Wine Scholarship Program

Purpose

It is the Wine Correspondent Alliance’s premise that there is an acute need for the professional development of qualified scientists, educators and economists to ensure the growth of the American wine industry. there is an acute need for accomplished professionals, scientists and educationalists to undertake education in oenology, viticulture, epidemiology and health aspects of food and wine and economics.  This can be accomplished with the help of scholarships.

For winemakers, grapevine diseases can be devastating. Unfortunately, there are many kinds of vine diseases that thrive in all sorts of conditions. Pierce’s Disease, Esca Disease, Phylloxera, Downy Mildew, Powdery Mildew, Grey Mold, Black Rot, Sour Rot , Red Blotch and Vine Trunk Diseases devastate plants and ruin crops, causing economical and land distress. These scholarships help Scientists and winemakers continue their ongoing research and experimentation to keep these diseases under control.

In accordance with the above, the alliance periodically awards academic scholarships to support full-time students pursuing degrees in oenology, viticulture and health aspects of wine. Applicants must be North American citizens or permanent residents (i.e., the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, and West Indies Islands) and enrolled in a college or university leading to a degree.  Applications must be fully completed and submitted by March 31 of each calendar year to be eligible for a scholarship award for the following academic year.  Scholarship materials may be found on this site at the Application page.


Mission
The Wine Correspondent Alliance’s mission is to support education and research candidates entering the wine industry through scholarships for college programs. It plans to achieve it’s mission by awarding academic scholarships and research grants to students based on academic excellence and genuine interest in pursuing careers in wine-related fields. This mission supports several viticulture and agriculture studies, biodiversity, plant genetics and oenological sciences


Affiliation

The Alliance was conceived in 2019 from within the Wine Correspondent founded in 2006. The Alliance is related to, but operates separately from, the Wine Correspondent. Members of the Wine Correspondent are automatically introduced to the Alliance. For complete information on the Wine Correspondent Alliance 501c3, please visit their web site at: www.thewinealliance .org

The Wine Correspondent Alliance Scholarship periodically awards academic scholarships to support full-time students pursuing degrees in oenology, viticulture, health, or business aspects of wine; additionally Biology, Virology, Pharmaceutics, Epidemiology, Agronomical Engineering, Chemistry or Agricultural Studies. Applicants must be North American (i.e., U.S., Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, and West Indies Islands) citizens or permanent residents and enrolled in a college or university program leading to a degree including associated standard level certification.


Charitable Giving Options

As a tax-qualified 501(c)(3) organization, the Wine Correspondent Alliance can accept charitable gifts. Contributions should be tax deductible but to be sure please check with a tax advisor.

Such gifts are normally tax deductible to the donor as applicable by law.

At year’s end, there are personal income tax planning issues that can be considered. Among these is the opportunity to gift appreciated assets (e.g., stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate) to qualifying organizations, such as the Wine Correspondent Alliance 501c3.



The WCAF has two fund types established to support both operation of the Board and to provide scholarships. These funds are;

the General Fund that supports Board operation,
Special Scholarship Funds that bear the name of an individual, group or corporation.

Please contact your personal financial advisor or one of the board members for additional information.