January 23, 2023 [CASHMERE, WA] – Monique Ortiz of North Slope Management in Walla Walla was selected in December 2023 to receive the $5,000 Bill Powers Sabbatical by the Washington Wine Industry Foundation Board of Directors.
Ortiz currently serves as a viticulturist and assistant vineyard manager at North Slope Management in Walla Walla, where her work includes assessing disease and pest pressures, studying historical phenology data, monitoring leafcutter bees, and improving biodiversity in addition to managing crews, planting, and shipping harvest fruit. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Viticulture and Enology from Washington State University.
Ortiz will travel to Spain for 15 days in April 2024 to connect with winegrowers and winemakers facing threats to the country’s wine industry similar to those we face in Washington state. In order to study Spanish winegrowers’ and winemakers’ approaches to factors like rising temperatures, cold damage, phylloxera, and water pH, Ortiz will study with Jose Ramon of Giviti, a vineyard management consulting firm in Spain, visiting Toledo, Andalucia, Rioja, and other designations of origin (DOs), if time permits.
The Bill Powers Sabbatical is a collaborative effort between Badger Mountain Vineyard and Powers Winery, who started and continue to fund the sabbatical award to honor the legacy of their former ownerEach year, one Washington state wine industry applicant is selected for the $5,000 award ito empower themselves to grow professionally by traveling to an established wine-producing region of the world to further their learning and professional career and improve the Washington grape and wine industry through. The sabbatical fund and selection process are managed by the Washington Wine Industry Foundation.
“The Sabbatical application first interested me because I knew it would give rise to the opportunity for professional and personal growth,” Ortiz said. “I hope to learn from other winegrowers and winemakers in Spain about methods of control in viticulture to ensure continued growth of quality grapes amidst everchanging abiotic and biotic stresses.”
Upon returning from Spain, the sabbatical program requires Ortiz to share her learnings with the industry through a report or presentation.
Beginning March 1, individuals may request an application for 2024 at https://washingtonwinefoundation.org/sabbatical/
About the Foundation: a dynamic network of wine industry professionals united by a common vision: to foster a thriving Washington wine industry. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Foundation facilitates, manages, and distributes funding to confront challenges and invest in solutions including scholarships, industry events, and sustainability such as pest control, clean plants, risk management, safety, and more. Through collaboration and partnerships, the Foundation honors the industry’s heritage while forging a path to a flourishing future for Washington wine. To learn more, visit www.washingtonwinefoundation.org.
