Improving the educational background of viticulture and enology to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change

Over the past few decades, climate change has had a strong impact on our everyday lives. This is particularly true for grape and wine production. Increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations are leading to significant changes in the climate and this is causing changes in growing conditions. Special production areas in Europe have their own specific natural characteristics. In the past, grape and wine production technology has adapted to these specific conditions. The combination of these two factors has resulted in wines from traditional wine-growing areas having a high added value. However, climate change could significantly affect growing conditions and thus reduce high added value. Recently, this problem has become increasingly important, triggering a clear demand from stakeholders in the vine and wine sector. There is a need for up-to-date knowledge, good practices and practical know-how that enable adaptation strategies to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. Indeed, based on the feedback received from stakeholders, there is a clear need to better understand the impact of different abiotic and biotic stressors and extreme weather elements on grape and wine quality, as well as possible solutions.

Our consortium includes five educational institutions in five countries with significant traditions and specific products in terms of grape and wine production. The differences between the countries are reflected in different adaptation strategies. Adaptation strategies that can reduce the negative effects of climate change are key to maintaining the high added value of speciality wines. An important objective of the cooperation is to give opportunity for the future grape and wine producers to know and to learn from each other, to gain experience and knowledge about climate change, and to learn about effective technologies and good practices. A specific objective of the project was to create an e-learning learning material with up-to-date knowledge based on the needs of the different stakeholders in the wine sector, the curricula of partner institutions and existing good practices. We aimed to make the learning material available to students on an easy-to-use e-learning platform to improve digital competences of the stakeholders. Finally, the ready e-learning material intended to integrate into the curricula (linked to different subjects or as a stand-alone course) of the partner institutions.

The project's core output was a 410-page teaching material, significantly exceeding the planned 250 pages. This comprehensive resource is available in six languages and includes 10 chapters, assignments, illustrations, tables, and reference lists. This material was made accessible through a dedicated multilingual e-learning platform, which also hosts 29 good practices, 19 of which are presented in video format. Two summer courses were organized, engaging 75 students and 21 lecturers, with active participation from 5 wine producers. The teaching material was successfully integrated into 67 different university courses, and four intensive self-learning courses were conducted for 61 students. The project also facilitated five Learning, Teaching, Training (LTT) mobilities for 25 teachers, alongside numerous Erasmus mobilities involving 19 BSc students and 15 educators/researchers. Dissemination efforts were robust, with 10 multiplier events attracting 409 participants and extensive outreach via social media and local television. The e-learning platform saw significant engagement, recording 3,006 total visits, with an average duration of 4 minutes 35 seconds and 22,668 pageviews.