LAB 011 / 16 October 2025 / 17:30
Vin4Future: Sardinia-South Africa Wine Dialogue - Project Presentation & Wine Tasting
From 18:45 - South African/Sardinian wine tasting
Organised by:
Raffaello Cossu, University of Padova (IT)
Isabella Soi, University of Cagliari and Centre of African Studies in Sardinia (IT)
Cristina Trois, Stellenbosch University (ZA)
DESCRIPTION OF THE VINES4FUTURE PROJECT (South Africa-Sardinia-United Kingdom)
Sponsor: British Academy ISPF ODA Challenge-Oriented Research Grants
Project Title: Vines4Future - Living Heritage, Climate Change and Sustainability in South African Agriculture
The Vin4Future Project is a collaboration between the University of Edinburg (UK), Stellenbosch University (South Africa) and University of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) funded by the British Academy Culture-Heritage-Climate Action Programme.
Climate change presents the Cape wine industry with an existential threat. The challenge is to simultaneously achieve economic sustainability, sustain rural livelihoods and reduce wine's environmental footprint. The project seeks, firstly, to map and evaluate the adaptations that producers are making through selection of drought-resistant varietals, the selective preservation of old vines that require less water and innovations in vineyard management practices. Secondly, it evaluates initiatives to reconcile wine and biodiversity within the UNESCO-listed Cape Floral Kingdom in a manner that also includes adjacent communities. Thirdly, the project seeks to test a model for wine waste management through bio-refineries designed to valorise organic residues and to meet government targets. Fourthly, it will pilot old vine training for vineyard workers and monitor the effect on employment prospects. Finally, the project will initiate an exchange between regional/provincial governments, producers and researchers in the Cape and Sardinia based on their broadly similar profiles.
Project Team:
