The problem

Private and national standards for processing, packaging and preserving wines from organic agriculture have been developed since the 1980s but they vary from place to place and country to country. There is a need to develop an EU-wide legislative framework and code of best practices for organic wine production and labelling. Such a scheme would raise standards and market awareness for this product range.

Overview:

ORWINE will assess the environmental effects and implications for wine quality of current practice in organic viticulture across the EU and accession countries;

• identify market demand for organic wine and its requirements for labelling and communication;
• develop and test innovative wine-making technologies that correspond to the concept of organic agriculture and assess their applicability and acceptability;
• develop a code of best organic wine making practices and recommendations for the development of EU regulation 2092/91.

Contribution to policy development:

ORWINE will develop recommendations for

• an EU legislative framework for organic viticulture and wine production;
• harmonised of standards to benefit producers, traders and consumers and enable the EU, national and local policy makers to develop complementary support policies within a framework of rural development;
• a code of best practices for organic viticulture and wine production that will underpin harmonisation of standards across the EU ;
• support of organic viticulture, the assessment of its environmental effects, and its promotion in international markets.

Project deliverables

• Comparison of existing regulatory framework and standards – May 2006
• Traditional practices and recent technologies – May 2006, 2007
• Implementation of recommended practices and list of chosen pilot farms – August 2006
• Code of good organic wine-making practice – December 2006
• Monitoring activity on health-related wine compounds – May 2008
• The application and analysis of environmental assessment methods for organic viticulture – February 2008
• Project conclusions and policy implementation plan – December 2008

Dissemination

• Project aims, schedule, participants and progress will be made publicly available on a project website
• Project participants will promote the project, its progress and findings at formal and informal meetings and networks as opportunities arise
• Progress and results will be circulated through newsletters, trade journals and international peer-review journals
• Stakeholder participation will be encouraged at all ORWINE-related activities held on farms and in wineries.

Technical information

Project acronym: ORWINE
Project’s official full title: Organic viticulture and wine-making: development of environment and consumer friendly technologies for organic wine quality improvement and scientifically based legislative framework
Specific webpage: www.orwine.org
Proposal/contract no: 022769
Start date: January 2006
Kick off meeting: January 2006

Coordinator: Cristina Micheloni
Name: Associazione Italiana Agricoltura Biologica Italian Association for Organic Agriculture
Abbreviated name: AIAB
Address: Via Piave 14, 00187 Roma
Country: Italy
Tel: +39.06.45437485-6-7
Fax: +39.06.45437469
e-mail: c.micheloni@aiab.it
Website: www.aiab.it

Partners

Name: Università degli Studi di Udine - Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti
Abbreviated name: UNIUD
Country: Italy 

Name: Institut Technique de l'Agriculture Biologique
Abbreviated name: ITAB
Country: France         

Name: Federal Association of Organic Wine Producers
Abbreviated name: ECOVIN
Country: Germany      

Name: Forschungsinstitut für Biologischen Landbau
Abbreviated name: FiBL
Country: Switzerland  

Name: Centre Technique Interprofessionnel de la Vigne et du Vin
Abbreviated name: ITV
Country: France         

Name: State Research Institute Geisenheim - Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry
Abbreviated name: SRIG
Country: Germany      

Name: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - Istituto di Chimica Agraria ed Ambientale
Abbreviated name: UCSC
Country: Italy 

Name: VINIDEA s.r.l.,
Abbreviated name: VIN
Country: Italy 

Name: International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements- EU Group
Abbreviated name: IFOAM EU
Country: United Kingdom / Brussels

Name: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique
Abbreviated name: INRA
Country: France