Towards a sustainable wine industry: Application of blue economy concept

Objective

The BluWine project will encompass the entire wine production chain through a Blue Economy approach, where the vineyard, winemaking process, winery, and its residuals will be interactively linked and strengthened as part of a sustainable strategy. The wine industry is an important sector contributing to the economies of many countries, especially in Europe, which has a long history of wine production, as well as in emerging wine-producing regions in Africa, Asia, South America, and Oceania. From a global perspective, the collaboration of productive forces from different countries can be mutually beneficial. With a strong focus on environmental respect and sustainability, the BluWine project will be a collective effort to drive innovation in viticulture, winemaking, and winery operations, as well as in the management of its residuals. This will include improving grape resistance, managing wine ethanol content, recovering carbon dioxide, optimizing water usage, and recycling grape pomace, among other initiatives. The project will evaluate both the economic and environmental impacts, conducting a thorough analysis of barriers and socioeconomic drivers for successful implementation. The ultimate goal of the BluWine project is to ensure the control and maintenance of wine quality, which will be achieved by creating a new network dedicated to applying the Blue Economy in the wine industry. This will be supported through a strategic staff exchange program, bringing together both early-career and experienced researchers with expertise relevant to the BluWine project. Through this exchange, skills and knowledge will be shared across the Consortium. The project is organized into nine work packages, to be completed over four years, involving 13 ESRs (8 ESRs to be enrolled) and 50 ERs, for a total of 140 months of staff secondments. This will provide training in an international setting, further enhancing the skills and expertise of the participants.