Experts say phytoplasma and market changes are the most urgent challenges in winemaking

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According to Csaba Gyuricza, rector of the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE), the demand for alcohol-free and reduced-alcohol wines poses new challenges for researchers and universities, as does the appearance of phytoplasma, which raises both pathological and entomological issues. At the event, the rector announced that after several years of preparation, a joint master’s degree program will be launched with the State University of Uzbekistan, which is the most important viticulture and winemaking institution in Central Asia.

MATE also announces training courses that external interested parties can attend together with university students, and they can receive a certificate for successful completion

In addition to viticulture and winemaking courses, the institution may later organize agricultural and food industry programs, he indicated. János Frittmann, president of the National Council of Mountain Communities (HNT), believes that many people still do not take phytoplasma seriously, although the disease, called the phylloxera of the 21st century, cannot be eliminated for the time being. Containment is impossible without the cooperation of producers, the main breeding grounds for its spread are uncultivated home gardens and abandoned plantations, he said. The head of the interest group also urged a quick response to the transformation of the market, because in his opinion, imported products may gain more ground if the domestic supply does not keep pace with the popularity of prosecco-type wines. The president reported that the harvest situation across the country is mixed, in some places it has already ended, in others it has not even started because the condition of the grapes does not yet allow it. The distribution of precipitation is also extreme, there are both wet and drought-prone regions in the country – he added. According to Diána Nyitrainé Sárdy, director of the MATE Institute of Viticulture and Enology, the programs of the 7th National Wine-Winemakers Conference also focus on phytoplasma and market needs. She said that Slovenian and Italian speakers were invited to the event, who have extensive experience, because southern countries are more affected by the disease due to their geographical location. Regarding the change in market needs, she believed that regardless of value judgments, technology must be found to produce products that can be successful in the market. The National Winemaker Conference will be held on November 13th this year, organized by the HNT, MATE, the Junibor Association and the Hungarian Wine Academy, on the MATE Buda campus.

MTI