The wine industry conducts research toward a “zero-emission, zero-waste” supply chain with “BluWine”

Is there a way today to design a “zero-emission” wine production process with no waste? Perhaps we are not yet ready for the “zero” goal, but research is making significant (and rapid) strides toward drastically reducing emissions and production waste in the vineyard and winery, enabling us to reach sustainability thresholds that were unimaginable just a few years ago. The latest frontier in this direction is the “BluWine” project, presented by the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Milan in collaboration with Assoenologi, to outline the research development plan that will involve 60 researchers from nine international institutions, including universities and research centers partnering on the EU-funded project (for 700,000 euros) under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Staff Exchange (MSCA-SE) program. This does not, of course, refer to new shades of wine color, but rather “to the application of the concepts and philosophy of the blue economy to the wine sector”, explains Professor Daniela Fracassetti, a faculty member at the University of Milan’s School of Agriculture and project coordinator, “by promoting a holistic approach to the goal of making the wine supply chain more sustainable throughout all its stages, from grape production to winemaking, through to resource recovery and the valorization of byproducts, by integrating innovations in viticulture and oenology, recovering waste, and developing low-environmental-impact solutions capable of simultaneously improving the sector’s quality, efficiency, and resilience”. As described by a group of researchers from the Universities of Milan and Turin, this project promotes research as well as a new vision of sustainability in the wine sector, “which must be viewed within the broader framework that characterizes Gunter Pauli’s “blue thinking” - Fracassetti continues - we must begin to think in terms of an ecosystem where “green” opens up to the circular economy, evolving into “blue” by integrating with the other pillars of ESG, namely the social and governance dimensions”.
BluWine’s integrated approach to supply chain sustainability has led to the identification of four specific lines of research (and 10 outcome objectives) that cover the entire production process in the vineyard and winery, bringing together both ongoing projects and future research initiatives into a single plan. “The first line of research aims to reduce the use of chemicals by 30%, particularly pesticides in the vineyard (through various innovative solutions such as gene expression analysis, TEAs, Assisted Evolution Technologies, RNA interference, and others) and sulfur dioxide in winemaking”, explains the project coordinator, “through the development of precision oenology and new oenological adjuvants. We are also working to reduce ethanol levels through the use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts and technological innovations, as well as to cut carbon dioxide emissions during alcoholic fermentation by reusing up to 80% of the fermentation CO₂ in the cultivation of algae rich in bioactive compounds and for the carbonation of beverages”. Then there is the issue of the water footprint, “where we aim to halve the consumption of fresh water through green purification of the water used for winery operations”. And, finally, the area of recycling waste and byproducts from winemaking.
“Our goal is to recover 60% of the grape pomace by extracting and reusing bioactive molecules, which have a positive effect on health (particularly on the cardiovascular system), for use in dietary supplements for the food industry and other sectors (such as cosmetics); to use the pomace in other winemaking processes to diversify wine production by enhancing the presence of aromatic compounds in grape varieties and blends with weak aromatic profiles; and to develop biostimulants for vineyard nutrition that influence the biosynthesis of phenols and, plausibly, also of aroma precursors”.
These objectives are not only scientifically achievable but have already sparked interest from industrial partners such as pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies. An ambitious research plan set to conclude in four years - but one that could spur process innovations in wineries even before its natural conclusion - will focus on two additional objectives that cut across the entire project: reducing chemical compounds (such as solvents used for analysis) by up to 10% and conducting a comprehensive assessment of the environmental and economic impacts of the proposed innovations.