Sustainability in the vineyard and winery is a key theme for the Washington wine industry’s research program this year. Newly-released research priorities, developed by the state’s wine grape growers and vintners, will drive the industry’s research program this fiscal year (July 2021-June 2022). Research priorities are annually revised by the Wine Research Advisory Committee, a subcommittee of the Washington State Wine …

Herzog Wine Cellars, a Southern California winery owned and operated by America’s oldest wine making family, is pleased to announce and welcome celebrated winemaker David Galzignato as its new Senior Winemaker and Director of Winemaking Operations. Galzignato will work with one of Herzog’s founding winemakers, Joe Hurliman, who has crafted globally awarded Herzog wines for the past twenty-three harvests. Galzignato …

In April of this year, research plant pathologist Devin Rippner started his position as a research viticulture soil scientist with the USDA-ARS in Prosser Washington. He and his family are enjoying living in the Yakima Valley and exploring the local region. Rippner’s educational background is in soil chemistry and soil fertility with an active interest in pedology. He received his …

California Farmland Trust (CFT) will be hosting the inaugural Race to Slow the Pace run at Bokisch Vineyards on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. This live (virtual optional) 5K fundraiser aims to connect people with nature, the environment and the family farms that feed them. The run will foster a connection to the land and the importance of slowing the pace …

The Oregon Wine Board, the organization representing all wineries and vineyards in Oregon, has launched Pour It Forward (#pouritfORward), a new social media campaign for Oregon Wine Month. The campaign shares videos from winemakers across the state tasting wines made by their peers, during a month-long chain of appreciation. A new, winemaker-created video will be posted daily on the Oregon …

USDA Foreign Agricultural Service — Croatia provides a unique opportunity for U.S. wine exporters to position their product. U.S. wine exporters should focus their market entry efforts on Zagreb, the nation’s capital, where niches exist for medium and higher quality wines.  I. Market Overview Production Domestic wine production is an especially important segment of Croatian agriculture and plays an important role in …

Oregon Wine Research Institute — In March 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a statement that they will not regulate plants modified through genome editing. Gene editing, the most popular being the CRISPR/Cas9 system, holds enormous promise for the development of accelerated breeding programs focused on the release of improved plant materials. A current significant focus is to identify grapevine …

In response to the urgency of the climate crisis, La Honda Winery is proud to announce that it is officially Climate Neutral Certified. La Honda joins thousands of other brands that have earned the standard by measuring and offsetting all of their 2020 carbon emissions and reducing future emissions. Climate Neutral Certified is the leading consumer label designating carbon neutrality. …

Every May the New York Wine & Grape Foundation (NYWGF) Board of Directors meets to elect members of the industry to board seats with expiring terms. The term of office for directors is three years and there are currently 21 members of the Board of Directors. Thirteen (13) board seats are statutorily mandated by the law that created NYWGF in 1985, and there …

In 2019, Russia was the world’s ninth largest importer of wine in both volume and value. However, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture is focused on making wine production one of the key branches of agriculture in the country. While domestic wine production is growing, so have wine imports. In 2020, an increase in excise taxes, a decrease in real incomes, …