OIV and Global Producer Consortium Announce 2025 Wine Research Grants
The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) has awarded five research grants for 2025, supported by an international consortium of leading wine producers. The projects focus on key industry challenges, including climate change adaptation, sustainable viticulture, genome editing, dealcoholised wine quality, and canned wine stability.
The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) has announced the five research projects selected for its 2025 grants programme. The funded initiatives address critical technical and economic challenges facing the global vitivinicultural sector, including climate change adaptation, carbon footprint reduction, value-chain resilience, and product quality in emerging market segments.
The research programme forms part of the OIV's Strategic Plan to fund postgraduate training and structured scientific development for the global beverage industry. Financial support for the grants is provided through the OIV's internal budget combined with contributions from an international consortium of wine companies. For the third consecutive year, the corporate consortium includes Familia Torres (Spain), Masi Agricola (Italy), Moët & Hennessy (France), Sogrape (Portugal), Viña Concha y Toro (Chile), and Yalumba Family Winemakers (Australia). The OIV stated that this complementary co-funding structure supports ambitious scientific research while guaranteeing the independent nature of the studies.
The 2025 grant recipients and their respective project focus areas include:
- Sustainable Viticulture: Asier Camara was awarded a 15-month grant to research sustainable alternatives to copper for managing Plasmopara viticola through grapevine-microbiota-pathogen interactions in a rhizotron system.
- Climate Adaptation: Felipe Ignacio Suarez Vega received a six-month grant to develop high-resolution lysimetric systems that evaluate grapevine stomatal sensitivity to water stress.
- Value-Chain Resilience: Syuzanna Mosikyan secured a 12-month grant for a project titled 'From Genes to Glass: Enabling Genome Editing for a Globally Sustainable Wine Future.'
- Technological Innovations (Dealcoholised Wine): Isela Mejia Fonseca was granted a 36-month project to explore strategies for enhancing the sensory quality and stability of dealcoholised wines.
- Technological Innovations (Canned Wine): Inés Horcajo Abal received a 12-month grant to conduct chemical and sensory analyses for oenological process optimisation and stability assessment in canned wines.
These research projects directly address commercial and operational priorities across the global wine sector. By funding innovations in non-alcoholic wine quality, alternative packaging stability, and climate-resilient vineyard management, the programme aims to support the future trade competitiveness and sustainability of the vitivinicultural value chain.
Key facts
- The OIV selected five research projects for its 2025 grants programme.
- Funding is provided by the OIV and a consortium of six global wine companies for the third consecutive year.
- Consortium partners are Familia Torres, Masi Agricola, Moët & Hennessy, Sogrape, Viña Concha y Toro, and Yalumba Family Winemakers.
- Projects cover timelines ranging from six to 36 months.
- Research areas include copper alternatives, water stress evaluation, genome editing, dealcoholised wine quality, and canned wine stability.
Why it matters
The grants address technical barriers in fast-growing wine sub-sectors, such as dealcoholised and canned wines, while tackling critical production risks tied to climate stress and vineyard sustainability. The direct involvement of major global wine producers highlights an industry-wide commitment to funding R&D that protects value-chain competitiveness.
- OIV — International Organisation of Vine and Wine: “OIV grants programme empowers scientific research to address the major challenges facing the sector | OIV”
This article was prepared by WBI.org from the sources listed above with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a WBI editor before publication. Information is attributed to its original sources.