Wine is an important and popular part of the global and U.S. food chain. In 2011, worldwide wine production reached about 7 billion gallons, with the top wine producing countries being: 1. France, 2. Italy, 3. Spain, 4. United States, 5. Argentina, 6. China, 7. Australia, 8. Chile, 9. South Africa, 10. Germany. In the U.S., there are wineries operating in all 50 states, with total production reaching some 495 million gallons and $1.39 billion in revenues in 2011. WinesVinesDATA (2011) identified 7,345 wineries in the United States (more than 100 in North Carolina, IAFP’s 2013 host state), with California bottling more than 90 percent of the nation’s wine. From a food safety standpoint, alcohol provides protection from bacterial foodborne pathogens, but chemical hazards such as sulfites, mycotoxins and other possible chemical contaminants are still a concern for wine. Wines are susceptible to microbial and chemical spoilage (oxidation) through their production. Good winery sanitation practices are essential in preventing contamination with common wine spoilage microorganisms. The use of chlorinated compounds is avoided in wineries due to the formation of trichloroanisole. However, non-chorinated chemical sanitizers commonly used in the food and dairy industries do not target common wine spoilage microorganisms, or have not been validated for target wine spoilage microorganisms. In addition, the wine industry has porous surfaces (barrels) that are not easily cleaned and sanitized. The potential for misuse of chemical sanitizers in wineries may result in a chemical hazard for workers and consumers. During this symposium respected wine industry professionals will address 1.) winery sanitation and water management, including the range of disinfection methods for winery environments, 2.) international wine labeling regulations for food safety, allergen traceability, ochratoxin, plasticizers, ethyl carbamate, public health and export issues and 3.) and wine storage, bottling, closure and packaging safety and quality issues.

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