NEWS
Are you carbon farming in your vineyard? Scientists at the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), of the University of Greenwich are undertaking a study to understand the uptake and perception of Carbon farming practices amongst the UK wine industry. Carbon farming refers to a variety of agricultural methods aimed at sequestering atmospheric carbon into soil, improving overall soil health and mitigating climate change. While carbon sequestration has been widely studied in sectors such as arable farming this is not the case for the fastgrowing wine industry in the UK. The University is seeking growers, vineyard managers and owners to take part in an anonymous survey to aid this research. The survey takes no more than 10 minutes to complete. This project is led by Dr Marcos Paradelo Perez. This initiative is just one of a suite of projects being undertaken by the Institute to support UK vineyards. NRI has recently set up a stateof-the-art laboratory focused on monitoring soil health, with capability to measure water infiltration in field and lab, soil moisture curves and soil compaction, as well as microbial assessments. Using these techniques it is possible to monitor and optimise the impact of new soil management strategies adopted as farmers and growers move towards more sustainable practices. Other projects focus on crop protection. Virus infections severely shorten the economic productive lifespan of a vineyard and reduce wine quality but very little is known about the
prevalence of viruses in UK vineyards. Dr Gonçalo Silva is developing on-site diagnostic tools that will contribute to more efficient control strategies and guarantee the full lifespan of a vineyard by
rapidly identifying infected vines in established vineyards while also testing planting material imported from nurseries to limit the introduction and spread of new viral diseases.
◆ For information on soil management contact Dr Paradelo Perez: M.ParadeloPerez@gre.ac.uk ◆ For information on diagnostic tests for viruses contact Dr Gonçalo Silva: G.Silva@gre.ac.uk ◆ To access the survey visit: https://greenwich.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/carbon-farming-uk-wine
Limited-edition Riesling NFT
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A limited release of Riesling-themed NFTs has been launched to celebrate the digital-forward, 11th edition of ’31 Days of German Riesling’. Now in its 11th year, the award-winning campaign ’31 Days of German Riesling’ has taken wine bars, restaurants and independent retailers by storm each July for the past decade. In 2022, it launches into the Metaverse for the first time with the creation of 31 German Riesling NFTs, one to celebrate each day of the promotion. A German Riesling-themed NFT has been created for wine lovers and NFT-afficionados alike to add to their collection. Each of the 31 copies available will also act as a token for a prize draw, in which all UK entrants are guaranteed to receive at least one bottle of German Riesling, with one lucky purchaser receiving a case of six. All proceeds from the sale of the limited-edition NFTs will be donated to The Drinks Trust, supporting those in need in the drinks industry.
Over 130 sites across the country have signed up to this year’s 31 Days of German Riesling campaign, with plans ranging from virtual tastings and wine flights, to walk around tastings and Enomatic machine takeovers. This year, the newly-appointed Riesling Ambassador, Tom Surgey, will also be hosting sessions for a select group of participants. “German Riesling has a place on every wine list and wine rack, so why not a place in the Metaverse, too? We’ve been thrilled to see how the campaign has grown as the UK has re-discovered German Riesling,” said Wines of Germany UK Director Nicky Forrest In addition to the NFT release, Wines of Germany has developed a new consumer hub to educate consumers about Germany’s star variety and show how they can make the most of 31 Days of German Riesling this July. Visitors to the new website will be able to search for retailers, wine bars, restaurants and events near them and discover more about the variety in an interactive arcade.
