WAC–IVAS 2026 – Session 7: Innovations in viticulture and enology in the face of societal challenges, environmental challenges, economic challenges

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Within a context marked by climate change–related abiotic stresses, grapes are more exposed to excessive heat and solar radiation causing sunburn damage with visual and organoleptic alterations in the berries and resulting wines.

The post-war industrialization led to the dominance of single-use packaging and the decline of bottle reuse systems.

Traditional oak aging enhances wine flavor but faces growing economic and environmental challenges, often conflicting with modern market trends favoring fresher, fruit-forward styles [1-3].

The global wine sector is currently facing a significant crisis driven by declining consumption and changing consumer preferences.

Among the approaches aiming to reduce our reliance on usual phytosanitary products, stimulating plant immune responses is a promising strategy.

Yeast nutrition is a key factor in the control of alcoholic fermentation, although the role of vitamins received limited attention for decades.

Climate change is disrupting grape ripening kinetics, causing a critical decoupling between technological and phenolic maturity in Vitis vinifera L.

This study examines how stepwise alcohol reduction using membrane-based processes affects the composition, aroma, and sensory properties of an Austrian Grüner Veltliner wine.

The ancestral method, based on a single fermentation completed in bottle without sugar addition, has gained renewed interest among both conventional and alternative wine producers.

Viticultural practices aimed at producing lower‑alcohol wines have traditionally focused on reducing sugar accumulation in grapes through canopy management techniques—such as early leaf removal or shading—which limit photosynthetic activity and delay ripening (Palliotti et al., 2014).

Vineyard exposure to wildfire smoke can contaminate grapes due to the uptake of smoke-derived volatile phenols.

The use of fungicides and copper-based products to control grapevine diseases has raised concerns regarding their environmental impact and potential risks to human health.

The Atlas of Latin American Wonders—eco-cultural tourism—is examined as a new strategy for wineries in the Southern Cone of South America to address the market crisis.

The effect of global warming and water stress on Mediterranean vineyards has prompted the search for strategies to counteract the damage associated with sunburn of grapes and leaf dehydration of vines.