The New York Wine & Grape Foundation Research Committee is working to enhance the quality, focus and transparency of the annual research program funded by the Foundation. Towards that end, the committee is now seeking additional review and comment from industry members so that we may finalize the proposed research themes and use those themes to solicit and select research proposals for funding in 2023. The proposed research theme areas are as follows: 

VITICULTURE: 

• Mechanization and precision agriculture: Identify opportunities for vineyard management mechanization and application of precision agriculture technology with a particular emphasis on development of labor saving and affordable canopy management equipment. 
• Floor and weed management: Develop and evaluate vineyard floor and weed management strategies to reduce energy and herbicide use. 
• Sustainability: Develop and evaluate vineyard management strategies to efficiently utilize nutrient inputs and promote long term soil health and water quality. 
• Disease & Pest management: Develop effective, efficient, and sustainable disease management materials and techniques that minimize development of resistance and provide resilience to climate change. 
• Invasive species: Develop management approaches to combat impact of invasive species, including but not limited to spotted-wing drosophila and spotted lanternfly. 

ENOLOGY: 

• Wine quality: Develop and evaluate techniques and materials to improve quality of wine made from cold hardy hybrid and native grape varieties. 
• Grape varieties and clones: Develop and evaluate new grape varieties and/or clones of current varieties that are suitable for making quality wine in New York’s diverse wine growing regions and that are resilient to climate change. 

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT: 

• Customer acceptance: Identify and test education and communication strategies to promote customer acceptance of wines made from cold hardy hybrid and native grape varieties. 
• Customer awareness: Identify and test education and communication strategies to increase customer awareness of the diversity and quality of New York red wines. 

The Research Committee is seeking additional input from industry members so that we may prioritize the research themes and use those themes to solicit and select research proposals for funding in 2023. Please click here to submit your feedback. The Foundation will release the final research themes in a Request for Proposals to the wine and grape research community in late December.