Columbia, Mo. -- As Missouri's wine industry continues booming -- 11 new wineries open in the state each year, according to the University of Missouri -- more and more enophiles are joining the business side of things by opening their own wineries there.

The expansion has done much for the state's burgeoning reputation, but the lack of formal experience can be a burden for some novice winemakers trying to make sense of the necessary laboratory experiments and machinery, according to Rebecca Ford, an extension associate enologist for the University of Missouri. To help answer their questions-as well as raise the caliber of Missouri wines-Ford hosted a four-day workshop to help winemakers in the state set up their own winery laboratories and conduct basic testing.

"Part of my job is to go around and meet winemakers, get to know winemakers and do consultations. I get asked a lot to go meet with people who want to build a winery and talk about what equipment they need," Ford said. "If people can't do proper analysis, they're not going to be able to detect problems."

The hot and humid summer climate of Missouri creates prime conditions for high pH, for example, which puts wines at risk for microbial acidity and oxidation. "It's important to figure out what the pH parameters of your wine are," Ford stressed.

The workshop also covered lab techniques such as analyzing free and bound sulfur, volatile acidity, residual sugar, monitoring malolactic fermentation and reading different types of digital and gauge-based lab equipment.

Those attending the session ran the gamut from beginning hobbyists to long-time professionals looking for a refresher course. "A lot of those guys that I was speaking to haven't really set their winery laboratory up properly-some of them have, and some of them were sent there by their bosses to learn about chemical analysis of wine," Ford said.

The extension enologist's formal winemaking background began when she was a student at New Zealand's Lincoln University, home to the Centre for Viticulture and Oenology, where she focused on research, much of it having to do with Sauvignon Blanc, the country's most popular varietal. Ford said her current position with MU is a "great job" that enables her to connect with growers and winemakers across the state and help them solve problems.

"I establish education programs for winemakers, sort of facilitating quality management, just sort of generally helping develop knowledge," she said. "A lot of people who get into (the wine industry) in Missouri are people who have an interest in wine who go to developing their own winery and their own vineyard. A lot of people who get into it are people who are interested" but don't have a formal background.

Ford said she plans to hold events to educate state winemakers on lab practices about once per year. For more information about the University of Missouri Institute for Continental Climate Viticulture & Enology, visit iccve.missouri.edu.