Research Program
Since its creation in 1985, NYWGF has sponsored an ambitious and comprehensive program in close coordination with the industry and academia. As with the promotion program, private sector funding is required to leverage the state matching funds. NYWGF’s annual research budget is normally between $350,000-$500,000 to support dozens of individual projects, mostly conducted by Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva.
The private sector funds come from various organizations, businesses and individuals to support the three main areas of research: viticulture (grape growing), enology (winemaking), and wine and health. The state matching funds are allocated in proportion to the respective amounts of private sector funds supporting each category.
Particularly in the case of viticulture, NYWGF’s research committee and Board of Directors solicit recommendations from the Lake Erie Regional Grape Research and Extension Program, an industry committee of processors who conduct a thorough review of all proposals submitted. Once NYWGF receives their recommendations, the Foundation’s research committee makes final allocations to individual projects.
Like the promotion program, the research program is enhancing NYWGF’s overall strategic goal: “To have the New York grape and wine industry recognized as a world leader in quality, productivity, and social responsibility.”
Accepting Proposals Now!
The Research Committee of the Board of Directors now welcomes new proposals for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. Proposals are due by January 17th, 2023.
The full RFP, including this years research priorities, and templates for proposals, budgets, and final reports can be found at newyorkwines.org/researchers or click below.
Funded Research Projects
For 35 years, NYWGF has annually distributed funds to projects that provide the New York State wine and grape industry with short-term solutions and long-term strategic directions.
Market Research
The New York Wine Tourism Marketing Toolkit was created to provide practical marketing advice on how to increase visitation to tasting rooms and elevate visitors’ experience, thus making New York State a world premier wine tourism destination. The toolkit includes profiles of three potential visitor targets who exhibit a higher inclination to visit a New York winery. These profiles are coupled with recommended marketing strategies to motivate them to visit. The toolkit offers specific operational tactics that wineries and wine trails can deploy to generate greater brand loyalty from the visitor targets.
Related News
Increasing the Reliability / Scope of NEWA Weather and Pest Model Information 2021-2022
Grape growers face the risk each season of their vineyards being attacked by insects and diseases whose severity is dependent on the current season’s weather conditions. This results in growers needing to modify their vineyard IPM strategy on a yearly, monthly and, sometimes, daily basis. This has resulted in a critical need for a portion of a technician’s time to be devoted to installing, monitoring and maintaining the weather network to keep a robust stream
Productive Vines Aren’t Necessarily Ones That Yield the Most Grapes, Wine & Grape Researcher Strives for Balance
The story of wine grape-growing in New York is one of trial and error. When colonists attempted to plant the Vinifera vines they brought from Europe, the vines failed to thrive in the different climate and soils. Early New York settlers had no choice but to make wine from native grapes. It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that researchers discovered that grafting Vinifera vines onto native American grape rootstocks made it possible to successfully grow Vinifera.
Identifying Clean Nursery Stocks for a Sustainable New York Viticulture
Viruses can be major threats to a profitable and sustainable viticulture by reducing vine growth, fruit yield and quality, as well as by limiting the productive lifespan of vineyards. Viruses are primarily transmitted by vegetative propagation and grafting, although some of them can secondarily be transmitted by insect vectors in vineyard settings. The proposed project is designed to collaborate with local nurserymen on the production of virus-tested, clean grapevine stocks in support of a NY