Eleven Washington Wine Research Projects Will Receive Funding

More than $650,000 in research grants are being awarded to help Washington's wine industry tackle some of its biggest challenges.

The Washington State Wine Commission announced last week it had approved nearly $655,000 for 11 research projects in the coming fiscal year. The studies will focus on improving sustainable vineyard practices, including irrigation, pest and disease control, and soil health.

New research will also examine how late-season irrigation affects grapevines during cold winters. The Commission added winemakers will also benefit from studies on tannin management, as well as continued research into wildfire smoke exposure and its impact on grapes and wine quality.

How Will The Funds Be Used?

Washington State Grape and Wine Research Program -- FY 27 Projects

Principal Investigator	Project Title	New/Cont. (Duration)
Collins, Tom	Assessment of Risk to Grape and Wine Quality from Smoke Exposure	C (2 of 3 yrs)
Harbertson, Jim	Research Winemaking	C (2 of 5 yrs)
Harbertson, Jim	Managing Tannins in the Winery	C (2 of 3 yrs)
Keller, Markus	Grapevine Cold Hardiness Evaluation as a Service for Grape Growers	C (3 of 5 yrs)
Keller, Markus	Irrigation Approaches to Prepare Vines for Winter	C (3 of 4 yrs)
Keller, Markus	Support for Vineyard Maintenance for Wine Grape Research	C (7 of 5 yrs)
Moyer, Michelle	Defining Sour Rot Timing and Management Options for Washington Winegrape Growers	N (1 of 3 yrs)
Rayapati, Naidu	Building Evidence-based Knowledge for Managing Leafroll Disease in Vineyards	C (3 of 3 yrs)
Rippner, Devin	Establishing a Vineyard to Study Effects of Traditional and Novel Viticultural Practices on Soil Health Metrics	C (5 of 5 yrs)
Walsh, Doug	Validating Online Phenology Model for Grape Mealybug and Revisiting Delayed Dormant Control of Mealybugs	N (1 of 3 yrs)
	Washington State Wine Commission Grant Program – FY27 Projects
Collins, Natalie	West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force Outreach and Communications	N (1 of 3 yrs)

The annual grant program is funded through public and private partnerships, including Washington State University, the Auction of Washington Wines, and state wine liter taxes.

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