The EPAWI (European Partnership for Auxiliary Wine Innovation) project, which aims to address the main challenges of the European wine sector, particularly in terms of sustainability, climate change, and the adoption of advanced technologies within the circular economy, after years of work fostering innovation and sustainability in the European wine industry, has held its final meeting in Cognac, France.
EPAWI brought together four clusters: INNO'VIN (France), INNOVI (Catalonia), the AgriFood & Bioeconomy Agency (Italy), and ADVID (Portugal), representing a significant portion of the wine ecosystem in these countries. The project has worked to strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs in the auxiliary wine sector, promote innovation, and facilitate their international expansion by establishing the collaborative innovation network, the World Innovation Collaboration Alliance (WICA).
The first day of this final meeting included a technical visit to the Distillerie de la Tour, where consortium members had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the distillation process and the innovation applied to liqueur production. In the afternoon, they visited the Cognac Atelier at Maison Martell, where the group enjoyed an immersive experience guided by a maître assembleur, learning about the art of creating the finest cognac blends.
On the second and final day, to close the stay in Cognac, project members gathered at the BNIC - Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac. Philippe Lesne, Deputy Director of the Technical and Sustainable Development Department at BNIC, gave a presentation on the cognac industry, highlighting its main challenges, such as sustainability, innovation, and adaptation to climate change.
With this final meeting, the EPAWI project concludes its mission of promoting the internationalization of auxiliary companies in the wine sector, strengthening their competitiveness, and fostering collaboration between wine regions in Europe and other countries. The results of this project will continue to shape the future of the sector, focusing on sustainability and innovation. In the coming months, we will have the pleasure of announcing a continuation of this project and the beginning of a new and ambitious chapter through the consolidation of WICA by EPAWI.
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