Wine Research Priorities Pt 1

Wine Research Priorities Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. The Washington State Wine Commission has released the 2018 list of wine research priorities.

17 projects made this year's list that drives funding for wine industry research.

The Commission's Research Program Manager Melissa Hansen says the list looks fairly similar from year to year ...

HANSEN ... "And that is a testament to the industry feedback that we've gotten when we asked the industry, earlier in the year through a survey, what are the most important research topics, those two came back, climate change and labor problems. So, it's a real testament to how we take the industries' feedback and turn it into the research priority list.

Hansen says the list addresses concerns for both winemakers and growers ...

HANSEN ... "On the wine side, we constantly look for ways that can speed up how the wineries measure all the different attributes, when the fruit comes in and when they're measuring the wine, all the phenolics, you know, the Ph, the total acidity, bricks, you know, all these things."

And for the growers?

HANSEN ... "On the growers side, you know, they're typically more concerned with diseases, heat stress, making sure they can grow the perfect set of fruit."

But, she says, 'job-one' is clear ...

HANSEN ... "And all the wine priorities have the ultimate goal of trying to improve wine quality. So, we, every year, moved that mark a little further."

The Wine Research Advisory Committee is a subcommittee of the Washington State Wine Commission that annually reviews research proposals submitted to the Wine and Grape Research Program."

Listen tomorrow for more on the Wine Commission's research priorities.

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