UBAVIDA, an innovation project that will develop sustainable strategies for producing grapes with low sugar content and non-alcoholic wine
- UBAVIDA will investigate innovative techniques for producing alcohol-free wine that closely resembles traditional wines containing alcohol in terms of taste and aroma.
- The goal is to promote the adaptation of current regulations so that new winemaking practices can be authorized and existing technical barriers can be removed.
- The consortium is composed of the following entities: FEUGA, which serves as the communications coordinator; Bodega Matarromera, which serves as the technical coordinator; and Bodega Win Sin Alcohol, VITEC, CSIC-CIAL, Bodegas Enguera, Bodegas Paco & Lola, PTV, and FEV, which are the members of the working group.
Santiago de Compostela, November 12, 2024. With a grant of more than half a million euros, 80% of which is co-financed by EAFRD funds, and a duration of four years, UBAVIDA is being launched—a working group that will research innovative techniques for producing alcohol-free wine in order to improve the technical knowledge that will enable the sector to offer consumers attractive, high-quality alcohol-free products in line with new market trends.
Spain is a global leader in wine production, and the Spanish wine industry generated a gross value added (GVA) equivalent to 2.2% of GDP. However, the sector faces numerous challenges, including shifting consumer demands. According to data from the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV), half of the Spanish population is reducing their alcohol consumption, a trend similar to that in other countries. In Spain, these changes are primarily driven by health concerns and increasingly restrictive laws regarding drinking and driving. This situation presents a major challenge, but also a significant opportunity. However, non-alcoholic wines are scarce, mainly due to technical and legal barriers that currently limit wineries’ ability to produce these product categories, which hold great potential for the future.
It is in this context that the UBAVIDA project has emerged, bringing together viticulturists, food technologists, and researchers. The project aims to optimize the technical knowledge involved in the production of wines with lower alcohol content—from grape harvesting through the dealcoholization process—in order to produce wines with organoleptic and sensory properties similar to those of their alcoholic counterparts. These procedures will be experimentally validated and will advance the state of the art in the production of dealcoholized wines in light of new regulatory developments, meet new consumer demands, and gain access to the expanding market for non-alcoholic beverages. However, wine dealcoholization is not the project’s sole objective; it also aims to define the most appropriate agronomic and oenological practices for producing wines from grapes with lower sugar content. Additionally, the project seeks to identify the relationships between the phenolic composition of the newly developed products and their health effects in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic wines.
To carry out this initiative, a multidisciplinary team has been formed, coordinated by the Galician University-Business Foundation (FEUGA) and Bodega Matarromera, S.L. Other partners include Bodega Win Sin Alcohol, Bodegas Enguera, Bodegas Paco & Lola, the Wine Technology Center (VITEC), the Institute for Food Science Research (CIAL) of the CSIC-UAM through the Applied Oenological Biotechnology (BEA) group, the Wine Technology Platform (PTV), and the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV).
The innovation project will be carried out in several autonomous communities—Castile and León, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Galicia, and the Community of Madrid—and will proceed in different phases. In the first phase of the project, various agricultural practices will be employed to produce grapes with low sugar content, and the appropriate fermentation conditions (microorganisms, enzymes, and nutrients) for this type of grape will be studied. In both cases, the goal will be to produce wines with low alcohol content that retain their organoleptic and bioactive properties.
In the second phase, different dealcoholization processes will be studied based on the type of grape and the alcohol content of the source wine. The dealcoholization processes will be optimized, and key wine compounds will be monitored to ensure that the dealcoholized wines retain all the organoleptic and sensory properties of the original wines. The use of new tools and additives that help maintain the stability of these compounds throughout the fermentation and dealcoholization process will be studied and adapted according to the grape variety and the starting wine.
In the third phase, the presence of bioactive phenolic compounds in both traditional wines and dealcoholized wines will be studied in detail. This will make it possible to identify relationships between the phenolic composition of the newly developed products and their health effects in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic wines. This is another innovative aspect of UBAVIDA, as these changes have not been studied until now.
Finally, the acceptability of dealcoholized wines will be assessed among different consumer segments, and a report will be prepared on the sensory profiles and the technical and legal barriers to the production of dealcoholized wines, to serve as a reference for government agencies and regulatory bodies.
About the UBAVIDA project
UBAVIDA is a research and development (R&D) project aimed at implementing innovative and sustainable agricultural practices to produce grapes with low sugar content, as well as revolutionizing the production of wines with lower alcohol content. By improving winemaking processes—both conventional and organic—and incorporating new dealcoholization techniques, UBAVIDA seeks to lead the shift toward a more sustainable and innovative wine industry.
The project also focuses on identifying the relationship between the phenolic composition of the newly developed wines and their health effects, in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions, thereby contributing to the development of products that meet the needs and preferences of today’s consumers.
The UBAVIDA consortium is made up of leading organizations in the business, scientific, and technological sectors: FEUGA (communications coordinator), Bodega Matarromera (technical coordinator), Bodega Win Sin Alcohol, VITEC, CSIC-CIAL, Bodegas Enguera, Bodega Paco & Lola, PTV, and FEV.
With a holistic vision, UBAVIDA aims to position the wine industry as a leader in innovation, sustainability, and health, providing cutting-edge solutions that address the challenges of climate change and global market trends.
The UBAVIDA project forms part of the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan (PEPAC) 2023–2027, 80% of which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union and 20% by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). The Directorate-General for Rural Development, Innovation and Agri-Food Training (DGDRIFA) is the authority responsible for implementing this aid. Total project budget: €607,342.27; total grant: €599,741.95.
The UBAVIDA Operating Group is the entity responsible for this content.
