The University has been conducting research on growing wine and table grapes in Nevada for more than 25 years. The research has provided some valuable information for growing grapes in both northern and southern Nevada, as well provided some local wineries with Nevada-grown grapes. The work has been done by the University’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, and its Experiment Station and Extension units, in collaboration with other institutions and local growers and vintners.
In the southern part of the state, the College and its Extension unit are also conducting research on grape growing, in a climate that is of course, much different than northern Nevada.
Extension’s Research Center & Demonstration Orchard, which is part of UNLV’s Center for Urban Water Conservation, currently has over 200 vines consisting of 24 varieties of grapes, most of them being wine grapes. The first grapevines were planted there in 2005 to see which varieties grow well in the southern Nevada climate and are drought tolerant or resistant. As some varieties are tested and don’t do well, they are swapped out to try other varieties.