PROTECT VINES AGAINST CLIMATIC VARIATIONS

ongoing

The EU is the first producer, consumer, and exporter of wine, with 3/4 of winegrowing areas located in Spain, France, and Italy. However, the vineyards in these countries face drastic increases in the frequency and intensity of spring frosts, hail, excessive sun exposure, and intense or heavy rainfalls due to climate change. Confronted with these climatic hazards which affect their yield and the vine and wine quality, winegrowers are looking for effective methods to protect their crops. The LIFE VINOSHIELD project aims to tackle these issues thanks to the demonstration of innovative multifunctional textile protective nets and the preparation of the replication in 6 European countries. The project gathers 7 partners (MDB TEXINOV, ALTAVITIS, UCSC, FUTERRO, IFV, INSA, VINIDEA) and 3 affiliated entities (TEXINOV TECH, DELTAVAL, CNRS) from 4 European countries (France, Italy, Spain, Belgium), with complementary expertises in viticulture, industrial textile production, science of thermal flux, and biobased materials, with a budget of €4.1M over 4 years, i.e., September 2024 to December 2028. Through a series of tests conducted over 9 vineyards across France, Italy, and Spain, the project will demonstrate the performance of the nets against each hazard and its environmental benefits. The use of nets will have positive impacts and reduce the humidity on vines and consequently the use of phytosanitary products used to treat vine diseases. By 2032, the project will protect 16,500 hectares of vine and reduce damages from 30% down to 5%. It is expected that 2,750 winegrowers will be equipped with protective nets across Europe. These major impacts will be achieved thanks to the validation of the business model, the preparation of the uptake of the nets on the European winegrowing market, and the securing the recovery and recycling of the nets at their end of life.