Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf today announced the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) has approved grants totaling $1 million to nine projects intended to enhance the Pennsylvania wine industry and increase production of Pennsylvania-made wines.
“Agriculture and tourism are key to the commonwealth’s economic success and job creation,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “More than 1 million people visit Pennsylvania wineries each year, boosting our economy and introducing visitors to the unique beauty and experiences Pennsylvania has to offer. That’s why supporting our winemakers and the researchers who enhance the winemaking process is so important.”
Act 39 of 2016 expanded the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board and authorized the PLCB to approve up to $1 million annually for wine promotion. Since the first wine grants were approved in 2017, the PLCB has awarded nearly $4 million in grants to support the Pennsylvania wine industry.
“The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is pleased to provide $1 million in grants to assist in-state winemakers,” said PLCB Chairman Tim Holden. “These grants will support industry research, help wine producers to grow superior grapes, and allow for additional resources to promote their products. Winemaking is a thriving business in the commonwealth and continues to expand.”
The following grant projects were recommended for approval by the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board for fiscal year 2019-20.
Grant Project: Pennsylvania Wine Land Statewide Marketing & Promotions
Continuation and new investments in the Pennsylvania Wine Land consumer marketing campaign, development of a new PA Wines Guide and sustaining investment in Pennsylvania Wine Trails grants.
Grantee: PA Winery Association
Grant Amount: $422,082
Grant Project: Defining Regional Typicity of Gruner Veltliner Wines
Continuation of a multi-year project aiming to characterize the environmental, viticultural, and sensory factors that define signature characteristics of Grüner Veltliner wines and develop marketing strategies to appeal to current and potential Grüner Veltliner drinkers, extending field and wine evaluations to the 2019 vintage.
Grantee: The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences
Grant Amount: $124,849
Grant Project: Improving Tannin Extraction in Wines Made from Red lnterspecific Hybrid (Vitis ssp.) Grapes
Proof of concept trials and winemaking exploring enzyme concentrations and combinations, as well as pre-fermentation maceration conditions, in order to enhance the tannin structure of wines made from red hybrid grapes, thereby improving the quality and stability of such wines.
Grantee: The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences
Grant Amount: $89,782
Grant Project: Consumer Attitudes and Purchasing Behaviors Toward PA Wines, Wineries, and Retail Wine Marketing Programs
Comprehensive, four-step consumer market research study blending a review of secondary data, focus groups, graduate study taste comparisons between Pennsylvania wines and wines from elsewhere, and an online survey of hundreds of Pennsylvania residents to analyze and understand the characteristics and motivations of Pennsylvania wine consumers.
Grantee: Saint Joseph's University
Grant Amount: $89,110
Grant Project: Boosting Polyfunctional Thiols and Other Aroma Compounds in White Hybrid Wines Through Foliar Nitrogen and Sulfur Application
Continuation of a multi-year study evaluating the impact of foliar nitrogen and sulfur spraying as potentially low-cost viticultural practices to improve quality and profitability of white hybrid cultivar Traminette.
Grantee: The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences
Grant Amount: $80,828
Grant Project: What do Consumers Look for in PA Wines? A Mixed-Methods Approach to Study the Importance of Regionality and Hybrid Grapes
A study of consumer perception of Pennsylvania-grown wines, with a focus on the importance of regionality and attitudes toward hybrid wines, utilizing consumer focus groups and a product categorization exercise among Pennsylvania wine consumers.
Grantee: The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences
Grant Amount: $63,286
Grant Project: Survey for Grapevine Leafroll Viruses in Pennsylvania
Expansion of research into viruses infecting grapevines and negatively impacting fruit and wine quality from two vineyards to six vineyards, continuing to explore how the viruses spread and what impacts the viruses have on grapevine productivity and fruit quality under different seasonal weather conditions.
Grantee: The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences
Grant Amount: $46,801
Grant Project: Does Delaying Bud Burst Reduce the Risk of Frost Damage While Maintaining Grape and Wine Quality?
Year three of this research comparing the effectiveness of two frost avoidance strategies (application of Amigo oil, a food grade vegetable oil-based adjuvant, versus delayed winter pruning) on delaying the onset of budburst in order to avoid crop losses and delays in fruit ripening caused by post-budburst.
Grantee: The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences
Grant Amount: $42,152
Grant Project: Evaluating the Impact of Under-Trellis Groundcover Practices on Winegrape Production Profitability and Sustainability
Continuation of research into a sustainable weed suppression alternative to herbicides exploring if the alternative practices are sustainable, which strategies lead to the highest-quality grapes, and whether consumers are receptive to higher prices for wine produced using environmentally friendly practices.
Grantee: The Pennsylvania State University College of Agricultural Sciences
Grant Amount: $41,110
Act 39 also created the Pennsylvania Malt and Brewed Beverages Industry Promotion Board and authorized the PLCB to approve and fund up to $1 million annually for development and marketing of the Pennsylvania beer industry. The PLCB awarded the inaugural round of grants supporting Pennsylvania’s beer industry in February 2018, with grants for 13 projects totaling nearly $705,000. The second rounds of grants – a total of $791,412 for 12 projects – were issued in December 2018.
The PLCB regulates the distribution of beverage alcohol in Pennsylvania, operates more than 600 wine and spirits stores statewide, and licenses 20,000 alcohol producers, retailers, and handlers. The PLCB also works to reduce and prevent dangerous and underage drinking through partnerships with schools, community groups, and licensees. Taxes and store profits – totaling $16.5 billion since the agency’s inception – are returned to Pennsylvania’s General Fund, which finances Pennsylvania’s schools, health and human services programs, law enforcement, and public safety initiatives, among other important public services. The PLCB also provides financial support for the Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement, the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, other state agencies, and local municipalities across the state. For more information about the PLCB, visit lcb.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
J.J. Abbott, Governor’s Office, 717-783-1116
Shawn Kelly, PLCB, 717-783-8864
Shannon Powers, Department of Agriculture, 717-783-2628
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