Small business executives routine bitch about the burden imposed on them by government. Indeed, one of the oldest jokes is, “Trust us. We’re from the government. We’re here to help you.”
A number of states have set up agricultural marketing boards which fund promotion and research. But because they are funded by a mandatory “contribution” (read “tax”) from the producers.
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has taken a different tack, dipping into its profits to award grants totaling $999,394 for 13 projects intended to enhance the Pennsylvania wine industry and increase production of Pennsylvania-made wines. Here’s a list:
| Grant Project | Grantee | Grant Amount |
| Marketing: Pennsylvania Wine Land marketing and promotions | Pennsylvania Winery Association & SWELL, LLC | $495,000 |
| Marketing: Pennsylvania Wine Trail Grants to enable promotion and development of individual trails and regions | Pennsylvania Winery Association & SWELL, LLC | $220,000 |
| Marketing: Pennsylvania Wine Month marketing and promotions | Pennsylvania Winery Association & SWELL, LLC | $100,000 |
| Research: Effect of maceration parameters on white wine quality made from interspecific hybrid grapes (Vitis ssp.) | Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences | $45,162 |
| Research: Sensory characterization of Riesling wines from different Pennsylvania regions with a trained panel and winemakers | Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences | $40,000 |
| Research: The impact of chemical and sensory wine quality by two different frost avoidance strategies | Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences | $23,300 |
| Research: Does delaying bud burst reduce the risk of frost damage while maintaining grape and wine quality? Comparing the effectiveness of pruning time and Amigo oil application. | Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences | $18,558 |
| Research: Defining the effects of meso- and microclimatic factors on rotundone accumulation in Noiret wine grapes | Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences | $15,088 |
| Research: The mechanization of early leaf removal for enhanced adoption into bunch rot control programs in Pennsylvania | Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences | $12,706 |
| Research: Survey for Grapevine Leafroll Viruses in Pennsylvania | Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences | $11,940 |
| Research: Residual decline and efficacy of commonly used insecticides against spotted wing drosophila in Pennsylvania wine grapes | Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences | $6,786 |
| Research: Analysis of invasive insect pests in the Lake Erie region to characterize abundance and seasonal emergence patterns | Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences | $4,854 |
| Education: 2017 Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board Symposium | Penn State Extension & Pennsylvania Winery Association | $6,000 |
We suspect wineries in Pennsylvania are thrilled by this. Money is being dedicated to promotion and research and small wineries don’t have to look at one single record, nor write on single check.
Here’s a question for Republicans in the Pennsylvania legislature who are determined to dismantle the PLCB retail and wholesale operation: What program will you put into effect to fund wine promotion and research – without imposing another new tax, recordkeeping or reporting requirement on Pennsylvania wineries?