Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research

The Florida legislature established the FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research in 1978.with Florida Senate Bill No. 898 identified as the "Florida Viticulture Policy Act" to provide leadership, undertake research, extension, and development activities that will contribute to industry growth and development. The Center is recognized internationally for excellence in warm climate grape research and facilitator of outstanding academic programs for experiential learning and student training. The Center is the only specialized research program among the 1890 colleges and universities dedicated to grape and wine, and it is a national leader in muscadine grape research.

By the USDA charter, the FAMU/ Viticulture Center maintains the most extensive muscadine grape germplasm collection in the world and is serving as one of the five National Clean Plant Centers for Grapes. 

Capitalizing on the close industry-clientele partnership, our economically feasible and accelerated breeding pipeline has allowed only within the last 2 years to release 3 new patented American native grape cultivars: ‘Floriana,’ ‘Florida Onyx’ and ‘Blanc du Soleil.’