IN BREVE
- Piedmont launches a new coordination initiative in the wine sector with the Piedmont Technical Viticulture Committee to address climate change.
- The INNOAGRI project funds the committee, with goals of sustainability and resilience in regional viticulture.
- The first meeting highlighted the need to coordinate resources and improve collaboration among stakeholders in the wine sector.
- The aim is to enhance local structures and expertise, inviting Protection Consortia to actively participate in the innovation process.
Piedmont launches a new coordination initiative in the wine sector with the establishment of the Piedmont Technical Viticulture Committee. The body, provided for in the Statute of the Agrion Foundation, brings together protection consortia, research institutions, universities, and trade associations. The goal is to address the effects of climate change, support production sustainability, and make regional viticulture more resilient and competitive. The Committee’s creation is part of the INNOAGRI project, funded by EAFRD–RDP 2023/2027 funds from the Piedmont Region (intervention SRG09). The project is led by Vignaioli Piemontesi and operates as an incubator of ideas, as well as a listening point for innovation in viticulture.
FIRST MEETING AND FIRST CENSUS OF PIEDMONT RESEARCH
The first meeting was held at the Vignaioli Piemontesi headquarters in Castagnito. During the meeting, the first census of infrastructure and research activities dedicated to viticulture in Piedmont was presented. The overview reveals a system rich in expertise and projects, but with the need to better coordinate resources to avoid overlaps and improve collaboration among the various stakeholders involved. Shared work areas concern genetic improvement of varieties, sustainable vineyard management, and efficiency of winemaking processes.
At the table, coordinated by Agrion Foundation and Vignaioli Piemontesi, participants included the University of Turin – DISAFA, CONViVi and Agroinnova, CREA-VE, CNR-IPSP, Polytechnic of Turin, Piemonte Land of Wine, the Protection Consortia, and the associations Confcooperative, Confagricoltura, Coldiretti, Italian Farmers’ Confederation, Unioncamere, and Confindustria.
TOWARD A SHARED COORDINATION MODEL
During the meeting, the importance of structured coordination for wine development and innovation was reaffirmed. The goal is to network expertise and infrastructure, share strategies, and facilitate access to public and private resources. The vision is to build an innovation engine capable of guiding the sector toward more competitive, digital, and sustainable production models.
TRAINING, SHARING, AND NEXT STEPS
Participants agreed on the need to activate training programs, share data and best practices, and monitor progress in the various intervention areas. The first operational step will be presenting to the Protection Consortia the research lines active in Piedmont, in order to gather innovation needs expressed by winegrowers and winemakers. This dialogue will enable the development of a joint project proposal to present to the Piedmont Region, with the goal of attracting new resources for research and development. The initiative aims to enhance existing structures and expertise in the region, consolidate coordination among research institutions, the Region, and businesses, and facilitate knowledge transfer to wine companies.
