The American Vineyard Foundation has received 78 funding requests for projects ranging from mealybug control to microbiomics, and is now deliberating on how to allocate more than $1 million in available research funds among these grant requests.
The mission of the AVF is to raise funds that address grape and wine industry research priorities, helping keep American viticulture and enology at the forefront of the world of wine.
Following comprehensive viticulture and enology surveys sent to more than 3,000 industry members, the AVF identified the topics most important to the grape and winemaking community. Research proposals to address these topics were then solicited by the AVF.
Each proposal received by the AVF was evaluated by an industry review committee in one of the following disciplines:
* Breeding and Genetics
* Cultural Practices
* Disease Management
* Enology
* Outreach and Education
* Pest Management
The AVF relies on these six review panels to examine and evaluate the proposals and annual reports. Each of these committees is comprised of a diverse set of industry reviewers possessing technical expertise within each area.
The AVF works cooperatively with the California Table Grape Commission, the California Grape Rootstock Improvement Commission, the California Grape Rootstock Research Foundation, the California Raisin Marketing Board, the California Competitive Grant Program for Research in Viticulture and Enology, the Viticulture Consortium Program for the Western Region, the California Winegrape Inspection Advisory Board, the Oregon Wine Board, and Washington State Grape & Wine Research to maximize the available research funds.
Funding announcements will be made next month.
