Provisional resolution favorable to wine tractor project at PERTE Agroalimentari which foresees an estimated investment of 16 million euros between eleven primary projects, among which the "Research on cork and the production processes of cork stoppers with the aim of their optimization as an oenological tool".

This primary project aims to the study of cork from an interdisciplinary and comprehensive perspective, to respond to the current needs of the cork and wine sector. This objective involves the carrying out basic and applicable research in order to generate knowledge about cork, which allows to apply smart and respectful improvements and/or solutions with cork (or, preserving the natural characteristics and properties of the material) and with the environment. Over the years, the solutions to the challenges that have been emerging have been first of a chemical nature and, now, of a physical nature. The future is betting on biological solutions that involve having a global view of cork from the tree to the cork.

The results and the experience gained in previous projects should make the transition from unoriented basic research to a more targeted one. For this reason, this project has a multidisciplinary approach and counts on the collaboration of different research centers that will provide completely different, but complementary, visions in the areas of genomics, metabolomics and structure and mechanical and/or rheological properties of cork.

The project and the consortium

The wine tractor project has been awarded among the loan lines of the PERTE Agroalimentari within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of the Next Generation funds.

It has been promoted by a consortium coordinated by the Spanish Wine Federation (FEV), Insomnia Accelerator and the consultancy Deloitte and has 19 companies belonging to 15 different business groups, among which the cork industries Francisco Oller (Oller Group) and J. Vigas.. The Institut Català del Suro Foundation is one of the research centers participating in the project.

The rest of the consortium is made up of Grup Raventós Codorniu, Osborne, Family Torres, González Byass, Matarromera Family Cellars, Martín Códax, Riojanas Cellars, Terras Gauda, Valtravieso, Comenge Cellars, Grans Vins i Vinyers, Vinya Costeira and Izertis.