Wine Research Priorities Updated Pt 1

Wine Research Priorities Updated Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. The Washington State Wine Commission has updated its list of top research priorities to be funded.

The Commission's Research Program Manager Melissa Hansen says it's a critical part of the process to maintain a healthy wine industry in Washington State ...

MELISSA HANSEN ... "The Wine Research Advisory Committee is a subcommittee of the Washington State Wine Commission. And so that committee annually reviews research proposals that are submitted as part of the statewide Wine and Grape Research Program."

Hansen says if your project doesn't include one of the listed priorities, it won't be funded ...

MELISSA HANSEN ... "You know, we have to fund relevant research and we don't have unlimited, you know, deep pockets. There's never enough funds. There's always more projects than research funding to go around. So, they really match up what's most important to the industry and that's what's going to get funded."

Hansen says they touch base with stakeholders every year to keep track of the latest and most important research priorities ...

MELISSA HANSEN ... "We conduct a survey throughout the state of the wine grape growers and the wine makers and ask them, 'hey, what are the most important research topics this year?' 'Are there new, emerging issues?' 'Have priorities shifted and changed?' And so, then those results are reviewed by the Wine Research Advisory Committee and they go through the research priority list and make little tweaks here and there, sometimes major tweaks."

Listen tomorrow for more on the Wine Commission's research priorities and find out what's topping the list of industry concerns and challenges this year.

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