Playing Golf for Wine. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Let’s get one thing straight up front, I am not a golfer. I’ve tried. But I do love a good glass of wine and strangely I will connect the two in this story and it has nothing to do with the 19^th hole. Last week, the Washington Wine Industry Foundation held their 9^th Annual Wine Cup.

SCHARLAU: The Wine Cup is all about fund raising for the Washington Wine Industry Foundation which in and of itself isn’t really news but what we think is news is the fact that the industry really has the foresight to create this foundation to help with the sustainability of the industry.

That’s Vicky Scharlau, the foundations executive director who talks about what the foundation is really all about.

SCHARLAU: It’s about creating scholarships; it’s about creating grants; it’s about identifying and addressing the needs of the industry whether it’s educational or research or any other issue that comes up so the Wine Industry Foundation is really about trying to do work for the industry, of the industry and by the industry.

This years’ Wine Cup was help at Canyon Lakes Golf Course in Kennewick, Washington and Scharlau says they were looking to gain some $15 to $20-thousand dollars out of the event. Along with a day of golf, attendees took part in a raffle and dinner. This year’s winning golf group was Team Champoux. Awards were also give out for things like Longest Drive for both men & women, the longest Putt and closest to the Pin. While those events were safe from someone like me winning, I would easily have been in the running for most wine consumed…good Washington wine.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.