Research and Development in the Wine Industry
MKF Research noted that less than $15 million was spent in California for wine industry research and education in 2006. While much of the research was funneled through the University of California, the wine industry itself contributed $10.8 million of the money spent on viticulture (grape growing) and enology (winemaking) research.
As an illustration of the perceived importance of such expenditures, Australia announced in 2005 that it was increasing the levy the industry pays for research and development from $A3 (Australian dollars) per ton of wine grapes crushed to $A5. The government noted that shipments were up, but said the level of research and development must increase for long-term improvement of Australia’s wine and its competitiveness in the global market. While land-grant universities in other grape-growing states conduct research on viticulture and enology, much of the wine-related research in the United States is centered at the University of California, Davis, particularly in the Kearney Agricultural Center.
Research programs at the Kearney Center include the use of growth regulators and other means to improve the yield of wine grapes; development of sustainable weed-control practices; pest management, particularly through natural, cultural, biological, and selective pesticide techniques; and vineyard irrigation management. The University of California, Davis expects to open the $85 million Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science in 2008. The institute houses the University of California, Davis departments of viticulture and enology and food science and technology.
Ground was broken in 2005 for the first building of the institute, a 129,000-square-foot building. Its three wings wrap around a courtyard that faces westward toward a teaching vineyard and open space. A teaching and research winery and a brewing and food science laboratory are branches of the complex. The institute is being financed by a number of gifts including $25 million from Robert Mondavi and $33.6 million in state funds approved by voters as part of a statewide bond measure.
The American Society of Enology and Viticulture, with its headquarters in Davis, California, was founded in 1950, originally with members coming from the University of California and California winemakers. The Society now has 2,400 members, 100 industrial affiliates, and three chapters in addition to Davis-the eastern, PacificNorthwest, and Japanese chapters. The Society publishes the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, a quarterly that is offered online and in print, as well as symposia proceedings and other publications. The society also sponsors an annual meeting with technical sessions and research forums, the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, co-hosted with CAWG, and a quarterly newsletter.
Industry groups and individual companies sponsor market research as part of their R&D efforts. CAWG and the Wine Institute offer programs designed to help member companies in these endeavors, such as the Sustainable Winegrowing Program. CAWG also offers a program on vineyards and wildlife management and leads the Pest Management Alliance, a partnership with the Department of Pesticide Regulation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This initiative promotes reduced-risk pest management, with field days, seminars, and workshops.
