Learning climate resilience from the past: GRApevine biodiversity and cereal proxies for future VITicultural AdaptationS
ProjectItalian viticulture and winemaking are a major strength of the national agri-food system in terms of export and employment.This strength relies on anextraordinarily rich grapevine germplasm, advanced viticultural and oenological techniques, and long-standing historical and cultural ties to grapevinecultivation and wine production, resulting from more than 3,000 years of evolution. Climate change, increasing temperatures and water stress, evolvingmarkets, consumer preferences, and the pressing risk of genetic erosion call for a strategic reflection on the future of Italian viticulture and winemaking.
The GRAVITAS project aims to provide an original scientific contribution through an interdisciplinary approach, integrating expertise from history,archaeology, iconography, paleoclimatology, ecophysiology, and agronomy. It is based on the hypothesis that historical viticultural biodiversity, shaped by theagro-climatic dynamics of the past, represents a crucial yet underexploited resource for enhancing the climatic, socio-economic and cultural resilience ofItalian viticulture.
GRAVITAS will reconstruct paleoclimate from the Early Middle Ages to the present by combining instrumental records with multiple physical, chemical, andbiological proxies. Emphasis will be placed on viticultural and cereal indicators derived from documentary, iconographic, and archaeological sources,ensuring methodological innovation and robustness. These data will enable a long-term, system-level analysis of the interactions between climate variability,viticultural biodiversity, and production systems to identify adaptive pathways and resilience strategies. A central research focus concerns the functionalcharacterization and valorization of historical and minor grapevine germplasm, which has survived through centuries thanks to diverse oenological uses anddedicated custodian farmers. The project will assess their adaptive traits and potential reintroduction under future climate scenarios, supported by cropgrowth simulation modelling. This approach will strengthen knowledge for climate-resilient varietal selection. Germoplasm collections will be enhanced asmultifunctional experimental platforms for studying biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, also exploring innovative valorization mechanisms suchas biodiversity credits, thereby enhancing the socio-economic impact.
GRAVITAS will focus on viticultural areas within the Csa and Cfa Köppen–Geiger climate classes, which are widely distributed across the Mediterraneanbasin. This ensures that project outcomes will be transferable to other regions characterized by long-standing viticultural traditions, thereby amplifying theirscientific and practical impact at both national and international levels. Overall, the project combines scientific excellence, interdisciplinarity, and appliedimpact, contributing to the resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness of Italian viticulture.
The GRAVITAS project aims to provide an original scientific contribution through an interdisciplinary approach, integrating expertise from history,archaeology, iconography, paleoclimatology, ecophysiology, and agronomy. It is based on the hypothesis that historical viticultural biodiversity, shaped by theagro-climatic dynamics of the past, represents a crucial yet underexploited resource for enhancing the climatic, socio-economic and cultural resilience ofItalian viticulture.
GRAVITAS will reconstruct paleoclimate from the Early Middle Ages to the present by combining instrumental records with multiple physical, chemical, andbiological proxies. Emphasis will be placed on viticultural and cereal indicators derived from documentary, iconographic, and archaeological sources,ensuring methodological innovation and robustness. These data will enable a long-term, system-level analysis of the interactions between climate variability,viticultural biodiversity, and production systems to identify adaptive pathways and resilience strategies. A central research focus concerns the functionalcharacterization and valorization of historical and minor grapevine germplasm, which has survived through centuries thanks to diverse oenological uses anddedicated custodian farmers. The project will assess their adaptive traits and potential reintroduction under future climate scenarios, supported by cropgrowth simulation modelling. This approach will strengthen knowledge for climate-resilient varietal selection. Germoplasm collections will be enhanced asmultifunctional experimental platforms for studying biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, also exploring innovative valorization mechanisms suchas biodiversity credits, thereby enhancing the socio-economic impact.
GRAVITAS will focus on viticultural areas within the Csa and Cfa Köppen–Geiger climate classes, which are widely distributed across the Mediterraneanbasin. This ensures that project outcomes will be transferable to other regions characterized by long-standing viticultural traditions, thereby amplifying theirscientific and practical impact at both national and international levels. Overall, the project combines scientific excellence, interdisciplinarity, and appliedimpact, contributing to the resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness of Italian viticulture.