Project description
Making wine by bygone heritage cultivars
Winegrowers in Europe are seeking new cultivars with greater resilience to climate change. Arid regions with longstanding winegrowing traditions such as the Negev desert in southern Israel are ideal for identifying endemic grapevines resilient to high temperatures. The EU-funded Negev Wine Revival project will formulate a multidisciplinary model for reviving bygone heritage cultivars. The work builds on its preceding European Research Council project, which discovered grape seeds, excavated at an 8th Century Byzantine site in the Negev, that matched with heritage grape cultivars that still grow feral in the region. The current project will plan efficient commercialisation of the genomic-based approach, provide proof of concept by growing the revived grape cultivars in a Negev vineyard, and produce novel ‘Negev Wine’ from feral grape cultivars.
Objective
Wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) are among the most sensitive crop to global warming. Elevated temperatures lessen the quality of the grapes and alter their distinctive traits. The threat is pushing winegrowers in Europe to look for new cultivars with greater resilience to climate change. Arid regions with longstanding winegrowing traditions are ideal for locating endemic grapevines that are resilient to high temperatures. With its storied history of sustainable dryland viticulture, the Negev desert in southern Israel is a prime location to hunt for novel heritage cultivars that over the centuries were bred for their ability to adapt to prevailing arid conditions. In our preceding ERC project, we examined agricultural and settlement intensification and collapse in the Negev during late Antiquity. We discovered via DNA testing that grape seeds excavated at an 8th C. CE Byzantine archaeological site in the Negev matched with heritage grape cultivars that still grow feral in the region. The current PoC aims to further these findings by formulating a multidisciplinary model for reviving bygone heritage cultivars. Concentrating on the Negev but intending for the broader application of our methodology, we will (1) plan for the efficient commercialisation of our genomic-based approach for matching bygone-but-hardy endemic cultivars with their nearest living relatives, (2) provide proof-of-concept by growing the revived grape cultivars in a Negev vineyard, (3) produce novel ‘Negev Wine’ from feral grape cultivars that will be the first heritage-based commercial wine in Israel that is also in accordance with the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) platform of the EU, (4) compile ample documentation of the dynamic and initiate an IPR protection process while, (5) involving external stakeholders in the applied integration within the wine sector of our ‘from near extinction to market distinction’ methodology.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-POC1
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31905 Haifa
Israel
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.