The LIFE VitiCaSe Demo Day was an opportunity for discussion and sharing. Participants included people involved in wine production, assistance and consultancy to wineries, production and distribution of technical means for agriculture, as well as representatives of organizations and associations in the agricultural world.

The project is in its second year of activity and a series of deliverables presenting the results of the activity is available for free download for anyone interested from the page https://www.life-viticase.eu/en/download. 

In addition to the most recent insights into the Framework for the environmental economic assessment in pilot companies and the document expressing the Characterization of pilot agricultural companies, with reference to soils, management and pedoclimate, those who visit the site can download the presentation presented during the afternoon.

The Demo Day opened with introductory greetings from the leader Image Line, together with UPA Siena and Ruffino who co-organized the event.

During the three working tables (1. Technique and agronomy - see picture below; 2. Digital and Agritech; 3. Communication and carbon credits) there were alternating testimonies from the partners CREA, Carbon Credits Consulting, EZ Lab France, San Felice Wine Estates, Castello di Albola.

The demo day ended with the presentation of 6 initiatives, as part of the "Networking" session led by Matteo Munaro of Image Line, Smart Farming Specialist of LIFE VitiCaSe. This is a series of projects with which LIFE VitiCaSe has already undertaken - or will initiate - interactions: from the adoption of some results/deliverables of the projects when relevant to the activity of LIFE VitiCaSe to participation in joint events and/or initiatives (in brackets, the reference of the person who presented):

• LIFE Drive (Irene Diti - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Piacenza)
• LIFE ADA (Simonetta De Leo - CREA PB)
• Plat4CFC (Fabio Ponte - Team Dev, together with Lorenzo Cassinelli of Agricolus)
• Marvic (Andrea Ferrarini - Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Piacenza)
• LIFE Natural Agro (Matteo Michelini - NDG Group)
• Centro Nazionale Agritech - Spoke 9 (excursus by Cristiano Spadoni of Image Line, based on presentations relating to the initiative of the Spoke leader, the University of Siena, and the University of Turin)
• Various Vinidea projects (excursus by Matteo Munaro of Image Line, based on the initiatives reported on https://vinidea.it/progetti-di-ricerca-e-trasferimento/) 

ADDENDUM

During the morning, the Partners' meeting took place, involving representatives of all the subjects working on LIFE VitiCaSe, both in the technical-agronomic field and for administrative and communication activities.

It was an opportunity to connect live with Carlo De Biasi, vice-president of Lien de la Vigne, an association that decided to support LIFE VitiCaSe from the planning stages starting from the Letter of support signed for the presentation of the project. France, where the association is based, is one of the target countries of the exploitation actions of the project.

De Biasi said that:

The Lien de la Vigne association aims to share, among its members, innovations related to the winemaking chain, both in the technical and legislative fields. It has been an observer at the OIV for two years and is represented by Carlo De Biasi.

"World Living Soils Forum by Moët & Chandon" - In June 2022, the entire group participated in the forum, with a focus on soil and regenerative viticulture, and with particular attention also to biodiversity. This commitment highlights the need to address the challenge of climate change. Many experiences have been collected from countries such as Chile, New Zealand and others.

"LIFE VITICASE Project" - For this reason, Lien de la Vigne has signed the Letter of Support of the LIFE VITICASE project. After your project, several related initiatives have been born, such as an English association of journalists, as well as other entities dedicated to regenerative viticulture.

Another example is the association promoted by Torres, of which San Felice is a partner, which involves about 50 Spanish or Spanish-speaking companies (in Argentina, Chile, etc.). The technicians of these companies use a WhatsApp group to share experiences directly. Once a year they meet for a general assembly.

At the moment there is no official protocol yet, but it is an objective that many actors in regenerative viticulture are trying to develop. The current project that LIFE VitiCaSe is leading is important precisely from this perspective.

The first reports on the state of the art of regenerative viticulture were presented at the CIV congress.

Today, many projects have been launched, both nationally and internationally, which demonstrate the interest in this topic. Climate change forces us to rethink the current viticulture model. As an association and in San Felice, we share a development model that goes beyond sustainable agriculture: it is no longer enough to preserve unaltered resources, it is necessary to regenerate them. It is essential to protect soils from erosion, mitigate the effects of more intense rainfall and avoid excessively high temperatures in the soil. The use of cover crops, which twenty years ago was not considered relevant, is now essential to favor the development of microbial activity in the soil and improve its overall health.