The scientific program will be structured around four main themes:
– New technologies for terroir zoning and climate change projections: Innovative tools and methods for mapping and monitoring (remote sensing, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), decision support systems, AI-driven models, machine-learning, etc.); predictive modelling of climate change impacts on vineyard regions, etc.
– Multi-disciplinary approaches for integrated terroir research: Exploring the interplay of physical, biological, and human dimensions; combining knowledge, tradition, and innovation to understand the complexity of terroir; socio-economic and cultural perspectives in global wine regions, etc.
– Impacts of changing terroir components on product identity: Effects of climate change on wine production and typicity; evolving wine styles and identities; socio-technical adaptations to preserve and enhance typicity (including the use of new varieties); consumer perceptions and expectations, etc.
– Current and future sustainability challenges of terroir-driven wines: Economic values of terroir-driven wines, market trends and cost-related aspects; agroecological pathways; new social organizations, governance of Geographical Indications and terroir wines; balancing production, environmental low impact, and socio-economic viability; towards a resilient GI system, sustainable terroir management, etc.
Keynote speakers:
The international keynote speakers bring together leading expertise from ecology, viticulture science, wine typicity, industry innovation, and market strategy. Their work spans climate change adaptation, biodiversity preservation, sustainable production systems, territorial identity, and value creation across the global wine sector.
António Graça
Director of Research and Development, Sogrape Vinhos, Portugal
António Graça serves as Director of the Research and Development Department at Sogrape Vinhos, where he leads innovation strategies aimed at strengthening the sustainability, competitiveness, and long-term resilience of viticulture and wine production. In this role, he integrates scientific research with practical applications in vineyard management, grape selection, and winemaking processes, ensuring measurable improvements in quality and environmental performance.
Over the course of his career, he has contributed to the creation and development of wines for some of Portugal’s most renowned brands, including Ferreira, Offley, Sandeman, and Casa Ferreirinha. His work has helped reinforce their distinctive identities and uphold high standards of excellence, strengthening the international reputation of Portuguese wines.
A central focus of his work is the preservation and valorization of Portuguese autochthonous grapevine varieties, many of which are at risk of extinction. He also addresses climate change adaptation, exploring nature-positive strategies to support vineyards under evolving environmental conditions, including rising temperatures, water scarcity, and increased climate variability.
Beyond research and production, he fosters collaborative innovation networks connecting producers, researchers, and industry stakeholders. His expertise is recognized internationally through his role as an expert in sustainable development for the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), where he contributes to global dialogue and standards for sustainable viticulture.
Elizabeth M. Wolkovich
Associate Professor, University of British Columbia, Canada
Dr. Elizabeth M. Wolkovich is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia, where she runs the Temporal Ecology Lab, which is a leading research centre for documenting and understanding phenological impacts of climate change. Her lab is affiliated with the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences and Biodiversity Research Centre. Her research lies at the intersection of community ecology, climatology, and evolutionary biology, with a particular focus on how ecological communities shift in response to global environmental change. Drawing on theory from temporal community ecology and integrating perspectives from population and ecosystem ecology, she develops hypothesis-driven research informed by models while maintaining a strong applied dimension. Her work addresses fundamental ecological questions while offering insights relevant to biodiversity conservation, land management, and climate adaptation.
In recent years, she has extended her phenological research to viticulture, motivated by both scientific inquiry and a personal appreciation for wine. Her research aims to understand wine grape phenology and to anticipate which grape varieties regions may need to consider adapt in a warming world. She is particularly interested in how climate change will affect different winegrape varieties, and how shifting varieties may help growers develop climate-smart and resilient vineyards with warming. Her research examines not only ripening times but also broader life-cycle dynamics across diverse grape cultivars.
Focusing on California vineyards, she collected samples from approximately 150 grape varieties and is conducting genetic analyses to explore the relationship between genetic relatedness and phenological variation.
She is also investigating how grapevines respond to extreme heat stress.
Through controlled growth-chamber experiments at the Arnold Arboretum (Boston), she worked to identify thermal thresholds beyond which vines experience physiological stress or failure, and has continued this work using new modeling approaches. Complementing experimental work, she analyzes historical harvest records dating back to the fourteenth century to clarify long-term relationships between temperature, drought, and harvest timing. By integrating historical, genetic, and experimental evidence, she seeks to project how future climate conditions will influence wine-growing regions. Her research benefits from an interdisciplinary team of collaborators from agriculture, biodiversity science, climatology, evolution and viticulture, as well as from shared long-term winegrape datasets from across North America and Europe.
