American Vineyard Foundation

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American Vineyard Foundation (AVF) is a U.S. non-profit charity that funds research to improve the American wine industry. It was founded by Zelma Long to support research in enology (wine science) and viticulture (grape growing). Long also started the American Viticulture and Enology Research Network (AVERN). Justin Meyer led the foundation in the 1990s, and since 2010 Jim Frisinger has served as AVF chair. The organization is based in Napa, California, and relies on private donations, mainly from winemakers. In 2003, about 808 grape growers and vintners donated roughly $1.18 million to fund cooperative research, though the foundation has often not reached $1 million in annual donations. In recent years, AVF has funded wine research in Washington, Oregon, Texas and Virginia.