Contributing to Wine Science

Contributing to Wine Science. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Wine Science. It’s extremely important to the growth of the wine industry in the state. Pans are underway to build the Washington State University's Wine Science Center in Richland and winemakers and grape growers in the state are adding to the pot according to Ryan Pennington, Public Relations Director for the Washington Wine Commission.

PENNINGTON: The Wine Science Center is really the centerpiece the industries research priorities which have been developed over some time by a task force of members in the industry in concert with the Commission and other industry groups. It really isn’t a stand alone project, this is really an integral part of the industries overall research goals.

Pennington says the Commission had some strong feelings about this.

PENNINGTON: The Commission felt that it was important enough that the industry show its support for this project so that we could go out and leverage the other private donations that are going to be needed to reach the grand total that we decided to allocate $7.4 million dollars collected over approximately 10 years to the construction of the Wine Science Center.

Currently, wineries turn over 6 cents per gallon of wine produced and $10 per ton of grapes crushed. They would increase this to 8 cents per gallon of wine and $12 per ton of grapes.

PENNINGTON: They’re hoping to be able to break ground later next year if not early 2013 at the latest.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.