The Virginia Wine Board confirmed its selections for a new crop of research, education, and marketing grants at its May 7 meeting at Walsh Family Wine in Purcellville.
In total, 15 new grants totaling $523,093 will advance the wine industry in Virginia through viticultural, enological, and pomological research; support for industry technical meetings; and other activities. By law, the Virginia Wine Board spends at least one third of its annual funding on research. New research projects include a comparison of legume species as under-vine cover crops, investigation of southern cider apple characteristics at harvest and after storage, preparation for Pierce’s disease, and a pilot program for a sustainable vineyard certification in Virginia.
In addition to continued support for association meetings, the VWB funded an educational project to assess the costs of producing wine in Virginia and make recommendations for increasing yield, widening margins, and supporting quality.
The Board selected one marketing project: a three-part docu-series for video-on-demand platforms to attract new consumers and strengthen trade partnerships.
Visit virginiawine.org/pages/grants to learn more about the Virginia Wine Board’s grant program, including a list of projects since 2019 and searchable reports. Visit https://www.virginiawine.org/industry/virginia-wine-board to learn more about the VWB and its members, meetings, and minutes.
The next Virginia Wine Board Meeting will be held on August 5 at the Forestry Building in Charlottesville