From complementary in some stages of processing to fundamental in the entire production process: food gases in recent years have taken on fundamental value in the wine supply chain, from cluster detachment to bottling, for their abilities to enhance the characteristics of the final product, but also to improve many aspects of processing.

Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, argon and oxygen are the main food gases used, at present, in winemaking: CO2 is the most widely used, from harvest to fermentation. Nitrogen and Argon, especially, intervene in the stages from From fermentation to bottling. Oxygen is used in micro- and macro-oxygenation and wastewater purification.

The potential applications of gases in the wine industry, in light of changing market needs and customized solutions from winery to winery, are constantly evolving and yet to be discovered. The focus is also on continuous process improvement in the winery.

To stimulate research, the SIAD Group conceived and promoted the “Gas in Viticulture and Enology” award. The initiative, promoted with Oicce (Interprofessional Organization for the Communication of Knowledge in Oenology), is aimed at the international community, particularly university researchers, technicians, students, companies and consortia that can make significant improvements in gas applications in the wine industry.

The award, in fact, aims to stimulate research by funding projects that devise new solutions, encompassing the entire process, from working in the vineyard to the final moments in the winery.

In particular, the award aims to recognize the value of projects that are able to express:

  • Originality and innovation
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Improvement of wine quality and production processes
  • Ratio of expected benefits to costs
  • Optimizing the timing and cost of completion
  • Applicability on an industrial scale.

The international award aims at innovation and is at the same time an example of innovation: in fact, it provides funding for a project at any stage of development, including in the start-up phase or that will be put into practice in the future.

In this way it aims to stimulate technicians and researchers to come up with new ideas, even if they have not yet been developed.

Also ensuring the value of the initiative is the committee called upon to evaluate the projects, composed of seven internationally recognized professors and experts.

The first winner: deoxygenating the crush to reduce the use of SO2

The first edition of the “Gas in Viticulture and Enology” award received great attention: numerous proposals were sent in. The jury, composed of technicians, university professors, researchers, gas and oenological adjuvant experts, highlighting the high quality of each application, considered the project presented by a working group led by oenologist Marco Giulioli to be particularly worthy.

The project titled “Deoxygenating crushed grapes to reduce SO2 use” involves implementing a treatment that can completely remove oxygen from crushed grapes while decreasing sulfur dioxide.

This innovative application of gas is already underway and is showing great potential. It will continue, for completion, into the 2020 harvest at Cantina Sociale “La Guardiense” in Guardia Sanframondi, Campania.

The cooperative, one of the largest in Italy, has about 1,000 Members, who cultivate under direct management more than 1,500 hectares of vineyards with a production of about 200,000 quintals of grapes per year. “La Guardiense” is part of the “WRT, Wine Research Team,” whose technical leadership is entrusted to oenologist Riccardo Cotarella.

The commitment of researchers, with their drive for innovation in the field of wine, was rewarded with a financial award, supporting research. For the working group also a special SIAD Medal.

In addition to the winning project, the jury rated two other proposals particularly highly for their innovative potential and sustainability aspect. Their value was recognized by SIAD, which decided to contribute to their implementation, confirming the purpose of the initiative, which is to foster new steps forward in the wine industry.

Edition 2021: the search for new projects

The “Gas in Viticulture and Enology” award is also confirmed for 2021. It will be addressed, as in the first edition, to those who will present research projects that have as their object the innovative use of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon and oxygen, within the entire supply chain of the viticulture and oenology sector.

Click here to read the official Call for Entries and download the SIAD Enology Award entry form.