Understanding Wine Technology

DAVID BIRD trained as an analytical chemist and entered the food manufacturing business as an analyst working with baby foods, mustard and fruit squashes. He moved into the wine trade in 1973 almost by chance, but in reality because a passion for wine was already developing. 1981 was his vintage year, becoming a Master of Wine, a Chartered Chemist and father to his first son. He specialises in quality assurance techniques, such as ISO 9000 and HACCP, and has been involved with wine activities and education in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Algeria, Australia, Scotland, Ireland and England.

NICOLAS QUILLE has more than 30 years of experience in the wine industry with an emphasis on winemaking, quality control, and winery management. He was born in Lyon, France, into a family that has worked in the wine business for three generations. He has made wine in Burgundy, Provence, the Rhone Valley, Champagne, the Douro Valley, Oregon, Washington and California. He holds a Master’s Degree in Enology from the University of Dijon, a Post Graduate Degree in sparkling winery management from the University of Reims, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Washington. In 2018, Nicolas became a Master of Wine. Besides his day job running wineries, he is a judge for several wine competitions, a wine educator, and speaker at wine conferences.