With increasing awareness of environmental sustainability, health benefits and the need to reduce reliance on chemical inputs in viticulture, grape growers, winemakers and consumers have become the driving force behind the growth in organic grape and wine production. However, supporting research and educational programs have not kept pace with this increased industry and consumer interest at a coordinated European level. Specializing viticulture and oenology students in this field, with an approach that brings together key educational and industry partners from across Europe is therefore a priority.
In recent years, organic viticulture has gained more and more importance. In the European Union the organic vineyard area is 251,200 ha with three main countries Spain, France and Italy representing more than 70% of production.
In the recent past, there has been an increasing demand for organic and inherently ‘green’ wine products. Also, over the past few years, the EU has been developing codes of good practices for organic viticulture and wine-making, focusing on the development of environment and consumer friendly technologies for organic wine quality improvement and scientifically based legislative frameworks. The demand of knowledge in Europe regarding organic vine and wine production is now also originating from the industry and the needs of specialization of oenologists' students in this field has therefore become a necessity.
To respond to this demand, five partner universities have decided to adapt to this context by sharing their experiences and teaching contents focusing on organic vine and wine production.
The OENOBIO Consortium is composed of:
- Université de Bordeaux, France (Coordinator)
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain
- Universita de Torino, Italy
- Universitatea de Stiinte Agronomice si Medicina Veterinara din Bucuresti, Romania
- Hochschule Geisenheim University, Germany
- Vignerons Bios Nouvelle Aquitaine, France
- Ecovin, Germany
OENOBIO aims at developing relevant and high-quality skills in the field of organic vine and wine production involving several European partners with a reputation of excellence in their field. The results of OENOBIO aims at supporting individuals in acquiring and developping key skills and competences in the field and to foster employability and professional development in a constantly growing and evolving field.
The outcome of OENOBIO will help designing and developing a specific curricula that matches the needs of the sector and will prepare students to the labour market. The project reinforces cooperation between higher institutions and the professional world.