Iowa State has the potential to play a key role in bringing the wine industry back to Iowa, thanks to a university extension.

Murli Dharmadhikari, director of the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute, said the grape and wine industry in Iowa has been growing since 2000 and is in need of research into the field.

“This emerging industry needs both education and research to have a sustainable and profitable industry,” Dharmadhikari said. “This is where Iowa State University comes into the picture. They can provide training and education for the people who are entering the grape and wine industry, and also conduct research that will help develop new areas of better grape growing practices and better wine making technology.”

The institute also hopes to educate students about Iowa’s growing grape and wine industry said Sebastian Donner, wine laboratory supervisor for the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute.

“The Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute brings awareness about the emergent wine production in Iowa to campus,” Donner said. “The grape and wine industry increases crop diversity in Iowa agriculture. We hope to increase the number of learning opportunities to enable everyone to learn more about wine, how to make it and how to enjoy it.”

The institute was established about a year ago by the Board of Regents and Iowa State University. It is primarily funded by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and is under the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The institute is still in its beginning stages, but Dharmadhikari said it has potential to make Iowa State stand out as a leader in grape and wine research.

“This is going to put Iowa State in a leadership position for education and research in the grape and wine industry for this whole region,” Dharmadhikari said. “There are a lot of new programs that come up based on what the economic needs are, we are going into biofuels and ethanol production, and the grape and wine industry is going to expand and diversify agriculture in Iowa.”

Dharmadhikari said the different grapes and wine-making styles set Iowa apart from wines around the country.

“We are not trying to copy what California or anybody else does. We are going to accomplish what we can do best in the soil and climate of Iowa,” Dharmadhikari said.

Dharmadhikari said there is room for the local wine industry to expand in the current wine market.

“The amount of wine produced in Iowa by the Iowa wineries is about 5 percent or less than the amount that is consumed in the state. There is tremendous room for the local wine industry to grow and expand and have a larger share in the current wine market,” Dharmadhikari said.

Dharmadhikari said the wine market is increasing and the Iowa wine industry needs to get a share of the market.

“As the wine market increases, there will be greater and greater demand for the wine, and if the Iowa wine industry doesn’t fill this role, it will be filled by California and imports. So instead of having imported wine getting market share, we are trying to develop the local wine industry to get market share,” Dharmadhikari said.

Dharmadhikari is confident in Iowa’s growing grape and wine industry, but not everyone involved in the industry feels the same way.

Matt Nissen, assistant wine maker and manager of Prairie Moon Winery and Vineyards, 3801 W. 190th St., said the wine industry isn’t headed for expansion just yet.

“I think it will reach a level where it will plateau and the strong will survive,” Nissen said. “I think that right now it’s kind of a fad, but pretty soon, the ones that are serious about it with the higher quality of wines will survive.