(Connectmidmissouri) -Bacchus would be proud as Missourians use autumn as an excuse to revel in wine-filled times with good friends. While they celebrate, University of Missouri researchers work to improve vineyards and the product of the fruits of their labor. “The grape and wine industry in Missouri is not just important because we’re manufacturing grapes and we’re making a product, but also because of its importance to tourism,” said Ingolf Gruen, director of the University of Missouri Institute for Continental Climate Viticulture and Enology (ICCVE). “A lot of people come to Missouri just for the purpose of going to bed-and-breakfasts, visiting wineries, tasting wine, so tourism is a large aspect of the wineries.”