MINORSENS begins its activities with a launch meeting!
On December 12, the organizations that make the MINORSENS project possible met at the Rueda Enological Station (Valladolid, Spain) as the starting point for their activities. MINORSENS was approved within the third call for projects of the Interreg VI-A Spain-Portugal Program (POCTEP) 2021-2027 at the end of last year. The journey that now begins will extend until September 2026, with the objective of valuing and characterizing minority grape varieties in the cross-border area, both through classical methods and through innovative technologies. In this first meeting, the six main activities contemplated by the project were presented, establishing the main milestones and working groups to carry out all the actions planned in this innovative initiative.
We are MINORSENS
The MINORSENS team is composed of four beneficiaries and two partners without funding on both sides of the border between Spain and Portugal. The Agricultural Technology Institute of Castilla y León (Spain) is the project coordinator. It is a public entity that depends on the Regional Government of Castilla y León and has among its main objectives to promote technological development and applied research in the agricultural sector. The Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (Portugal) specializes in monitoring fermentation processes and evaluating wine quality by applying electrochemical and NIR techniques coupled with multivariate statistical analysis techniques. The University of Valladolid (Spain) participates in the project through the UVaSens research group, which works on the preparation and characterization of nanostructured films and their application as gas or liquid sensors. Furthermore, MINORSENS has the participation of the Regional Wine Commission of Trás-os-Montes (Portugal), with extensive experience in the wine sector ranging from production, through wine making, to certification and market placement. APPITAD, the association of producers in integrated protection of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (Portugal), and the Protected Designation of Origin Arribes (Spain), collaborate as partners without funding to support and advise wineries and vineyard owners in their respective work areas. All these organizations form a highly qualified and motivated multidisciplinary group to ensure that these endangered vine varieties obtain the recognition and protection they deserve.
MINORSENS in brief
With this initiative, we aim to preserve native grape varieties from the cross-border area between Spain (Castilla y León) and northern Portugal that are in danger of extinction due to the use of a few commercial varieties that monopolize production. As we will see, their use will be key in the face of climate change. Minority varieties had fallen into disuse because they often did not correctly complete their vegetative cycle. However, with the increase in summer temperatures (with strong and frequent heat waves) and the decrease in rainfall, it has been proven that these varieties complete their cycle with very good and balanced ripening indices. We therefore run the risk of losing highly adapted vine varieties from which unique, high-quality wines are obtained that can contribute to the economic growth of the area. Therein lies the importance of MINORSENS, enhancing the value of these varieties so that they can be appreciated by vine growers, winemakers, and the end consumer.
