2018 Washington Wine Annual Report
Dear Washington State Wine Industry Colleagues and Friends,
In three short years, Washington State Wine has taken our viticulture and enology research program to new heights. We’re proud to share the 2018 program highlights with you in this annual report and hope you will take a few moments to learn more about the industry’s wine research program.
The research program is guided by a well-defined strategic plan that was developed with broad industry input. It is one of a few in the nation funded by all wine grape growers and wineries in the state. In a nutshell, the program is:
Industry driven – research priorities are established by growers and wineries
Industry guided – funding recommendations are approved by industry
Accessible to all – winemakers and growers, regardless of size, have access to research results
Washington State Wine Board members who sit on its Research Committee and volunteer industry members of the Wine Research Advisory Committee (WRAC), a subcommittee of Washington State Wine, play a crucial role for the wine research program. The Research Committee has fiduciary oversight and drives the Washington State Wine research program; WRAC works to keep the statewide viticulture and enology research program impactful and relevant to the wine industry.
The ultimate goal is to help Washington wine producers—both growers and winemakers—grow even better grapes and make even better wine by providing science-based tools to help them improve. Research is a strategic imperative for the industry’s continued health and long-term growth, and one of four pillars of Washington State Wine’s overall strategic plan. Nearly a quarter of the annual budget is spent on research, including support for the Wine Science Center at Washington State University’s Richland campus.
We look forward to building a world-class research program that attracts the best and brightest scientists, increases collaboration among researchers and universities, and leverages industry funds to achieve outside grant awards. Please reach out to us if you have any questions, thoughts to share or want to be more involved in research.
Cheers,
Steve Warner
President and CEO
Melissa Hansen
Research Program Director
Wine Research Advisory Committee
The Wine Research Advisory Committee (WRAC) serves as the scientific review arm for the wine industry. WRAC is a subcommittee of Washington State Wine and members are appointed by the Washington State Wine Board. WRAC annually establishes research priorities based on stakeholder input, issues Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to the scientific community and reviews research reports and proposals. The volunteer WRAC members make annual research funding recommendations for approval by the Board.
RESEARCH PROGRAM GROWTH
Thanks to significant increases in research funding from the Auction of Washington Wines and Washington State Wine, research funding for the Washington State Grape and Wine Research Program has increased about 20 percent since FY 2016.
For the second straight year, the Washington State Wine Board of Directors approved more than $1,024,000 in grant funding in 2018-19 for 18 research projects to continue our strategic pillar of innovating research. The statewide research program is uniquely supported by industry, public and private funding.