstow Ave.).

Winemakers and winery production personnel throughout California are invited to attend this free educational workshop. While pre-registration is encouraged, participants may register onsite.

The Pall Corporation — a global leader in the filtration, separation and purification industry headquartered in East Hills, New York — returns for a third year to Fresno State to conduct presentations and live demonstrations on crossflow microfiltration (CFM)

CFM is a type of filtration process that has the ability to filter very turbid wines and juices (with high levels of solids) to a clarity level of water, explained Ken Fugelsang, winemaster and associate professor of enology at Fresno State.

Other media to be discussed are depth filtration, sheet filtration, sterile filtration and filter handling.

“The technology that Pall offers plays a vital role to many industries, including the food and beverage industry,” Fugelsang said. “Winemakers, for example, are able to clarify wine and juice by removing particulates such as yeast, bacteria, and other grape solids.”

While filtration is a standard practice for wineries, CFM is a new technology to the U.S. winemaker, Fugelsang added.

Representatives from other industries may also be interested in attending to learn more about how filtration technology can be applied to their fields of interest. Other industries include aerospace, defense, automotive, biopharmaceutical, environmental, graphic arts, medical and water treatment.

Nicole Madrid, wine market manager, and Lisa Madsen, Ph.D., senior staff scientist from Pall, will conduct workshops on the principals of filtration, filter handling and crossflow microfiltration.

Madrid, who has a B.S. degree in chemical engineering and more than ten years of filtration experience, has worked for Pall since 1993.

Madsen holds an A.B. in biological sciences from Smith College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in microbiology and infectious disease from New York University. For over five years, Madsen has worked for Pall’s scientific and laboratory services department.

The demonstrations will be conducted by Allen Posella, system specialist manager in the North American wine industry for Pall SeitzSchenk.

“Our enology program is a great training ground for students who will eventually be the future winemakers in the United States and around the world,” said Dr. Robert Wample, chair and director of the Department of Viticulture and Enology and Viticulture and Enology Research Center at Fresno State, respectively. “This event is a great example of how we partner with industry leaders such as Pall Corporation to bring educational workshops to our campus.”

Fugelsang added that in addition to being a great opportunity for Fresno State students, “this workshop is also a great opportunity for winemakers and winery personnel to learn from some of the world’s experts in this field.”

The CFM workshop is being presented by Pall Corporation in cooperation with Fresno State’s Viticulture and Enology Research Center and Department of Viticulture of Enology.

Fresno State is the first winery in the United States to obtain a license to produce and sell wine commercially. Students in the enology program participate in the winemaking process and receive hands-on training in the winery.

In 2004, the Fresno State Winery participated in seven wine competitions throughout the state with 13 wines receiving 59 medals: the California State Fair, New World International, Los Angeles County Fair, Orange County Fair, Long Beach Grand Cru, San Francisco International and West Coast Wine Competition.

The Fresno State Muscat Canelli won a rare Double Gold at the 2004 California State Fair this summer. The program has been featured in Sunset Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the PBS’s California Heartland and is scheduled for the Dec. 5 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Magazine.

For more information on the viticulture and enology curriculum offerings, visit the Department of Viticulture and Enology’s website at http://cast.csufresno.edu/ve. For information on the viticulture and enology research program, visit http://cati.csufresno.edu/verc. By phone for both programs, contact Wample at (559) 278-2089.

For more information on the Fresno State winery, visit www.FresnoStateWinery.com.

For more information about Pall Corporation, visit the website at http://www.pallcorp.com.

Preregistration forms for the one-day Wine Filtration workshop are available online at http://cast.csufresno.edu/ve and can be submitted by fax to (559) 278-4795. Space is limited and reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis.

Out-of-town participants may wish to contact the Piccadilly Inn University, adjacent to the university, for overnight accommodations at (559) 224-4200.

Registration begins on Dec. 1 at 8:30 a.m. in the enology building at 2360 E. Barstow Avenue in Fresno (between Cedar and Maple Avenues).

Parking is available in lots N, and O on Barstow and Maple Avenues on the Fresno State campus. The workshop also includes a free lunch for attendees sponsored by Pall Corporation.

Watch for the Winemaster’s Weekend at Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite March 4 and 5, 2005.