2026-27 Research Themes Survey

Help Us Choose Research Themes

Industry input needed to help prioritize proposed 2026-27 research themes.
Each year, the Research Committee of the NYWGF Board — in collaboration with additional stakeholder input — reviews and finalizes research priorities. This process helps guide researchers in developing proposals that address the current needs of New York’s wine and grape industry.

Deadline to submit feedback: Tuesday, September 30th

Please complete this survey only once. Thank you for sharing your input.

We ask that you select the top three research priorities you believe are most important from the proposed theme areas below.
Please select the research themes that are most important to you and that you believe deserve increased focus and investment.
Viticulture, Enology & Business Management Research Themes*

Disease & Pest management, including Invasive species: Develop effective, efficient and sustainable disease and pest management materials and techniques that minimize development of resistance and provide resilience to climate change. Develop management approaches to combat impact of invasive species, including but not limited to spotted-wing drosophila and spotted lanternfly.Floor and weed management: Develop and evaluate vineyard floor and weed management strategies to reduce energy and herbicide use.Mechanization and precision agriculture: Identify opportunities for vineyard management mechanization and application of precision agriculture technology with a particular emphasis on the development of labor-saving and affordable canopy management equipment.Sustainability: Develop and evaluate vineyard management strategies to efficiently utilize nutrient inputs and promote long-term soil health and water quality.Grape cultivars and clones: develop or evaluate the viticultural performance of grape cultivars or clones suitable for the production of quality wine, juice, or bunch grapes in New York’s diverse viticultural regions.Grape cultivars and clones: Evaluate the potential of new grape cultivars and/or clones for quality wine production in New York’s diverse wine growing regions.Wine quality: Develop and evaluate techniques and/or methods to improve the quality of wine made from interspecific hybrid and native grape cultivars.Sustainability: Develop and evaluate sustainable winemaking practices, including efficient wastewater management, energy reduction, and means of reaching carbon neutrality.Wine microbiology: Identify opportunities for improved wine quality or processing methods related to wine microbiology, including regional microbiomes, microbiological bioprotection, and fermentation nutrition.Wine analysis: Develop or improve the efficiency of wine analytical methods designed for use in production.Evolving Consumer Preferences: Identify and research generational preferences of millennial, gen x and gen z consumers (authenticity, sustainability, and experiential marketing) and most effective ways for New York Wines to establish themselves with this key demo and build a relationship with them.Technology Advances: Evaluation of the best tools for wineries to streamline operations, enhance customer experience and gain a competitive edge in marketing, sales, compliance & operational efficiencies.Customer acceptance: Identify and test education and communication strategies to promote customer acceptance of wines made from cold hardy hybrid and native grape varieties.Customer awareness: Identify and test education and communication strategies to increase customer awareness of the diversity and quality of New York wines.Non-fermented value-added grape products: Identify or develop new value-added grape products that promote sustainability and/or human health, such as valorized waste from grape processing.Newsletters: Veraison to Harvest etc.
Each theme includes a variety of important issues. We encourage you to provide specific feedback about which issue(s) are most important within each theme. **If there is a research topic not listed that you believe should be prioritized, please share it here as well.
*If you have a need for research on a specific topic that is not listed, feel free to elaborate here as well.
Please select the option that best represents your role in the industry:

NYS Grape GrowerNYS WinemakerNYS Winery OwnerNYS Wine & Grape Industry ProfessionalOther
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Help Us Choose Research Themes