Advancing Viticulture and Enology in Kentucky: A Statewide Extension and Research Program

Grapevine Breeding The grapevine breeding project recently developed at the University of Kentucky has the potential to substantially improve the Kentucky wine industry. Vineyards require 10+ years of high-yield performance to be considered economically viable. Experiments conducted by the UK Viticulture team have identified wine grape cultivars capable of long-term production of commercially viable wines in Kentucky. The two most proven wine grape cultivars from these experiments are being used to develop new grapevines specifically bred for Kentucky. Seedlings produced from these breeding efforts were planted in 2023–2025, resulting in nearly 700 vines currently being evaluated for disease resistance and cold hardiness. These vines are now established enough to begin producing fruit in the fall of 2026. Our breeding work to date has led to very promising results, with several selections identified as having extremely high disease resistance and ideal growth habits. The 2026 season will be pivotal in determining the potential fruit quality of these advanced selections. Recent collaboration between the UK Viticulture team and UK’s newly hired Plant Geneticist, Dr. Manoj Sapkota, will provide identification of important genetic markers that will allow for more rapid screening of crosses made from these advanced selections. This genetic analysis will expedite the selection of grapevines that are more tolerant to low winter temperatures and express high levels of disease resistance. The most promising vines from this screening work will be propagated and planted into larger, production-scale vineyard blocks starting in 2027. Distillation to Produce Fortified Wines and Grape-Based Spirits Our research efforts have identified several grape cultivars well-suited to the production of distilled and fortified wines. Fortified (dessert) wines produced at the UK Winery from these research projects have been presented to Kentucky winemakers and will be released for sale by the UK Winery in fall 2025 and spring 2026. Several new distilleries have been recently opened by Kentucky wineries (Equus Run and Purple Toad), and more wineries plan to open distilleries in 2025–2026. Future research by UK will be an invaluable resource to these new businesses, supporting the production of high-quality spirits from Kentucky-grown fruit. Of all varieties screened for grape-based spirit production, Norton has proven to produce the highest quality spirit. Beginning in 2026, the UK Winery will partner with three Kentucky vineyards to produce larger-scale distillations from Kentucky-grown Norton grapes. Although Norton is highly disease-resistant and cold-hardy, there has been hesitation among Kentucky growers and winemakers to plant it because of the relatively high acidity, which makes it challenging to produce balanced dry red wines. However, this acidity is highly desirable for producing both distillates and fortified wines. This project has the potential to highlight the commercial promise of Norton for grape-based spirits and thereby increase demand for Kentucky-grown Norton grapes. Biological Fungicides to Replace Mancozeb The EPA is currently reviewing the use of mancozeb, a restricted-use fungicide widely used to control a broad spectrum of fungal pathogens including Phomopsis, black rot, and downy mildew in vineyards. This review could potentially lead to cancellation or severe restrictions due to concerns about post-application worker exposure. A final ruling is expected sometime in 2026. Because of the large commercial dependence on this fungicide to control several potentially devastating pathogens, it is vitally important to develop alternative management tools that could be quickly made available to Kentucky grape growers. Research on alternatives began in 2024 at the UK research vineyard and is designed to test the effectiveness of several OMRI-listed fungicides against major grapevine pathogens. Most of the fungicides being tested are classified as biofungicides, typically derived from plant or microbial extracts. Initial results show that these biopesticides are sufficient to achieve disease control and yields similar to vines treated with mancozeb. These results are especially promising considering they were achieved during an extremely wet and challenging year (spring 2025) for disease control. More work is needed to determine the proper timing and concentrations of these new products. This critically important research will continue in 2026. Orchard Expansion Two acres of cider-specific apples were planted at UK in 2024–2025. These apples should begin bearing fruit in 2026. The fruit will be used to evaluate the potential of these cultivars for commercial cider and spirits production. The resulting products will be packaged and sold by the University of Kentucky Winery. Vineyard Expansion The UK vineyard is planning to expand by an additional 1.30 acres in 2026 and another 1.25 acres in 2027. This expansion will increase yields by approximately 5 tons of fruit beginning in fall 2028, with an additional 5-ton increase in subsequent years. This expansion will double current wine production, representing a potential increase of approximately $40,000 in annual wine sales. Winery Expansion Improvements to the UK Winery will be required to process and store the additional fruit and wine expected from orchard and vineyard expansions. The UK Winery currently produces 4,000 liters of wine per year. Expanded production capacity will require space for an additional 5,000 liters.