Defining Best Production Practices for Fortified Wines

Grants and Contracts Details

Description

Kentucky wineries are expanding in number and size. Compared to other wine producing regions/countries that have multiple generations worth of experience and history developing specific wine styles and production practices, the Kentucky wine industry is in its infancy. Norton is a cold-hardy, disease resistant, native hybrid wine grape that can be profitably grown in Kentucky using sustainable inputs. Most Kentucky wineries that have access to Norton fruit currently produce a dry red table wine. Wines made from Norton typically have high pH and high Titratable Acidity that make them more difficult to provide a microbially stable and structurally balanced dry table wine. Because fortified wines are typically sold for much higher prices than standard table wines, production and sale of fortified wines has the potential to increase profitability of Kentucky wineries. One of the only negative phenological attributes of ‘Norton’ is that it produces relatively small cluster size, which limits maximum yield potential. This project will use traditional breeding methods to cross Norton with Villard Blanc to produce offspring with larger cluster size, disease resistance, and equal or better cold hardiness than Norton.
StatusActive
Effective start/end date3/1/249/29/26

Funding

  • KY Department of Agriculture: $50,339.00

Fingerprint

Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.