Stefano Poni
Full Professor of Viticulture, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Piacenza, Italy
Pr Stefano Poni is Full Professor of Viticulture and Past chair of the Department of Sustainable Crop Production of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Piacenza (Italy) since 1 November 2014. He coordinates the Master of Science in Sustainable Viticulture and Enology.
Current Scopus database for Stefano Poni show: 195 published papers, 6876 citations and H-Index = 49. Invited speaker at 52 conferences worldwide, he has been awarded of the « Perdisa » prize in 1994, the “Enotecnici” Prize in 2004, the Rudolph Hermanns Foundation Prize in 2011. Winner of the “2013 Best Paper Award” from the American Society of Enology and Viticulture.
Peer reviewer for 21 scientific journals, Associate editor for the Amer. J. Enol. Vitic. since 1 January 2006 and Chief Editor of the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research since 1 September 2023.
Climate change adaptation is a major pillar of his research. He investigates how vineyard practices can be adjusted to address shifting environmental constraints, including water balance, thermal exposure, and ripening dynamics.
Cécile Coulon-Leroy
Associate Professor, École Supérieure des Agricultures, Angers, France
Dr Cécile Coulon-Leroy is a specialist in wine science whose work focuses on understanding and characterising the typicity of wines produced within geographical indication systems. Her research analyses how sensory characteristics, production practices, and territorial dynamics interact to shape the identity of wines from protected designations of origin.
She develops sensory evaluation methods adapted to terroir wines and integrates statistical analysis and experimental protocols to capture their complexity and authenticity. Her work provides tools for producers and institutions seeking to preserve typicity while responding to evolving environmental and market pressures.
Beyond sensory analysis, she examines the socio-technical pathways that shape wine production systems. Drawing on the framework of socio-ecological systems, she studies collective dynamics of adaptation to climate change and agroecological transition in wine-growing regions.
She collaborates closely with producers and professional organizations to support the evolution of practices for wines with Geographical Indications. Her teaching covers terroir characterisation, sensory quality evaluation, wine typicity, and survey and data analysis methods. She also serves as a qualified expert for the Approval and Control Council and the Scientific Committee of the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité (INAO).
Jonathan Steyn
Business and Marketing Strategist and Educator, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Dr Jonathan Steyn is a business strategist, educator, and wine industry specialist whose work advances collaborative approaches to sustainable growth in the wine sector. He holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business (UCT GSB), where he convenes executive programmes in Wine Business Management, Wine Marketing, and Hospitality Leadership, and teaches on visiting MSc and MBA cohorts, including the Oxford University Saïd Business School MBA.
He leads the South African module of the OIV MSc in Wine Management (Institut Agro Montpellier) and serves as President of the Association Universitaire Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (AUIV), an observer member of the OIV.
His research examines strategic challenges shaping contemporary wine markets, focusing on authenticity construction, business collective action, and market creation across consumer, organisational, and global market levels. His foundational work on unlocking value from South Africa’s old vineyard resources was followed by postdoctoral research exploring sustainability through premiumisation.
Prior to academia, he worked as a restaurateur, contributing editor and columnist, and wine judge. He continues to publish in mainstream media, including Business Day, and speaks regularly at industry and scholarly conferences. Alongside his academic work, he advises organisations in areas such as collective strategy, regional identity, and brand innovation through his strategy agency, Collectivantage.
Program:
| Monday 6th July 2026 | Tuesday 7th July 2026 | Wednesday 8th July 2026 | Thursday 9th July 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.30 – 10 AM | Registration & Opening | Scientific session | Scientific session | Scientific session |
| 10.30 – 11.30 AM | Coffee break, networking and Poster session | Coffee break, networking and Poster session | Coffee break, networking and Poster session | Coffee break, networking and Poster session |
| 11.30 – 12.30 AM | Scientific session | Scientific session | Scientific session | Scientific session |
| 12.30 AM – 1.30 PM | Lunch with tasting of Loire Valley wines | Lunch with tasting of Loire Valley wines | Lunch with tasting of Loire Valley wines | Lunch with tasting of Loire Valley wines |
| 1.30 – 7.30 PM | Scientific session – Master class | Field trip (Chinon, St-Nicolas de Bourgueil, Bourgueil areas) | Scientific session – IVES presentation – Discussion and SITE General Assembly | Field trip (Anjou area) |
| 7.30 – 9.30 PM | Cocktail dinner | Cocktail dinner (Saumur) | Free Evening | Gala Dinner (Musée Jean Lurçat, Angers) |
