The contribution of innovations in wine growing, wine producing and marketing Today, the influence of the market on the organoleptic characteristics of wine products is a reality that the whole of the wine-producing sector must take into account. Identifying growth markets in France and abroad, and studying the tastes and buying habits of potential consumers are now priorities that lead one to think about wine production as not only a product of the capacity and quality of the production plant, but also a product of these external demands. The influence of the market on wine producing is felt at every stage, from the growing processes to the wine production processes and the marketing strategies used to sell the wine. As a result, scientific and technical bodies in the Loire region have been cooperating, in particular through the Unité Mixte Technologique Vinitera, to improve their knowledge of the distinctive characteristics and functions of different areas, taking in all the relevant stages of the business (growing, producing and marketing). One of the main challenges is to make available knowledge and tools that allow better identification and analysis of technical processes used in order to evaluate how consistent they are with the type of wines produced and their market positions. The first part of the Euroviti 2009 symposium will focus on giving some examples of the results from these studies on technical processes. If oenological processes really are decided according to the type of wine desired, they nevertheless depend in the first place on the physicochemical characteristics of the grape; the work carried out on this topic to accurately predict and measure these characteristics is therefore of great importance. Resulting innovations in grape-quality characterisation - especially in relation to different degrees of ripeness - will be looked at in the second part of the symposium. Grape quality being a major component of a wine’s distinctiveness, this work on characterisation will serve as an introduction to the presentation at the end of the morning on promotion and marketing of wines. Developing appropriate marketing strategies that take on board evaluations of the sensory qualities of wines and consumer views, and the importance of collective promotional approaches will be dealt with using concrete examples from the Loire Valley wine region.

For more information and to sign up, click here: Euroviti