Enology
- Winery Sustainability – Reduce winery energy usage. Develop methods for large and small wineries to recycle, reuse, reduce, repurpose harvest biomass, winery wastewater and winery waste, including glass wine bottles.
- Fermentation Management – Yeast and bacteria impacts on fermentation, sensory properties; control of microbiological spoilage; nutrient management practices; management at winery of diseased/disordered fruit; fermentation monitoring practices (cap extraction, process control, real-time monitoring methods), phenolic management, rapid analysis of juice, must, wine chemistries.
- Wine Aroma and Flavor Compounds – Optimize sensory compounds in wine; management of environmental issues impacting wine quality (smoke exposure, frost exposure); management of vineyard derived sulfur off aromas.
- Wine Maturation and Stabilization – Improve protein and cold stabilization to minimize flavor scalping, color loss and reduce energy usage; microbial stabilization, impact of filtration options on wine sensory qualities, fining methods, calcium instability, sulfur dioxide minimalization and management.
Viticulture
- Vineyard Sustainability – Improved vineyard floor management practices; soil fertility and carbon sequestration in vineyard soils, nutrient management, biochar for optimal vine and soil health; grafting and rootstock management and selection.
- Vineyard Production, Efficiency and Profitability – Improve water use efficiency/water savings and water quality to optimize wine quality; canopy management for mechanization; management of berry/sour shrivel.
- Pest Management – Detect and manage grapevine viruses and vectors; sustainable management strategies for all pests of economic importance (grape mealybug, spider mites, phylloxera, fungal diseases, nematodes, crown gall, weeds, vertebrate); management of trunk diseases.
- Climate Impacts on Site/Viticulture – Develop optimum guidelines for light and heat exposure on fruit; understand impact of climate variability on viticulture (phenology, ripening, pest and diseases); winter trunk injury and secondary infections (crown gall); develop decision support system for inversion, frost protection.
- Mechanization/Precision – Develop, evaluate mechanized/precision tools that reduce reliance on hand labor in vineyard or winery (crop estimation tool, canopy and crop management, pest management, sorting, MOG removal, cellar tasks).
Emerging Issues
- Unforeseen viticulture and enology threats, problems or research opportunities
- Industry education needs (extension bulletins, etc.)
- Comparative analysis of Washington State viticulture practices to other regions (e.g. sustainable pest and disease management systems)
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