Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Erica Duecy
Digital and content strategists
Erica Duecy is founder of Business of Drinks, a podcast and data + marketing consultancy, and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She has built data insights, marketing, and publishing programs for Drizly, Union, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies. Previously, she served as Chief Content Officer for the wine-discovery platform Pix and the wine/spirits publication VinePair, and as Editor in Chief of SevenFifty Daily. She also has led digital editorial teams at Architectural Digest, Saveur, and Fodor’s Travel. Her content, podcast, and video programs have won more than 40 digital and editorial awards.
Juha Karvonen
PhD, Finland
Juha Karvonen has worked as a medical doctor for 40 years. After retiring, he has obtained MSc in agricultural and forestry from the University of Helsinki and a PhD un Viticulture from Madrid University.
All Speakers
Arūnas Starkus, Ph.D.
WeinCampus Neustadt, Germany
Chairman of the jury of Lithuanian Wine Championship by LSA, organizer of Lithuanian wine exhibition Vyno Dienos and Wine+Dessert Pairing Contest, co-owner of fine wine distributor Vyno Klubas, founder and former president of Lithuanian Sommelier Association.
Jochen Vestner, Ph.D.
WeinCampus Neustadt, Germany
Jochen Vestner was born and raised in a family winery in the Nahe winegrowing region of Germany. After completing an apprenticeship as a chemical lab assistant, he studied Viticulture and Beverage Technology at Hochschule Geisenheim University. He then earned a Master of Science in Chemistry from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, followed by a PhD in Oenology from the Université de Bordeaux, France. In 2017, he began his research and teaching at the Institute for Viticulture and Oenology, DLR Rheinpfalz Weincampus, in Neustadt, Germany. Since 2021, he has been the head of the Institute’s Aroma Research Group. His primary research focuses on oenological and wine chemical aspects of wine quality.
Karine Pedneault, Ph.D.
Associate professor at the Department of Natural Sciences, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada
Prof. Karine Pedneault is associate professor at the Department of Natural Sciences, Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO) and is attached to the Institut des sciences de la forêt tempérée (ISFORT). She does research in grapevine biochemistry, with focus on the impact of abiotic stress on berry ripening and grapevine life cycle in challenging environments.
Mariana Maante-Kuljus, Ph.D.
Lecturer, Chair of Horticulture, Estonian University of Life Sciences
Dr. Mariana Maante-Kuljus is specialized in viticulture and oenology in cool-climate regions. Her research focuses on the physiological and biochemical aspects of grapevine cultivation, with a particular emphasis on hybrid cultivars adapted to the Baltic region. She is also actively involved in developing innovative cultivation methods, including the use of high tunnels to enhance grape quality under challenging climatic conditions.
Dr. Maante-Kuljus has published extensively on the impact of weather variability and agricultural practices on grapevine phenology, fruit composition, and wine quality. Her doctoral work at the Estonian University of Life Sciences examined maturity parameters and yield optimization for grapevines, contributing valuable insights to the field. Her ongoing research supports the growing interest in sustainable viticulture and the production of wines in Northern Europe, offering practical solutions for emerging wine regions.
Oliver Trapp, Ph.D.
Julius Kuhn Institute, Institute for Grapevine Breeding / Head of the Institute, Germany
Prof. Dr. Oliver Trapp is the Head of the Institute for Grapevine Breeding at the Julius Kuehn Institute (JKI), the Federal Research Center for Cultivated Plants in Germany. He studied biology with a focus on molecular biology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and received his PhD in 2013 in the group of Prof. Holger Puchta. From 2016 to 2025, he worked as grapevine breeder at the Institute for Grapevine Breeding at the JKI and served between 2021 and 2024 as Deputy Head of the Institute before taking over the duties as Head of the Institute for Grapevine Breeding and a Professorship for Resistance Breeding in Grapevines at the Geisenheim University in September 2024. His work is focused on breeding new grapevine varieties adapted to climate change with high levels of resistance against grapevine pathogens and high wine quality, as well as research into resilience against abiotic and biotic stress factors, high-throughput phenotyping and the conservation of grapevine genetic resources.
Paulius Kovas
Sommelier, Lithuania
Paulius Kovas made his first home wine 30 years ago and since then it became one of his hobbies. Now he grows a small vineyard where Solaris is the dominant variety. Continues experimenting in wine production. Some of his wines have received medals in Lithuanian wine competition. Became a sommelier and host of winetasting events. No matter what country he travels to, he will definitely find an interesting winery to visit and gain experience.
Philipp Klumpp
Winemaker, Kloss Winery, Winningen, Mosel, Germany
From 2015 to 2017, Philipp worked did apprenticeship as a Winemaker at H.J. Kreuzberg Winery, Dernau, Ahr, Germany and Winzergenossenschaft Mayschoß / Altenahr, Ahr, Germany. Than he studied viticulture and oenology at Hochschule Geisenheim University. During this period, he worked in different wineries in Germany and Israel. He completed master studies in Viticulture, Oenology, and Wine Business at Hochschule Geisenheim University / University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna in 2023. Since, Philipp is Responsible for sparkling wine production at Kloss Winery, Winningen, Mosel, Germany.
Randall Vos, Ph.D.
Commercial Fruit Crops Field Specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, USA
Randall offers technical support to commercial fruit growers across the state. He is also involved in applied research, focusing on practical vineyard management and the impact of viticulture practices on wine quality. Before joining Extension, Randall taught production horticulture courses and coordinated the Mid-American Wine Competition.
Tom Plocher
Owner and Grape Breeder, Plocher-Vines LLC
Working in Minnesota, Tom Plocher has been involved in cold climate viticulture since 1980. He is well known for co-authoring (with Bob Parke) the book Northern Winework: Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Cold Climates. Since 1996. Tom also has pursued his own grape breeding program, concentrating on new grape varieties for red wine. His varieties, Petite Pearl, Crimson Pearl, and Verona, are commercially-grown in 25 states and in 3 provinces of Canada. Together with winemaker Rod Ballinger at Bear Creek Winery in Fargo, ND, Tom has amassed a decade of experience with making wines from the Crimson Pearl grape. Through his company, Plocher-Vines LLC, Tom continues his breeding work, focusing on sustainability and issues created by climate change.
Torben Toldam-Andersen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor in Fruit Science at Copenhagen University, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Torben Bo Toldam-Andersen (TBTA) obtained the PhD degree in Pomology and Plant Physiology in 1995 at the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in Copenhagen. After a postdoc period in Germany TBTA returned to Copenhagen and became associate prof. in 1997. Initially the research focus was on flower and fruit development in berries of black currants and cherries but after Denmark became accepted as a wine producing country in 2000, grape research was initiated. TBTA has since 2006 been responsible for a course in Cool Climate Viticulture and Enology at Copenhagen University. He has written more than 100 papers on viticulture and winemaking in the Nordic Journal ‘Vinpressen’ as well as international scientific journals. In 2020 a breeding and selection project was initiated in cooperation with the breeders at the Julius Kühn Institute in Germany resulting in the establishment of the company ‘FastGrapes’ in 2021. Since then more than 50 genotypes has been selected and is now planted in test fields in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Northern Germany, Latvia and Belgium. The focus in FastGrapes is on robust high quality cultivars with a fast fruit development making them suitable for growing in Northern Europe/Scandinavia. The cultivar Solaris is used as the reference.