The Winemaker's Research Exchange has been awarded the WBM Innovative Product Award under the category of "Research Cooperatives."  This award highlights the impact that these kinds of services can have on innovation and quality in the wine industry.  For more information, please read page 18 of the March 2017 issue of Wine Business Monthly.

The existence of the WRE is a testament to the remarkable level of devotion and passion that Virginia winemakers have for their art.  This article at VA Wines 360 explores VA winemaker collaboration, innovation, and constant self-improvement through their cooperative effort in the WRE.

The 2017 Annual Virginia Vineyards Association meeting, held at Charlottesville from February 24-25, discussed many pressing aspects of Virginia viticulture.  Read the full article from Wines and Vines to learn more about the VVA meeting.  At this meeting, the WRE hosted a panel which discussed three different vineyard projects performed in 2016.

The theme of the 2017 US BevX conference in Washington, D.C. was the quality revolution in East Coast winemaking.  The WRE hosted two technical winemaking panels, one on the use of whole clusters and stem inclusion in winemaking, and the other on the use of oak adjuncts in red wine fermentations.  

This Wine Business Monthly article explores a 2015 Research Exchange Study which examines the impact of harvesting Chardonnay based on Brix vs picking Chardonnay based on acid (read full report).  These decisions can help to avoid inclement weather conditions, but can also have drastic implications on the sensory qualities of the finished wine.  In this study, the Chardonnay picked based on pH and TA (early pick) was preferred over the Chardonnay picked at optimal Brix.

The history, philosophy, and scope of the WRE are explored in this 2016 article from C-Ville Weekly