The Institute of Sciences of the Vineyard and the Wine looks for to turn into an international referent

The president of the Upper Council of Scientific Investigations (CSIC), Emilio Lora-Tamayo, the adviser of Agriculture of the Government of The Rioja, Íñigo Nagore, and the rector of the University of The Rioja, José Arnáez, have signed today an addendum for the creation and development of the Institute of Sciences of the Vineyard and of the Wine (ICVV), situated in Logroño. The document, rubricado in presence of the president of The Rioja, Pedro Sanz, establishes the financials for the equipment of his future headquarters in The Grajera by an amount of 3,345 million euros. The contribution will be realised to equal parts by the Autonomous Community of The Rioja and by the Bottoms Feder through the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.

The ICVV is an institute of investigation created in 2008 by the CSIC, the Government of The Rioja and the University of The Rioja. His provisional headquarters is in the Scientific Complex-Technological of the university riojana while they finalise the works of the definite headquarters. The signature of this addendum to the concrete agreement the necessary endowment to furnish and instrument these laboratories and services of support to the investigation of these installations.

The forecast is that the works of the building of laboratories and experimental cellar are concluded in the spring of 2013 and that, after endowing it, can be in full operation after the next vintage. The ICVV is conceived like a centre of reference in the investigation, with two fundamental pillars: the existence of an activity researcher of international importance and the impulse of the transfer of the results and the technology to the society and to the productive sector. It is the only centre of these characteristics devoted to the investigation of the vineyard and of the wine in Spain. Directed by José Miguel Martínez Zapater, professor of investigation of the CSIC, in the actuality the Institute has some approximate personnel that surpasses the 100 professionals and that includes to personal researchers technician and of support to the investigation and administrative personnel.

The headquarters of the Institute of Sciences of the Vineyard and of the Wine in the finca of The Grajera is formed by several buildings: the Institutional Cellar and the Administrative Building, built previously by the Government of The Rioja, and the Scientific Building, of whose construction is responsible the CSIC. The Scientific Building, of 6.000 square metres, is composed to his time of a building of laboratories and of an experimental cellar, of 4.800 and something more than 1.000 metres squared respectively. This complex was projected by the architect Ignacio Burned with the aim to fulfil with the own needs of an institute of investigation of the vineyard and of the wine, to integrate it in his surroundings and to guarantee his functional relation with the Institutional Cellar and with the Administrative Building.

The Building of Laboratories has three plants: drop, first and second. The Experimental Cellar, two: drop and first. The adaptation of the group to the topography of the terrain comports that the low plant of the Building of Laboratories remain to the level of the first plant of the Experimental Cellar.

The Scientific Building consists of two big sections with four laboratories of investigation in each one of them. In the area of viticulture, the laboratories are devoted to genomic analysis, biology of the production and interaction with the physical environingingment, biology of the interactions of the vineyard with the half biological and technology of the viticultural production. In the zone of oenology, the laboratories allocate to investigate microbiology and biotechnology enológica, chemical and analysis enológico, technology and engineering enológica and wine and health.

Beside the section of oenology finds the experimental cellar and his low plant devotes to laboratories of support to the investigation: laboratory of cellar, microscopía, microbiological crops, vegetal crops and instrumental analysis. By his part, the plant semisótano of the section of viticulture will include cameras of crop of plants to obtain distinct environingingmental conditions and analyse the effect of climatic and biological treatments (pathogenic and plagues of the vineyard).

The budget of the works of the group formed by the institutional cellar, the institutional building, the administrative building and the scientific building approximates to the 22 million euros. Of them, the scientific building goes to suppose an investment of almost 7,167 million euros, to which it would be necessary to add the 3,3 millions devoted to the equipment of the two last, whose addendum formalises today.

The scientific activity of the ICVV organises in two departments: Viticulture and Oenology. Each one of them includes from the basic investigation until the processes of technological development and innovation, divided in four specialitys.

Department of Viticulture

1. Genetics and genomic. Vegetal material and genetic resources. Genetic diversity of the vineyard and species related. Genetic improvement varietal and clonal.

2. Biology of the production and interaction with the physical environingingment. Ecophysiology. Biology of the reproduction and maduration of the fruit. Quality of the grape.

3. Biology of the interactions of the vineyard with the half biological. Pathogens, plagues and simbiontes. Protection of the crop.

4. Technology of the viticultural production. Technicians of crop. Relation viticulture environingingment. Systems of production. Viticulture of precision.

Department of Oenology

1. Microbiology and biotechnology enológica. Genomics, genetic diversity, selection and improvement of microorganisms. Biology and control of processes fermentativos. Detection and prevention of microbiological alterations. Biotechnology of enzymes.

2. Chemicals and analysis enológico. Chemical evolution of the components of the grape and of the wine. Development of analytical methodologies. Sensory analysis-molecular bases.

3. Technology and engineering enológica. New technologies of manufacturing, crianza and stabilisation of wines. Sensors and control of processes. Gestión and valorisation of by-products vitivinícolas.

4. Wine and health. Healthy components of the wine. Alimentary hygiene.