01/24/07 Wine Endowment

Wine Endowment. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Washington State University is launching a $1.5 million fundraising campaign to create the position of Endowed Chair of Viticulture and Enology. The dean of WSU's College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, Dan Bernardo says the need is there for this position. BERNARDO: We did just recently announce the drive to fund and endowed chair. This chair would be a leader for this viticulture and enology program. Somebody that can give attention to this program that it truly deserves and that is sort of 24/7 attention. Bernardo says the wine industry is growing at a rapid pace. BERNARDO: It is an industry that is growing enormously and exponentially and it's one that we really need to be ahead of and leading in terms of the direction of that industry in terms of the research on the ground on the viticulture side and making significant contributions in the enology side, the wine making side. Washington`s wine industry grew out of research done at WSU more than a half-century ago that determined that premium European wine grape varietals could be successfully grown in state. Fundraising for the endowment will begin with the sixth annual Celebration of Washington Wines auction being held Jan. 27 at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.