Enoforum Zaragoza 2022 brings together the most advanced wine technologies in an international setting

Definitely installed in the post-Covida era, innovation can be the best lever for recovery and adaptation to the new, very challenging times to make the best wines from the best grapes. Consumers have been waiting anxiously to enjoy and make up for lost time. At Enoforum 2022, dozens of scientists from around the world shared their efforts and practical results with all participants.

Enoforum Zaragoza 2022 se celebró en Feria de Zaragoza los días 20 y 21 de abril de 2022. A unique opportunity to discover the latest technological advances at the national and international level, in both the public and private sectors.

We had the opportunity to listen and share opinions with great names of national and international viticulture and enology. 18 public research groups and more than 20 companies from 8 different countries presented their innovations through more than 40 presentations, tastings, stands and demonstration sessions.

This congress, born 20 years ago in Italy, has become an international event through its editions in Spain, Portugal and the United States.

There are great expectations for this first major face-to-face event of the sector in the Iberian Peninsula, which hopes to repeat the great success of the first Spanish edition in 2018, which was attended by more than 500 professionals, and the 2020 edition, held in digital format with more than 2,000 registrants.

OIV sponsorship and collaboration with winemakers’ associations and the PTV

Research centers, suppliers with R&D activities, technicians and producers came together in a unique congress, organized by Vinidea in collaboration with Laboratorios Excell Ibérica, with the active participation of key organizations in the Spanish wine industry: the Piattaforma Tecnológica del Vino (PTV), Enomaq and almost all the Spanish Winegrowers’ Associations, as well as being sponsored by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

Keynote lectures by internationally renowned researchers the sessions dedicated to national and international public research offered a long list of papers considered of great value for Spanish winemaking and selected among the most applicable ones presented at the international congresses organized by Vinidea in 2021 (Enoforum Italy, Enoforum USA, Enoforum Web Conference, Macrowine).

Fernando Zamora spoke about how to reduce the use of sulfur dioxide during winemaking without compromising quality. Javier Tardaguila, from the University of La Rioja, took stock of emerging digital technologies in European viticulture.

The influence of oxygen and storage temperature was the topic discussed by Wessel Du Toit from the Univ. of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Sergi Ferrer, Univ. of Valencia, talked about strategies for biological acidification of wines in order to counteract the loss of acidity caused by climate change.

The effect of climate change on the aroma of red wines and in particular on nutty aromas was the talk given by Alexandre Pons from the Univ. of Bordeaux. Recent advances in the research of reduction taste in wines were discussed by the LAAE research group of the Univ. of Zaragoza. Light taste in white wines (Panagiotis Arapitsas, FEM, Italy), use of fungus resistant varieties (Marc Weber, DLR Rheinpfalz, Germany), Precision Viticulture (Matteo Gatti, Univ. Cattolica S.C., Italy) among others were some of the topics discussed.

Private research areas have proposed new strategies and analyzed highly topical issues: alternative vineyard treatments, yeast protein extracts, clarification, ultrasound and enzymes, bioprotection, stabilization, wine color, protein instability, tannins, aroma, fermentation monitoring, analytical innovations, Brettanomyces and much more. Numerous prestigious researchers and technicians participated in these sessions:

• Maret DU TOIT, Uni. of Stellenbosch, South Africa
• Fernanda Cosme, from Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal
• Antonella Bosso, Research Center for Enology, Italy
• Marco Pierucci, Agronomists in the Vineyard, Italy
• Antoni Cantos Llopart, Juvé i Camps, Spain
• José Serrano, Peter Riegel Weinimport Gmbh, Germany
• Matthieu Dubernet Laboratoires Dubernet Oenologie, Francia
• Luca Cocolin, Professor of Food Microbiology, Univ. of Turin, Italy
• Toni Cordente, Australian Wine Research Association, Australia
• Francisco Carrau, Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay
• Emilio Celotti, University of Udine, Italy
• Eva López – Haro Oenological Station, Spain
• Marcia Torres Forno, Jackson Family Wines, USA

It was also possible to attend DEMONSTRATIVE TASTINGS in an equipped room where technicians were able to learn about the sensory aspects of wines obtained in experimental trials or with the application of innovative technologies. For example, the impact of the mode of inoculation, temperature and nutrition on the aromatic profile, the use of bacteria, the application of ultrasound and the advantages of biotechnologies were evaluated.

In addition, sessions dedicated to PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATIONS demonstrated live the operation of software, analytical instruments and machinery to small qualified groups of technicians, while a series of FLASH TALKS presented the recent results of several European research projects.

Finally, an EXHIBIT ZONE dedicated to companies that have made their technicians available to exchange ideas on the latest developments in technology and where it will be possible to dialogue and discuss directly with guest speakers.