2019 ProWein Media Summit in Review
ProWein 2019 Business Report on the special topic of Climate Change
A Media Summit with strong international attendance took place in Geisenheim on November 21, 2019. The Summit featured the publication of the third ProWein Business Report on the special topic of climate change, prepared by Hochschule Geisenheim University. Over 30 journalists from 20 countries attended nine presentations by international speakers on the effects of climate change on the wine industry, as well as adaptation and sustainability strategies. Two Geisenheim professors Prof. Dr. Hans Reiner Schultz and Prof. Dr. Claudia Kammann kicked things off by addressing the causes and existential significance of climate change for humankind.
In a live stream from Australia, Prof. Dr. Markus Herderich and Dr. Mardi Longbottom from the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) reported on the impact of climate change on Australia's wine industry, the adaptation strategies that have been in place there since 1980, as well as Australia's sustainable wine-growing program. The presentation of the ProWein Business Reports on Climate Change by Prof. Dr. Simone Loose was streamed as a webinar to journalists worldwide. In underlining the significance of the report, Loose said: "this is the first time the ProWein Business Report has quantified the extent to which the various players in the international wine industry have already been affected by climate change, the comprehensive measures that have been taken to respond to it, as well as those that will be necessary in the future".
Dr. Cristina Carlos from the Association for the Development of Viticulture in the Douro Region (ADVID) gave a very vivid account of the extent to which the winegrowers in Portugal are already suffering from water shortages and heat stress and the adjustments that are currently being made in order to sustain winegrowing in the region. Dr. Lukas Egarter Vigl of EURAC Research in Bolzano gave a talk on the systematic shift by South Tyrolean winegrowers to higher and cooler vineyards. Dr. Hervé Hannin from INRA Montpellier said France is thus far the only country to have systematically discussed local strategies for adapting to climate change with its winegrowers, which it intends to transform into a national strategy. The ecological sustainability of the wine industry was the focus of the two concluding lectures. Marcus Ihre from Systembolaget explained the role sustainability standards play in the purchasing of wines by the Swedish state-run retailer monopoly for alcoholic beverages,and how these standards are set and monitored. Keith Ulrich believes Fair'n Green is the only German standard in the wine industry to date that encourages members to make continuous improvements in all three aspects of sustainability. As a member of Fair'n Green, winegrower Jochen Schmidt from the Pfalz region spoke about the measures he has successfully taken to make his winery CO² neutral.
The three-day Media Summit was rounded off by a tasting of sustainable wines presented by Stuart Piggott and Paula Sidore in the Geisenheim wine cellar, a tour of the Geisenheim FACE facility, a dinner at Schloss Vollrads, a demonstration of steep-slope viticulture in the Assmannhausen domain and a visit to the Steinberg cellar.
ProWein Media Summit Program
| During the day | Arrive at Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) with bus transfer to Wiesbaden |
|---|---|
| 6:00 p.m. | Evening event at Weinkontor Wiesbaden with welcome address by the ProWein team |
| 9:30 a.m. | Bus transfer to Hochschule Geisenheim University | |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 a.m. | Welcome address by Professor Hans Reiner Schultz, President of Hochschule Geisenheim University | |
| 10:10 a.m. | Presentation "What is climate change about?" | Professor Claudia Kammann, Professor for Research into Climatic Effects on Special Crops, Hochschule Geisenheim University |
| 10:35 a.m. | Climate change in Australia | Professor Markus Herderich, Managing Director, Australian Wine Research Institute & Dr. Mardi Longbottom |
| 11:00 a.m. | Presentation of 2019 ProWein Business Report | Professor Simone Loose, Head of the Department of Wine & Beverage Business, Hochschule Geisenheim University |
| 11:30 a.m. | Case studies – How climate change is impacting the global wine industry | Cristina Carlos (ADVID) and Lucas Egarter Vigl (EURAC) |
| 12:30 p.m. | Lunch | |
| 1:30 p.m. | Visit to the Geisenheim FACE facilities | |
| 2:15 p.m. | Coffee break | |
| 2:30 p.m. | Adapting to climate change: presentation of the LACCAVE project | Hervé Hannin, INRA Montpellier |
| 3:15 p.m. | Coffee break | |
| 3:30 p.m. | How can the wine industry help to protect the climate? | Marcus Ihre (Systembolaget) und Keith Ulrich (Fair’n Green) |
| 5:00 p.m. | Tasting of sustainable wines | Moderation: Stuart Pigott and Paula Sidore |
| 6:00 p.m. | Bus transfer to Schloss Vollrads; wine-tasting | |
| 7:00 p.m. | Dinner at Schloss Vollrads | |
| 11:00 p.m. | Bus transfer to hotel |
| 9:00 a.m. | Bus transfer to Domäne Assmanshausen, Rheingau, visit to steep-slope vineyards |
|---|---|
| 12:30 p.m. | Lunch in Steinbergkeller, Kloster Eberbach, visit to winery |
| 2:00 p.m. | Bus transfer to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) |
ProWein
ProWein is the world’s leading trade fair for wines and spirits, the largest industry meeting for professionals from viticulture, production, trade and gastronomy. Every year ProWein provides three days of concentrated business and a highly promising ancillary program.
Over the past 25 years, ProWein has proven to be the no. 1 event for the industry. Its success is based on a unique visitor concept and an unbeatably wide range of products and services.
Contact at Hochschule Geisenheim University:
Your ProWein contacts:
Christiane Schorn
Senior Manager Press & PR
ProWein (Messe Düsseldorf)
+49 (0)211 4560 991
Monika Kissing
Senior Manager Press & PR
ProWein (Messe Düsseldorf)
+49 (0)211 4560 543
Brigitte Küpper
Manager Press & PR
ProWein (Messe Düsseldorf)
+49 (0)211 4560 929
Map
