Funding Milestone for Wine Research Pt 1

Funding Milestone for Wine Research Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today's Fruit Grower Report, I'm Bob Larson. Wine research in Washington state appears to be growing right along with the industry.

That seems to be the attitude after funding for wine research tops the $1-million-dollar milestone ...

MELISSA HANSEN ... "It's the first time that the statewide, competitive grant program that funds V & E research at WSU hit that mark. And the reason it hit that mark was because we had a big infusion of support from the Auction of Washington Wines. They upped their annual contribution by almost $80,000."

Wine Commission Research Program Manager, Melissa Hansen says while the Auction of Washington Wines contribution was huge, other sources play a big role in wine research funding as well ...

MELISSA HANSEN ... "There was also an increase from the Wine Commission's contribution because we had a large crop last year and so they funded more research. And then, I guess it was all around, there's also an increase from the state liter tax that's collected on all the wines sold in the state or to Washington's population that's consuming a lot of wines. So, there was a little bump in that, but the accomplishment of putting these all together means that the industry can fund more valuable research projects for the long term."

Listen tomorrow when Hansen tells us about the types of research the funds make possible and some projects that have been real game-changers in Washington's wine industry.

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