ISHS Acta Horticulturae 427: Strategies to Optimize Wine Grape Quality
OPENING COMMENTS TO THE WORKSHOP "STRATEGIES TO OPTIMIZE WINE GRAPE QUALITY" HELD JULY 1995, AT CONEGLIANO ITALY |
| Authors: | S. Poni, E. Peterlunger, F. Jacono, C. Intrieri, DR. John Possingham |
| Abstract:
On behalf of both the Board and Viticultural Section of the International Society for Horticultural Science I have much pleasure in welcoming you, the delegates, to this Workshop which is being held in one of the most beautiful and picturesque parts of Italy. Here in Northern Italy there are gentle hills, lovely scenery, warm summer days and excellent facilities for both holding meetings and for making wine. I hope it will be for all of you an enjoyable time as we refresh our minds about a range of topics in viticulture and enology and as we meet old friends and make new friendships. It is particularly appropriate that we meet in Italy for this Workshop as Italy is one of the world's leading wine countries producing a wide variety of quality wines. Wine is historically of great importance to Italy as wine grapes have been grown here for thousands of years. Currently wine is of considerable economic importance to Italy as she is a major supplier of quality wine to both Europe and the USA. It is for this reason there are many University and Governmental Research Institutes in Italy devoted to studying viticulture and enology and we shall learn about some of these studies during our Workshop. In my opening comments I should like to give you some background comments about the International Society for Horticultural Science. ISHS is a Society that was formed about 50 years ago to enable horticulturists to come together and discuss new findings and exchange information about horticulture. It holds major Congresses every 4-years and each year it hosts a number of specialist meetings in the various branches of horticulture in different parts of the world. It arranges for the publication of the proceedings arising from all the meetings it holds. For a long time it has had Sections for Fruits, Vegetables, Ornamental Plants and Medicinal Plants. More recently at my urging it has formed a Section for Viticulture. Historically viticulturists have tended to meet on their own as a separate group at national meetings, and at the major international forum provided by the International Vine Office (OIV) which is based in Paris, France. However the ISHS Viticulture Section now offers the possibility for viticulturists to hold joint meetings with researchers who study a range of woody perennial fruit and nut crops. There is much that is in common between grapevines and many woody perennial horticultural species such as their nutrition and irrigation requirements and their physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology. Although this is a specialist viticultural meeting it is the intention of the Section to hold joint meeting with other specialist groups of horticulturist's. I would like to thank some of the many people who helped with the organization of this Workshop and made it come to fruition. Included here are Professor Giulivo of Padova University the Workshop Convenor, Professor Intrieri the chairman of the Scientific Committee and Professor Poni of Bologna University, Professor Jacono of San Michele, Professor Peterlunger of Udine University who were active members of the Organising Committee. I believe they have developed an excellent program and all of us will learn from the range of lectures that are to be given. We have as our theme the highly important topic of "Strategies to Optimize Wine Grape Quality". Wine is perhaps the horticultural product where the quality factor is of greatest importance, and this is particularly so at the present time. The wine consumers of the world are increasingly demanding wines of higher and higher quality rather than just more wine! It is up to researchers to provide knowledge to wine producers that will help to improve wine quality. We hope that this Workshop will provide some of these answers. Again, welcome to all of you and thanks to those who have arranged the Workshop. | |
