MicroBioWines

 

MicroBioWines

1. PROJECT NAME: MicroBioWines

2. PROJECT ID: POCI-01-0247-FEDER-017987

3. MAIN GOAL: A study of the impact of innovation in winemaking processes on microbial communities and its Importance in the production of distinctive wines

4. REGION:Center (of Portugal)

5. BENEFICIARY ENTITIES: Herdade da Malhadinha Nova – Sociedade Agricola e Turística, S.A. | Universidade do Algarve | Biocant – Associação de Transferência de Tecnologia

6. APPROVAL DATE: September 14, 2016

7. START DATE: October 17, 2016

8. END DATE:  January 16, 2020

9. TOTAL ELIGIBLE COSTS:

		Entity		Investment	Eligible Costs
		Herdade da Malhadinha Nova – Sociedade Agricola e Turística, S.A.		205.707,35 EUR	196.348,42 EUR
		Universidade do Algarve		272.098,62 EUR	272.098,62 EUR
		Biocant – Associação de Transferência de Tecnologia		181.163,65 EUR	181.163,65 EUR
		TOTAL		659.965,92 EUR	649.610,69EUR

 

10. FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION (FEDER)

		Entity	Financial support
		Herdade da Malhadinha Nova – Sociedade Agricola e Turística, S.A.	109.818,12 EUR
		Universidade do Algarve	168.701,15 EUR
		Biocant – Associação de Transferência de Tecnologia	135.872,73 EUR
		TOTAL	414.392,00 EUR

 

11. OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES, AND EXPECTED/ACHIEVED RESULTS

The wine sector plays a key role in the Portuguese economy, as Portugal is the fifth-largest wine producer in Europe. Wine producers are constantly seeking innovative techniques to differentiate themselves and improve wine quality. One under-explored area is the production of organic wines, even though Portugal possesses unique characteristics for doing so, and wines that exploit and leverage its microbiological genetic resources as a way to add value. MicroBioWines thus presents itself as a unique and innovative project that will thoroughly characterize, from a microbiological perspective, the impact of winemaking processes on the microbial community present both in the vineyard and during cellar fermentation. Only with this knowledge will it be possible to understand how changes in winemaking practices impact the microbiome, and thus assess their real consequences both on the microbial balance in the vineyards and on the quality of the final product. This knowledge is of extreme importance so that, in the short to medium term, it will be possible to transition from an integrated pest management system to organic production. We also aim to determine the impact of the microbiological terroir on the wine.