Researchers from Design Engineering, the Environmental Policy Center and NIAB are working to advance sustainability and innovation in UK viticulture.
The UK wine industry has undergone a significant transformation over the past two decades, with grape production (viticulture) for wine production becoming from 2023 one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors in the country. In fact, grapes currently account for 36% of England's small fruit crop production. However, the industry faces several major challenges, including adapting to climate change and developing sustainability practices. In response, UK growers and winemakers have shown a remarkable openness to innovation and commitment to sustainability. Imperial College London and NIAB's Wine Innovation Centre, the home of UK viticulture and oenology research, are collaborating on several research projects, aiming to contribute to a resilient, sustainable and innovative UK wine industry.
Ebba Engström, a PhD candidate at the Environmental Policy Center funded by the Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet (SSCP) DTP, is exploring knowledge management related to green infrastructure in UK viticulture. Green infrastructure includes non-vine plant elements, water bodies, and structures such as nest boxes that are man-made or man-made. They are purposefully kept in the vineyards to provide benefits to the environment and production system.
“As the UK wine industry grows, it is essential to prioritize sustainability. Green infrastructure can play a key role. Vinegrowers therefore need more information about the benefits of green infrastructure and the limitations and management that apply to their contexts. To ensure successful knowledge transfer, we need To better understand knowledge systems around green infrastructure in UK viticulture,” Iba Engström
While climate change is expected to increase opportunities for growing commercially popular grape varieties, uncertainties remain about its impacts and impacts on grape growing. However, many challenges still pose a threat to the industry – such as the risk of frost damage. To prevent frost damage, there are many solutions available on the market, including wind machines, irrigation lines and bogie candles, although each has its own limitations and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. This has stimulated the development of additional innovations in this field, including thermal foams and root extract sprays.
Frost events can have a devastating impact on a grape crop, and I wanted to create a system that was economical and environmentally friendly, easy to deploy by integrating with existing infrastructure, Maximilian Matthews Design Engineering Student (MEng).
Design Engineering student Maximilian Matthews developed VineShield – a retractable blanket system that can be added as a modular unit to existing trellis infrastructure, to prevent radiation frost formation around grape vines. It works by trapping heat closer to the ground, creating a warmer microclimate under the blanket. The development of VineShield was inspired by the “frost blankets” used by French vineyard, Loic Pasquet.
VineShield represents the first collaborative project undertaken in partnership with Dr. Belinda Kemp at NIAB's Wine Innovation Center. NIAB's expertise lies in crop science, and the Wine Innovation Center focuses on applied viticulture and wine science, so collaborating with Imperial on design and engineering challenges provides a variety of technology solutions for UK vineyards and wineries.
This exciting collaboration with NIAB will advance vineyard and winery innovations by leveraging the skills, expertise and knowledge of NIAB and Empire scientists. Dr. Belinda Kemp Head of the Viticulture and Oenology Research Division at NIAB
The value of the cross-collaboration between NIAB's Wine Innovation Center and Imperial is further demonstrated by Vinayak Gupta's project focusing on the valorization of wine industry waste for textile products. Vinayak (a Fellow of Imperial-Tokyo Tech's Global Fellows Programme) spent three months at the Dyson School of Design Engineering. During this time, he created a line of vegetable leathers from grape pomace, a waste material from the wine industry.
As the UK viticulture and wine sector grows, there is a need to dedicate diverse research to it, harnessing multidisciplinary skills and perspectives.
“Through interdisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to excellence in research, these forward-looking endeavors aim to bring about positive change in the wine industry, promoting resilience, sustainability and growth for vineyards and communities alike,” said Dr Elena Dieckmann, lecturer at the Dyson School of Design Engineering. .
This work was made possible by support from Dr. Belinda Kemp at NIAB. If you have comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact max.matthews20@Imperial.ac.uk
