National Grape Research Alliance

10/06/2026

“A market correction is already landing hardest on Napa’s smallest, most thinly capitalized growers,” writes Ted Hall on Substack. “A second, unrelated shock is landing on the same acreage: red blotch. The disease is spread partly through nursery stock and partly by an insect no fence can hold, with no cure and, unlike the phylloxera crisis before it, no fix in sight.”

Napa Valley’s Next Phylloxera Crisis?

10/05/2026

Researchers at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture have found a way to remove smoke taint compounds from sparkling w**e during the aging process. Scientists at USDA Agricultural Research Service in Albany, CA, have discovered a bacterium that occurs naturally on grape leaves that can break down guaiacol, one of the main phenols responsible for smoke taint in w**e, rendering it harmless. Another study out of UC Davis is evaluating whether a calcium spray applied to developing grape berries can strengthen cell walls sufficiently to decrease absorption of smoke. And if all else fails, “oak-aged brandies are one of the best alternative uses,” W**e Searcher reports.

With wildfires an increasing problem worldwide, Chris Boiling investigates the solutions to smoke taint. Read the latest w**e news & opinion on w**e-searcher

10/02/2026

Here at the National Grape Research Alliance, we're experimenting with a new feature in our monthly newsletter. We've created a podcast-style deep dive that let's you listen to the headlines we featured this month. Tune in on your drive home, in the cab of your truck or tractor, while you're eating lunch--whenever you have a few minutes to geek out about all the innovation going on in support of the grape and w**e industry! https://bit.ly/4dhZBVg

10/01/2026

Researchers at UC Davis are looking at whether combining farming and solar energy could shield crops from hotter growing conditions while also generating electricity farmers can use or resell. But many believe more research—on both the agriculture and economic effects of the practice—is needed for adoption at scale in California. “You might end up doing two things badly when you could have just been doing one thing well,” warns UC Berkeley agricultural and resource economics professor Aaron Smith.

Co-locating crops and solar panels could create more resilient farms — and more income for California growers. Researchers are testing the tradeoffs.

09/30/2026

NGRA's September newsletter is out now! Click to consider the long shadow of the farmer; find out how USDA is modernizing how it collects ag data; follow spores on their journey through your vineyards; and tune in to our podcast-style deep dive of this month’s news headlines. Not a subscriber? Sign up here...for free! https://graperesearch.org/newsletter/

09/30/2026

New research suggests that concerns about the color of red w**es made from interspecific hybrid grape varieties may be overblown. A study co-led by Cornell AgriTech and the Université Bourgogne Europe found that consumers showed no consistent bias against the color of w**es made from hybrid varieties. When evaluated alongside pinot noirs from Burgundy, Oregon and the Finger Lakes, several hybrid w**es ranked among the most visually appealing in the study. Taste and aroma are more important than color in overall quality perception, they said.

A Cornell-led study finds that w**es made from disease-resistant grape varieties, long dismissed by traditionalists, appeal to consumers as much as those made from classic European grapes.

09/29/2026

More than 400 companies comprise the “2026 Crop Robotics Landscape” from food and ag technology consultancy The Mixing Bowl. The total reflects an increase of 25% from 2024; more than a third are new entrants. Among the insights of the report, they note “a significant increase in the number of solutions targeting permanent crop production,” like grape, and steady growth in spraying and weeding solutions, with UV light treatment deployments on the rise.

The Mixing Bowl’s 2026 Crop Robotics Landscape builds upon the 2024 edition to provide an expanded and refined picture of the companies creating robotic solutions for growing food crops. Over the past two years, the sector…

09/28/2026

Researchers at Texas A&M University published a first-ever study characterizing the chemical and sensory properties of Texas w**es. They compared 26 Texas Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat w**es from the High Plains and Hill Country AVAs against other regions famous for these varieties, finding notable chemical and sensory differences between the two Texas regions and the analogs from around the world. The results will provide a useful dataset for future studies on Texas w**es to reference.

Texas w**es remain underrepresented in the scientific literature, and combined chemical and sensory datasets for key varieties are limited. This study characterized the physicochemical, phenolic, volatile, metabolomic, and sensory profiles of 26 Texas Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat w**es from the Tex...

09/25/2026

Interesting stats for the grape and w**e industry, which is very sensitive to consumer perception around genetic modification: Genetically engineered (GE) seeds for major field crops were commercially introduced in the United States in 1996. Their two main GE traits have been herbicide tolerance (HT) and insect resistance, and are increasingly stacked in new varieties. Today, more than 90% of corn, cotton and soybean acres are planted using at least one GE trait. HT seeds also are widely used in alfalfa, canola and sugar beet production.
https://ers.usda.gov/data-products/charts-of-note/115595

09/24/2026

Well-designed windbreaks can be a powerful tool for reducing erosion, preventing pesticide drift and protecting farm buildings. But one that’s poorly conceived or not well-maintained can actually make the wind worse. “You don’t want to just plant trees,” Savanna Institute’s Farm Director Erik Hagan explains. “It’s an engineered project. It’s got a lot of science behind it. You want somewhere around 60% wind blockage, so about 40% porosity, meaning you want that wind to actually slow down but still move through that windbreak.” Listen to his talk here: https://www.savannainstitute.org/you-dont-want-a-wall-of-trees/