In the December WBM Insight & Opinion, John Crossland, California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) chairman, called for a research-only marketing order. In the California Agriculture journal, leaders of other agricultural commodity boards called for sustained public investment to ensure the future of agriculture in California, and economics scholars described prior agricultural research investment as the key to today's market dominance. Similar opinions and concerns are being voiced in other states. Following on our Unified Wine & Grape Symposium presentation, we would like to provide a perspective on what such an investment could accomplish.
Past innovations demonstrate the value of research. A 17-year breeding effort (rapid by historic standards) yielded five new nematode-resistant rootstocks that were released to nurseries last year. Science-based integrated pest management practices have been widely adopted and save considerable amounts of pesticides each year.
Deficit irrigation is now widely practiced and will be even more important in California this year with the ongoing drought. Cross flow filtration has eliminated much waste material. Easy-to-use tannin and nitrogen assays improve quality assessments in winemaking. Yeast and bacterial microbes are measured with quantitative PCR. And finally, a no-sulfide producing yeast strain is under license agreement and should be on the market soon. While it is difficult to quantify the value of each research-based change, it is clear that innovation changes grape and wine production.
There are several critical technologies on which future progress depends. Genomics of plants, microbes, pest and pathogens will be the foundation of tomorrow's biological innovations. Analytical technology is essential to understanding the physiochemical properties and composition of grapes, juice and wine, particularly with regard to wine flavor and quality (further addressed below). Labor shortages require the development of refined mechanization and automation tools for vineyard and winery management. Also, the development of sensors and micro-sensors will enable precise geography-driven farming and greatly improve our ability to monitor wine processing--imagine monitors on every vine and every barrel--precision viticulture and winemaking!
Call to Arms for Flavor
There are many important goals for research today, but we are calling the industry to arms for flavor research. As we heard at the Unified Aroma Symposium and the Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers annual meeting, professor Vicente Ferreira from Spain stated that nearly all flavor impact compounds in wine are now known, and cutting-edge analytical tools can quantify them all. The grape, yeast and lactic acid bacteria genomes are now known.
While there are certainly a few hard-to-find wine aromas yet to be discovered, these developments signal that we are now on the threshold of a new era in understanding and controlling wine flavor. There will be a race to see who can identify the precursors for the critical impact aromas in berries as well as what microbial genes control flavor-releasing enzymes and what chemical reactions manipulate the process--this is already underway in Sauvignon Blanc. The environmental and cultural control factors for those genes, enzymes and reactions will be rapidly investigated.
Those who have developed grape and yeast genome technology have a head start; but because of the high stakes we are facing, it is critical that the U.S. have major players in this research arena. Improvements will no longer take four to eight years to plant vines and make wines in order to test modified practices. New vines and vineyard practices will be tested in real time, looking for changes in gene expression, flavor-controlling enzymes and impact flavor precursors.
The overwhelming success of the New World winemaking countries has been due to their rapid response to consumers' changing preferences and hunger for new and intense wine styles.
It is not too far-fetched to think that in eight years it will be possible to analyze ripe (or even unripe) fruit and be able to predict generally what its wine would taste like. The U.S. must be a major player in this area of research in order to stay abreast of new developments because with the speed at which technology will make improvements, those who are five years behind will not have competitive wines.
To capitalize on such an investment in research, the industry must be innovation-ready.
* First, companies have to plan to invest in innovation and have business plans that set aside funds for future investments, much as they do for crop insurance or liability insurance.
* Second, there must be an equally large effort to ensure that the latest developments are extended into U.S. companies as quickly as possible. Research teams must work hand-in-hand with an extension network, public or private, designed to reach its clientele, including the small companies that intrigue consumers.
* Third, we need a skilled workforce, trained in quality programs at universities and colleges, that can understand and properly implement new practices.
To strengthen our competitive advantage, the U.S. grape and wine industry needs to sustain investments in its future, even in the hardest of economic times. These include investments in innovation and extension as well as production and marketing. All four tiers are essential for a thriving U.S. wine industry, capable of regaining its traditional 80 percent market share in the growing U.S. market and conquering traditional and emerging markets globally.
Accomplishing these strategic research goals will take the collective investments envisioned by Mr. Crossland. Please lend him your voice of support by contacting CAWG or the National Grape and Wine Initiative office and raising the issue at your local viticulture or wine association. These goals can be achieved with a cooperative effort! wbm
