An Italian researcher, Dr. Paola Bambina of the University of Palermo, is the winner of the First Prize at the 2023 edition of Enoforum Web Scientists, in which 37 researchers from 9 countries took part, selected out of more than 100 candidate papers by a Scientific Committee. The winning paper is entitled: “Effect of soil physicochemical parameters on polyphenolic and volatile composition of red wines obtained from Nero d’Avola.”

In second place we find Francisca Isabel Bravo of the University of Tarragona with work titled “Enhancement of wine lees to produce antihypertensive agents,” and in third place, completing an all-female podium, Paola Domizio of the University of Florence with “Inactivated Schizosaccharomyces japonicus: a new bio-adjuvant for protein stabilization of wines.”

The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd runners-up will receive prize money of €3,000, €2,000, €1,000, respectively.
From the 4th to 10th runners-up are offered reimbursements for attendance at Macrowine or VATS conferences scheduled in 2023 and 2024.

Below is the ranking of the 10 works awarded with this edition:

1. Effect of soil physicochemical parameters on the polyphenolic and volatile composition of red wines obtained from Nero d’Avola
   Paola Bambina, University of Palermo
2. Valorization of wine lees to produce antihypertensive agents
   Francisca Isabel Bravo, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain)
3. Inactivated Schizosaccharomyces japonicus: a new bio-adjuvant for protein stabilization of wines
   Paola Domizio, University of Florence
4. Production of polysaccharides and antioxidant compounds by non-Saccharomyces yeast strains after growth and induced lysis
   Sabrina Voce, University of Udine
5. Aromatic compounds in berries are jointly modulated by deficit irrigation and rootstock in ‘Merlot’ and ‘Sangiovese’ varieties
   Giacomo Palai, University of Pisa
6. Organoleptic and freshness improvement with the use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in white wines from warm climates
   Carlos Escott, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (Spain)
7. Innovative method for non-destructive screening of 2,4,6-TCA on wine corks, below the threshold of perception, at the world-leading speed of 2 seconds
   Luca Cappellin, University of Padua, Italy
8. Wine is “naked”: colorless glass bottles degrade wine’s aromatic identity
   Silvia Carlin, Edmund Mach Foundation
9. Protein extracts from Andes pseudocereals as alternative fining agents for red wines
   Liudis Pino, University of Talca (Chile)
10. Oxygen transfer and wine aging: the crucial role of the glass-cork interface
    Julie Chanut, University Bourgogne Franche Comté, UMR PAM Dijon (France)

More than 2,400 professionals from 66 different countries registered for the online conference, which took place on Monday, March 13, 2023, with peaks of nearly 1,000 simultaneous attendees during the more than 6 hours of broadcasting, thanks in part to simultaneous translations into Italian, French and Spanish of the papers, all of which were conducted in English.

Enoforum Web Scientists aims to disseminate the latest results of the world’s grapevine and wine research not only within the academic community, but also among wine industry stakeholders who are unlikely to learn about it through scientific journals and conferences.

Thanks to a preliminary selection work by an international Scientific Committee composed of viticulture and enology experts, 37 papers were presented in flash talk format, focusing on practical results: all participants had the opportunity to evaluate the papers in real time according to the criterion: “potential benefits for wine production.”

The best-ranked researchers will be invited to present their work more extensively at various Enoforum conferences to be held over the next two years, starting with Enoforum Italia to be held May 16-18, 2023 in Vicenza, Italy.

The papers presented covered a wide range of innovative topics for the wine industry, such as efficient water management for vineyard irrigation, the application of selective mechanical harvesting, a new digital tool for training on vine pruning, the use of yeast derivatives in winemaking, new methods for wine stabilization, oxidative and aromatic stability of wines, and many others.

All recordings, including extended versions, will be available in the Internet magazine Infowine (www.infowine.com).

Enoforum Web Scientists is organized by VINIDEA, an Italian company specializing in training for wine professionals, and sponsored by OIV (International Organization of Wine and Vine); it also enjoys the collaboration of several other scientific organizations: OENOVITI INTERNATIONAL, IVES (International Viticulture and Enology Society), IFV (Institut Français du Vin), PTV (Plataforma Tecnologica del Vino), GIENOL (Grupos de Investigación Enológica), SIVE (Società Italiana di Viticoltura ed Enologia), AWRI (Australian Wine Research Institute), SASEV (South African Society of Enology and Viticulture), DLG-Akademie (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft).

Thanks to the support of OENOPPIA (Oenological Products and Practices International Association), SIMEI-UIV (International Enological and Bottling Machinery Exhibition-Italian Wine Union), ASSOENOLOGI (Italian Oenologists’ Association), and Laboratorios Excel Ibérica, it was possible to allow free participation in the conference and offer simultaneous translation.