The first INNOTAST was held at VINSEUM on 9 June. The event is a new initiative launched by INNOVI in collaboration with VINSEUM. The series aims to showcase the innovation taking place in the wine sector and create opportunities for businesses, professionals and interested members of the public to share knowledge.

Entitled “Towards More Resilient Viticulture: New Resistant Varieties”, the first event introduced attendees to some of the initiatives addressing the current challenges facing vineyards, including reducing the environmental impact of treatments and adapting to climate change. The session combined presentations and wine tastings, offering a closer look at these new approaches and their characteristics in the glass.

One part of the session focused on wines made from PIWI varieties, in a tasting led by Anna Nin of Agromillora. These grape varieties are resistant to fungal diseases such as downy mildew and powdery mildew, and can help reduce the need for vineyard treatments.

The tasting gave attendees the opportunity to discover their aromatic and flavour profiles and discuss their potential to meet consumers’ expectations for quality and style. Resistant varieties open up new possibilities for moving towards viticulture that requires fewer interventions and is more respectful of the environment. They also raise questions about how these wines can be incorporated into the styles and identities the sector has built over time.

The first INNOTAST also featured wines made from VRIAC varieties —Resistant Native Varieties Adapted to Climate Change—, an initiative that brings research and tradition together to explore alternatives suited to the future conditions of viticulture. The presentation was given by Josep Maria Albet i Noya, representing the project led by the Albet i Noya winery.

The initiative involves the Alta Alella and Celler Josep Piñol wineries, as well as Swiss agricultural engineer Valentin Blattner, who specialises in developing resistant varieties. The project addresses a specific challenge: preserving the identity of native Catalan varieties such as Xarel·lo, Macabeu and Garnatxa while also introducing natural resistance to diseases such as downy mildew and powdery mildew.

The new varieties have been developed through natural crossbreeding, without genetic modification. Their resistance can reduce the need for vineyard treatments and help improve adaptation to climate change. During the tasting, attendees were able to try wines produced through this research and discover how innovation can bring new aromatic and flavour nuances while retaining a connection to the region.

The first INNOTAST highlighted how innovation in grape varieties can help rethink the balance between quality, identity and sustainability. Each event in the series aims to give wineries and businesses connected to the cluster a space to present new products, processes, approaches and solutions, and share them with a wider audience.

Through this initiative, INNOVI and VINSEUM aim to bring wine-sector innovation to a range of audiences, showcase the sector’s talent and capacity for transformation, and encourage communication, learning and knowledge transfer. The series also helps strengthen the connections between wine, culture, the region and the future of viticulture.