Try the GiESCO EcoMetaEthical Charter !

This article summarizes a synthesis and an extension of the three communications accepted by the 22^thGiESCO congress and presented at the iAVW session:
– The universal EcoMetaEthical 4.1C charter used in an interconnected network (Giovanni Cargnello & Alain Carbonneau).
– Climate change: valorization of the global “4.1C” resources of the territory and creation of the highest vineyard in Europe (Giovanni Cargnello).
– What canopy management innovations can be made in traditional vineyards? Adaptations or changes? Examples in Italy and France (Giovanni Cargnello & Alain Carbonneau).

I – international Academy of Vine and Wine : what is iAVW ?

The iAVW of the GiESCO deals with any field at the interface of Viticulture.
Our major actions, to some extent beyond Viticulture, are:
1/Philosophy-Sociology-Economy-Ecology: Why and in what spirit do we work? Which are the priorities? Can we adopt a metaethics attitude ?
2/How to ensure the future? The 3 awards offered to young scientists or entrepreneurs.
3/ Privileged interaction with Enology. Example: Tasting of Pinot Noir from around the world and typicity groups (see GiESCO proceedings).

II – The GiESCO EcoMetaEthical Charter :

1/ Definitions :
Ethics is a reasoned reflection of any people in order to establish their moral values considered good for society: standards, limits, duties. Those choices are dependant on the society.
Meta-Ethics (thanks to Giovanni Cargnello who is a pioneer): these are those values shared by the greatest number of societies or people, often consensual, and freely accepted as above all decisions or practices.
Examples. In the current ethical standards of Organic Viticulture there are:
– metaethical consensual elements: respect for the environment and for people, preferential use of local or natural products, saving natural resources…
– non-metaethical elements of refusal : harmlessness of any natural product compared to synthetic products, main use of copper which is toxic to the environment and to humans…
– non-metaethical elements of questioning : are many principles of biodynamics scientifically proven ?
Metaethics is the only reasonable position a scientist, a technician, a grower, may have !

2/ The GiESCO EME 4.IC Charter – Generalities:
Meaning and Basis of the GiESCO EcoMetaEthical Charter ‘EME4.1C’.

Eco : Ecology
ME : MetaEthics
4 : 4th industrial revolution
4.1C : application as universal Charter to Viticulture
Since 2015, GiESCO has proposed a MetaEthical Viticulture Charter which is based on the following three consensual principles by declining them according to the diversity of viticultural situations:
1- Man placed as the main challenge. Who can oppose favoring all human aspirations: well-being, of course, but also work, education, culture, life in society and in nature?
2- Rule of least impact on the environment (ie: priority of qualitative resistant grape varieties ; or prefer, for protecting vineyards against downy mildew, 3-4 applications of phosethyl-Al than 9-12 with copper products which are more dangerous for soil environment and human health).
3- Objectivity and reliance on scientific knowledge and traceability of operations. Who can ignore the achievement of science and follow the directives of an esotericism, even if the objectives are laudable? Who can hide that some natural products are dangerous for man and environment ? 
Replacing Organic or Biodynamic with Sustainable Ecological Agriculture and adapting it to wine-growing specificities: this is the aim of the GiESCO EME4.1C Charter !

3/ New advances in the EME4.1C Charter :
In terms of applicability :
* Place the couple ‘producer-consumer’ in front, because it is the center of exchanges, and the key of efficiency by establishing a direct evaluation.
* Promote actor networks, profiting by modern communication tools, with transparent information and self-assessments (ie : as for free scoring of satisfaction of restaurants).
* Allow Official organizations to integrate the network and serve as a reference, if they accept the previous principles; the GiESCO at first !

 4/ Applications of the EME4.1C Charter to the main challenges in Viticulture :
Absolute priority : adaptation to the climate change just because it is the most universal !
* Change in psychological attitude when dealing with ‘Terroir’:
Up to now, we mainly talked about soil because it is important, and above all, it was convenient to justify a particular land ownership. Now, we must first think about climate which is a shared resource.
* Knowing the new regional climate, we have to optimize the mesoclimate:
exposure, altitude, proximity to water, to allow cooler and less dry conditions.
In that field, some useful guides may be used such as whitness vineyards

5/ Whitness vineyards :

Observing the evolution of vines and wines in particular vineyards situated at any pedoclimatic limit is very useful to understand the impacts of the climate change. Besides, some specific adapted techniques can be applied and tested in order to find some efficient solutions either under too cool or too warm or too dry situations.
Giovanni Cargnello established an high altitude vineyard in the Veneto Alps to check the evolution of responses at a limit of berry maturity, and propose new keys of development to the region.
Alain Carbonneau experiments in a family vineyard in the Haut-Languedoc region the change due to the reinforcement of drought, concentrating on adaptation of new qualitative resistant varieties and of the stability of the wine type expressing the ‘terroir’ characteristics. Results are expected on the following years. Figure 1 thereafter illustrates those two whitness vineyards.