[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/13141\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBottling trust: researchers are using chemistry and blockchain to discourage wine fraud\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERed, white, or ros\u00e9, sparkling or still, dry or fruity, wine is deeply embedded in European culture. But so are attempts to counterfeit good wines. Except that researchers have now created a smart system that could put an end to such transgressions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ECountering the counterfeits\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECounterfeiting spirits and wine costs European businesses\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/euipo.europa.eu\/tunnel-web\/secure\/webdav\/guest\/document_library\/observatory\/resources\/research-and-studies\/ip_infringement\/study8\/Press_release-wines_and_spirits_en.pdf\u0022\u003E\u20ac1.3 billion\u003C\/a\u003E annually, according to\u0026nbsp;the European Union Intellectual Property Office. In 2018, for example, French authorities uncovered 66 million bottles of fake C\u00f4tes du Rh\u00f4ne wine.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis is a big concern to those working in the wine industry. Although it may come as a surprise to many, Europe\u2019s largest single vineyard is not in one of the great wine nations of France, Italy or Spain. It is actually in the small Adriatic country of Montenegro.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPlanta\u017ee, with over 2\u0026nbsp;000 hectares, leads Montenegro\u2019s wine industry and is a well-recognised brand across the Balkans. Dr Sanja Radonji\u0107 is an enologist working with Planta\u017ee since 2010. And she has had first-hand experience with fake wines mimicking Planta\u017ee\u2019s label.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe have seen counterfeit versions of our wine in Albania, Kosovo, Russia and Serbia,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a bid to push back against the counterfeiters, Radonji\u0107 has joined up with researchers and wine producers in Spain, France, Italy, Serbia and Argentina in an EU-funded initiative called TRACEWINDU. The team\u0026nbsp;is using a combination of chemistry and IT technology to ensure the full traceability of wine from vineyard to table.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EChemical signatures\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Manuel Valiente, a chemistry professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), is leading the four-year initiative which will run until early 2026.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EValiente\u2019s interest in food research is rooted in his upbringing in Cumbres Mayores, a Spanish town famed for its cured ham. This cultural heritage informs his application of analytical techniques in chemistry and his interest in protecting wines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNaturally, the impact of wine in our country did not go unnoticed by me,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe have seen counterfeit versions of our wine in Albania, Kosovo, Russia and Serbia.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EDr Sanja Radonji\u0107, TRACEWINDU\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EValiente believes that the solution developed by the TRACEWINDU researchers is a cost-effective yet robust way to ensure a wine\u2019s authenticity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team has created a digital passport for each bottle that uses blockchain technology to confirm the wine\u2019s unique chemical signature obtained from the soil, air and environmental conditions in which it is grown.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EUnique fingerprint\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr Gustavo Perez Gonzalez, a senior project manager and PhD in chemistry at UAB, who works closely with Valiente, agrees that the combination of chemistry and blockchain technology creates an almost unalterable verification method.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBlockchain technology is a trusted and immutable system to protect information,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEvery stage of wine production, from grape cultivation to fermentation, bottling and distribution, is permanently recorded and accessible via a QR code on the label.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis QR code becomes the wine\u2019s fingerprint and, like human fingerprints, each one is unique and difficult to forge.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAll the consumer needs to do is scan the TRACEWINDU smart label with their phone and they will receive all the recorded information about the wine.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EBoosting confidence\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe hope is that the work being done by the TRACEWINDU team will help to retain consumers and even attract new ones, thanks to the assurances that they are drinking a genuine product.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cConsumers want to know where products come from, who handles them and the processes behind their journey to the market,\u201d said Valiente. \u201cThere is a need to satisfy this curiosity.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDespite declining sales in recent years and the challenges posed by climate change, the wine sector remains an economic force in Europe. According to\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ceev.eu\/newsletter\/wine-a-champion-and-a-solid-pillar-of-eus-socio-economy-and-rural-development-pwc-study-says\/#:~:text=With%20exports%20worth%20%E2%82%AC17.9,rural%20areas%20of%20the%20EU.\u0022\u003Eindustry data\u003C\/a\u003E, it employs 3 million people and contributed \u20ac130 billion to the EU\u2019s GDP in 2022.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EConsumers want to know where products come from, who handles them and the processes behind their journey to market.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProfessor Manuel Valiente, TRACEWINDU\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWinegrowing is also important for the sustainability of Europe\u2019s rural areas, which often suffer from depopulation. In Montenegro, Planta\u017ee employs 600 people, with seasonal peaks of up to 1\u0026nbsp;000, a significant figure in a country of just over 615\u0026nbsp;000 inhabitants. For Radonji\u0107, winemaking is not just an industry, it is a cultural heritage.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019m very attached, not just professionally, but also emotionally, to the traditional Montenegrin grape growing and winemaking,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ESmart consumption\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELooking ahead, Valiente envisions further smart labels for wines protected by the EU\u2019s geographical indication quality scheme. This system protects the names of products that originate from specific regions, or \u201cterroirs\u201d in wine-speak, and have unique qualities linked to their geographical origin and traditional know-how.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to him, partnering with wine cooperatives and global distributors could also maximise the visibility and impact of the traceability system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis could boost sales, particularly in premium markets, where authenticity is paramount.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. 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