WSU alum excited to give back through new winemaker role

A wine steward job at Trader Joe's first piqued Sam Keirsey's interest in wine and the science behind it, leading him to pursue a bachelor's degree in horticulture from Washington State University.

Now, after more than a decade working in the wine, hard cider, and tree fruit industries, Keirsey is diving back into wine science as the newest winemaker in WSU's Department of Viticulture and Enology.

"I'm really looking forward to giving back to WSU and the wine industry," Keirsey said. "I love talking to professors and going down wine chemistry rabbit holes. I want to be a part of the research - it's what stimulates me. This role is the perfect fit."

After graduating from WSU in 2011, Keirsey worked for several different wineries, including Karma Vineyards in Chelan, Washington, where he specialized in creating sparkling wines as assistant winemaker. After seeing his winemaking proficiency, the winery's owners asked Keirsey to launch a hard cider program. When the brand, Bad Granny, took off, he switched full-time to making cider. Later in his career, just before joining WSU, Keirsey worked for a fruit packing company in Wenatchee, Washington.

In his new role, Keirsey will manage data collection and help professors and graduate students develop research wines. He'll also teach undergraduates about winemaking techniques. An extrovert by nature, Keirsey is excited to assist with a variety of projects while working with a large group of colleagues.

"Like any winemaking job, you wear 10,000 hats," he said.

Keirsey will also reconnect with WSU enology Professor Jim Harbertson, who advised Keirsey on a research project as an undergraduate. The pair studied the co-fermentation of Viognier and Syrah, exploring the counterintuitive theory that adding small amounts of white wine to red wine will result in a more stable color.

"The research I did as an undergraduate was really beneficial, and it has prepared me well for this job," Keirsey said. "It exposed me to how academic wines are made. I learned how different methods, additives, and fermentation techniques are tested and how isolating variables helps determine what's effective."

This fall, Keirsey will assist Harbertson with a new wine fermentation and production lab course.

"Sam is a very thoughtful and experienced winemaker," Harbertson said. "The students will be making wine in the course, and Sam will be there to see them through it. He will be instrumental in providing a hands-on learning experience."

Keirsey also hopes to help the industry improve its low- or no-alcohol wine offerings.

"Non-alcoholic wine options are still pretty bleak at this point," Keirsey said. "I'd like to explore how we can make low- and no-alcohol wines taste more like regular wine. It could be a huge opportunity for the industry; consumers are drinking less, and they want more non-alcoholic alternatives."

After experiencing wildfire smoke's devastating impact on the apple industry, Keirsey said he is interested in connecting with Associate Professor Tom Collins to learn more about his grape smoke exposure research and how WSU is helping the industry manage wildfire effects.

"I'll need to catch up on where we're at as an industry when it comes to smoke exposure," Keirsey said. "But helping winemakers and grape growers fully understand the risks once a smoke event happens could be really beneficial."

No matter what he's working on, Keirsey's overarching goal will be providing value for growers and winemakers while simultaneously striving to solve their problems.

"There's a lot of money to be saved in this industry," he said. "If we can find scientific solutions that provide value for growers and winemakers, that's a huge deal. With the challenges facing agriculture right now, every little bit helps. It's critical that we become the most efficient industry we can be."