WILLIAMS RECEIVES AWARD FROM VIRGINIA VINTNERS

Roy L. Williams of Carrollton, Va., professor of chemistry at Old Dominion University, was named the Virginia Wine Industry's Person of the Year by the state winegrowers advisory board during an awards ceremony Oct. 15 in Gainesville, Va.

Williams, whose research deals with natural products in wine and grape seeds which may exhibit anti-aging and antiretroviral qualities, received the award at the annual Virginia Wine Honors ceremony, which also recognized the winners of the Governor's Cup Virginia Wine Competition and the Restaurant and Retail Cluster awards programs.

The person of the year award honors people dedicated to the support and improvement of Virginia wines. Using only state-produced wines, Williams' research on the health benefits of drinking wine has been funded by Virginia's wine industry since 1989.

The Old Dominion Enological Research Facility, of which Williams is director, recently released its seventh annual awards for Virginia wines. He has taught wine education courses at Old Dominion for the past 15 years.

Last year, Virginia's wine industry included 64 wineries that produced more than 293,000 cases. Next year, more than 70 licensed farm wineries will be in production.