Wine Innovation at the PTV Annual Meeting 2024
We couldn’t miss the Annual Meeting of PTV Partners. An event that took place in Madrid over two consecutive days, where the scientific and business sectors of the Spanish wine industry gathered to continue betting on R&D&i.
Once again, the Wine Technology Platform, whose Technical Secretariat we manage from artica+i, brought together its partners to celebrate its Annual Meeting 2024. This time, the event was held in Madrid over two consecutive days – May 8th and 9th – combining the XII General Assembly of Partners and the meetings of the R&D&i Groups in the 7 technical areas that PTV works on: Viticulture, Process, Product, Sustainability and Climate Change, Health, Wine Economics, and Digitalization.
Mr. Carlos Moro, president of the Association, was responsible for kicking off these two days with an institutional welcome in which he emphasized “the consolidation of the PTV as a national and international reference in driving R&D&i in the Spanish wine sector.”
Next, the XII General Assembly of PTV Partners began, during which the financial closure of 2023 and the work plan and budget for this year 2024 were approved. Among the main challenges that the Association faces in the medium term, its participation in 6 R&D&i projects in the wine sector stands out, 5 of which are being developed internationally.
Furthermore, the Assembly unanimously approved the Association’s Strategic Plan for the period 2024-2027, which outlines the objectives, structure, and medium-term mission of the Wine Technology Platform of Spain.
The Future of Wine Lies in Digitalization
After the General Assembly of Partners, Mr. Carlos Moro gave way to the first meeting of the R&D&i Group in Digitalization. This is a working area that starts within the PTV Technical Commission, under the coordination of Eva Navascués, R&D&i director at Alma Carraovejas, Juan Manuel Corchado, president of the AIR Institute, and David Martínez, head of Strategic Development and Alliances at the AINIA Technological Center.
Alberto García, responsible for taxation and digitalization at the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV), presented the Digitalization and Wine Hub, with which the Digitalization area of the PTV actively collaborates.
Additionally, during the meeting, the coordinators of the Digitalization area proposed a series of strategic lines, previously identified in the working groups of the Digitalization and Wine Hub of the FEV, which will lay the groundwork for future R&D&i projects.
R&D&i across the Entire Wine Value Chain
The Polytechnic University of Madrid hosted the second day of the PTV Annual Partners Meeting, during which the meetings of the R&D&i Groups in the rest of the technical areas took place: Viticulture, Process, Product, Sustainability and Climate Change, Health, and Wine Economics.
During these meetings, an overview was given of the innovative initiatives currently being worked on in each of the areas, and the focus was on the future to launch future strategic R&D&i projects that respond to challenges and needs common to the entire wine sector.
Some of our colleagues from National and International Project Financing participated in these meetings to work on innovative proposals with the rest of the PTV partners and contribute their vision and experience with the aim of finding the best technical and financial fit for these future R&D&i projects.
Highlighted themes in the Viticulture area included the use of new digital technologies for harvest prediction or for the application of phytosanitary products, as well as the challenge of finding solutions for vine wood diseases.
Process, on the other hand, focused on priorities such as the development of new process technologies and control of production or innovative tools applied in the process of seed removal prior to maceration.
Efficient use of the water-energy nexus or the conservation of vineyard ecosystem health were some of the themes addressed in the Sustainability and Climate Change area, while Health focused on initiatives aimed at producing low-alcohol, alcohol-free, and partially dealcoholized wines.
Finally, meetings were held for the Product and Wine Economics areas with themes such as the development of new strategies to chemically and sensorially evaluate wine or enhance the improvement of business management or international positioning of Spanish wines.
Our Experience in Platform and Cluster Management
From our Innovation Consulting department, we offer a platform and cluster management service, supporting their promotion, creation, strategic direction, and operational management.
We act as the secretariat and technical office of these entities, becoming part of their organizational structure, always in coordination and under the guidelines of their governing bodies. An example of this is the Wine Technology Platform, whose Technical Secretariat we have been managing since its Board of Directors entrusted our team with it in 2011. Today, more than
