Penn State receives over $500K for wine, grape industry research

(WTAJ) — The Shapiro Administration announced that it has invested $1 million in eight research and marketing grants surrounding Pennsylvania wines.

In Pennsylvania, October is wine month, when the Department of Community and Economic Development celebrates the wineries, wine trails and wine-inspired events throughout the Commonwealth. Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board found that the wine industry supports 10,756 jobs.

Out of those 10,756 jobs, wages upwards of $518.2 million are paid to workers. The board also found that the grape and wine industry contributes $1.77 billion to the state economy annually. Pennsylvania ranks 4th in wine production in the nation, which is up from its 5th rank in 2018.

The following projects in Central Pennsylvania received grant money

Penn State University was awarded multiple grants for a wide array of projects that are being conducted around the wine and grape industry. In total, the university received $558,820 that will go towards research and working in the industry.

• $71,999 – Development and application of a simple diagnostic test to measure latent precursors of deleterious volatile sulfur compounds in Pennsylvania wines
• $80,922 – Evaluation of grapevine nutrient levels and sufficiency ranges in Pennsylvania
• $42,214 – Measuring oxygen uptake from harvest through bottling: identifying and mitigating negative impact of dissolved oxygen on wine quality
• $97,860 – Integration of chemical aging of wine into traditional production: acetaldehyde addition impacts before and after primary malolactic fermentation
• $84,811 – Characterization of wine oxygen pickup under different scenarios common in Pennsylvania wine production
• $91,021 – Mitigating frost damage in Pennsylvania vineyards
• $89,993 – Using wine grape microbiome to control dissolved oxygen and sulfur dioxide levels

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The Pennsylvania Winery Association also received a grant worth $441,180, which will go towards marketing and continued funding for a promotional strategy.

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