COLUMBIA, Mo. – Like wine? You don’t have to go to distant destinations to find the best. Wines produced right here in Missouri can compete globally, and University of Missouri researchers are working to improve Missouri wines from the soil that nourishes the grapes to the finish of the wine on your palate.

Learn more at the first Grape and Wine Symposium Thursday, Dec. 8, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Monsanto Auditorium in the Bond Life Sciences Center.  “The grape and wine program is relatively new to campus and we want researchers from across campus to be aware of the program and understand that we seek opportunities for collaboration,” said Marc Linit, associate dean for research and extension for the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR).

From genetics to chemistry, economics and marketing to health, the science of grape and wine production offer myriad possibilities for collaborative research.  The symposium is a unique opportunity for researchers across campus to connect and learn about the impactful research going on at CAFNR’s Institute for Continental Climate Viticulture and Enology, or ICCVE.

Symposium topics include: “History of Grapes and Wine in Missouri,” “The Sensory Chemistry of Wine,” “Grapes as a Model Plant,” “Health Benefits of Grapes and Wine,” “Molecular Genetics of Grapevine Disease Resistance,” “Grape Genetics/Genomics” and “Marketing Midwestern Wines.”

Attendees can discuss research topics over a glass of Missouri wine at a reception following the scientific program.

Prior to prohibition, Missouri was a global leader in wine production, producing 2million gallons per year in the 1880s. Today, the ICCVE is working to grow Missouri’s wine industry at its experimental wine laboratory in Columbia, at wine-grape cultivar plots at the Southwest Research Center, through extension outreach programs and industry partnerships across the state.

The symposium is free. Please register here. For more information, contact Ingolf Gruen, associate professor of food science, at 573-882-6746.

Sponsored by the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) and the MU Institute of Continental Climate Viticulture and Enology (ICCVE).  The Institute seeks to expand campus interest and engagement in research, teaching and extension related to grapes and wine. It integrates disciplines such as plant biology, sensory and metabolite analyses, nutritional and health benefits, economics and marketing, etc.