How would you describe your job to someone standing behind you in the grocery checkout line?
I am a research scientist at Gallo Winery in the Chemical Sciences group. We study the chemistry of wine. Basically, we look at its components and try to understand more about them and how they relate to winemaking procedures.

What is your educational background?
I have a BS in nutritional biochemistry from the University of Guelph in Ontario. I have a master's degree in food chemistry from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.

What path did you take to get where you are now?
I worked summer jobs in the lab as an undergrad and really enjoyed the research, so I applied for the master's program at the University of Manitoba. They had a really good program in their food science department, which involved chromatographic and immunological methods research for food mycotoxins. When I finished my master's, I continued my research at the university for a few months. There was an opening for a chemist at the Health Protection Branch at Health Canada in the food chemistry lab. I applied and got the job as an analytical chemist. I analyzed food components and contaminants and applied chromatography and mass spectroscopy.

How did you get your current job?
I ran across an ad in a scientific journal for a research scientist at Gallo Winery. The position sounded very intriguing and it called for someone with chromatography and mass spectroscopy experience. So, I applied, and despite my lack of knowledge about wine I got the job. It actually didn't matter that I didn't know much about wine but rather that I knew the techniques involved in analyzing the components of wine.

In our chemistry group there are about 20 people - this includes interns that join us through the summer and harvest season.

What do you consider to be your key career decisions?
First of all, having a passion for chemistry and then pursuing it at school. Going on and doing my master's after my undergraduate studies gave me a lot of chromatography and mass spectroscopy experience. I've been very fortunate in getting all the positions that I've had and then doing what I wanted to do.

Are you located at a specific vineyard within Gallo?
We're headquartered in Modesto, CA, located in the Central Valley, but Gallo also has wineries in various other growing regions - Sonoma, Livingston and Fresno. We often have opportunities to travel to the other locations as well, depending on our research.

What does it mean when someone says it was a good year for a wine?
It refers to the quality of the wine and it encompasses all the parameters involved in growing the grapes and making the wine. While you want to make a consistent product, each year is potentially different and depends on the grape's growing conditions, the weather, the timing of the harvest, the wine aging process, and other factors. The real test is in the final product.

What is your ultimate career goal?
I find research extremely stimulating: it's the discovery of the unknown. In that regard I haven't yet really defined an ultimate career goal. I see myself running a lab or a research team in one way or another and hopefully it will involve what I'm doing now.

What kinds of people do well at Gallo?
Being in industry, although it's basic research oriented, our work constantly revolves around production. So, we're involved in short-term and long-term projects. People here need to be creative and innovative and ready for change when it comes along. A lot of our work is team-based, but it also requires you to be a self-starter and able to work independently with minimal supervision.

What scientific backgrounds does your lab look for?
We look for people with strong science backgrounds, preferably chemistry. Some experience with enology (the science of winemaking) is helpful, but not essential. We have people here with all ranges of degrees from BS entry-levels all the way up to experienced PhD organic chemists, flavor chemists, even physical chemists. At the entry level we look for organic and analytical chemistry, biochemistry, food science, statistics, etc. Chromatography theory and experience are extremely helpful.

What is your typical day like?
No day is ever the same. This time of year is harvest-we call it the crush. This is an opportunity for us to collect grapes and fermenting wine samples. We also have to make sure the instruments are maintained and operating because we have to continue with the projects that are already underway. You really need to be able to manage your time and be organized.

What do you like about your job? Is there anything about it you don't like?
I really enjoy the people. Gallo hires from all over the world and I find it very interesting. And of course it's great to apply my scientific knowledge to wine-it's so complex chemically. I enjoy the diversity of my job-from field sampling and chemical analysis to wine tasting. We get involved with tasting both informally and through organized sensory panels, which help us to understand the wine and the chemical and sensory differences that exist.

All the projects we work on are so interesting and relevant. However, many of them are long term and we often do not see final results for some time. This can be frustrating, but such is the nature of research. We do have many short-term projects mixed in-to help appease our curiosity.

What have been your most interesting projects or opportunities?
They're all interesting. Our lab is very well equipped with the latest in instrumentation and I was involved in much of their set-up when our research building was being built. Most of my work does involve GCMS, but I also apply tools such as olfactometry, or sniff detection, to research desirable and undesirable flavors in wine. We often collaborate with our sensory and consumer research groups, which gives the chemistry of wine an appealing spin.

If you had it all to do over again, what would you do differently about your career?
I don't think so. I've really been fortunate in how I ended up here.

Who are your role models?
There are people who have inspired me. The reason I'm in chemistry is because of my 12th grade chemistry teacher, Mr. Veenstra, who made chemistry so much fun. My master's advisor Dr. Zawistowski was a great mentor and inspired me to continue in research. I've had two bosses while I've been here at Gallo, Drs. J. McCord and T. Ryan, and both have continued to motivate me.

What do you do when you're not at work?
I spend time with my husband and son. We like the outdoors - camping, hiking; I also squeeze in some gardening and cycling.

What is the most rewarding thing about what you do?
Helping winemakers and others here at Gallo understand the chemistry of wine. Being able to link chemical profiles with winemaking styles and sensory attributes-that is, to use chemistry as a tool to help reveal the differences in wines and changes that take place in the product. As a researcher I'm involved in projects that cover chemical analyses of the entire spectrum of the winemaking process-from grapes to finished wines and it's great to see the outcome.

What advice do you have for others who want a job like yours?
Make sure you take chemistry. Focus on organic, biochem, instrumental analysis, food chemistry and statistics (as dry as statistics might be-it does come in handy). Lab experience (summer/part-time/internship) doing food and/or beverage analyses is helpful, particularly if it involves chromatography. An internship at a winery would be particularly useful and it would give you a good idea if wine is the field you would like to be in. Also, research isn't for everyone so it's best to make sure that this is what you want to do.

Related Information

Learn more about E. & J. Gallo Winery at www.gallo.com.

The American Society of Enology and Viticulture is a scientific society of professionals who work in the fields of wine and grape research.

The American Chemical Society's Agricultural & Food Chemistry Division offers programs of interest to chemists, food scientists, and allied professionals.