Research in the Department of Wine & Beverage Business

Project start: 01.01.2023
Project end: 31.12.2025
Sponsor: German Academic Exchange Service

Nach ihrer dreijährigen Kooperation bauen nun die Hochschule Geisenheim und die University of West Attica im Rahmen einer erweiterten Partnerschaft mit der University of Piraeus eine größere Allianz im Bereich Wein, Management und Tourismus auf. Die WineManTour Allianz zwischen den drei Hochschulen umfasst zusätzlich mehrere assoziierte Partner wie die Hellenic Mediterranean University, das Deutsche Weininstitut, das Agricultural Economics Research Institute, den Deutschen Weinbauverband, nationale und regionale griechische Weinverbände wie Wines of Greece, das innovative Unternehmen Winetourism.com sowie weitere Akteure und Einrichtungen aus der Wein- und Tourismusbranche. Ziel des Projekts ist eine strategische Vernetzung und langfristige Kooperation zwischen den Mitgliedern der Partnerschaft. Dies wird durch die Förderung gemeinsamer, Industrie-orientierter Forschung sowie die Entwicklung eines internationalen, interdisziplinären und branchenorientierten Masterstudiengangs im Bereich Wein, Management und Tourismus erreicht. Insbesondere der gemeinsame Masterstudiengang sorgt für eine solide Zusammenarbeit in der Lehre und deckt die aktuelle Nachfrage an Aus- und Weiterbildungsmöglichkeiten in dem für beide Länder sehr wichtigen Sektor des Weintourismus ab. Das Projekt wird zu einer dynamischen und innovativen Entwicklung von Lehre und Forschung in dem Bereich beitragen und unterstützt die Internationalisierung der drei Hochschuleinrichtungen durch intensive Zusammenarbeit.

Project start: 28.02.2020
Project end: 27.02.2025
Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture

Project start: 01.01.2024
Project end: 31.12.2024
Sponsor: Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr, Landwirtschaft und Weinbau Rheinland-Pfalz

The overarching goal of the research project "Profitability Analysis in Viticulture", which has been in existence since 1994, is the continuous provision of decision-relevant information for the success-oriented management of companies in the wine industry. By analysing and processing the operational data obtained, the participating companies are provided with decision-making support for entrepreneurial action. For economic policy, the project provides information on the development of the economic sustainability of the wineries, their income situation and the structure of the sector.

Project start: 17.06.2019
Project end: 31.05.2024
Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture

The control of downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara viticola, is one of the major challenges in viticulture, especially in organic viticulture. Due to the ban of copper-containing pesticides and massive impacts of climate change, organic viticulture is increasingly entering an economic crisis. Therefore, the aim of the proposed joint project "VITIFIT" is to develop a catalogue of measures with practicable strategies for maintaining grapevine health. In this way, cultivation conditions are improved, the production security is consolidated and thus economic viability is guaranteed. Crop protection strategies will mainly be based on copper minimisation (microencapsulated copper salts) and copper substitutes (plant extracts, UVC technology) and their combination. Associated cultivation and cultural measures should reduce the inoculum potential of P. viticola. Molecular biological analyses will address the mycobiome of the vine leaf under these conditions. Particular attention should be paid to the plant protection agent potassium phosphonate. Existing and newly bred fungus tolerant grape varieties (in German: PIWIs) should play a central role in the developed action plans. Aims here are the improvement of the enological wine style, the market acceptance of PIWIs and their introduction into practice. The identification of new resistance loci against P. viticola and their integration into current breeding lines will support the development of novel PIWIs. Another focus of the project is the adaptation of the forecast model "VitiMeteo Rebenperonospora" to PIWIs. In the sector of knowledge and technology transfer, communication, the flow of information and networking between research and practice are to be optimised. The VITIFIT project should make a significant contribution to achieving the "20% goal" (national sustainability goal concerning the percentage of organic agriculture area).

Project start: 01.01.2023
Project end: 31.12.2023
Sponsor: Ministerium für Umwelt, Energie, Ernährung und Forsten Rheinland-Pfalz

The overarching goal of the research project "Profitability Analysis in Viticulture", which has been in existence since 1994, is the continuous provision of decision-relevant information for the success-oriented management of companies in the wine industry. By analysing and processing the operational data obtained, the participating companies are provided with decision-making support for entrepreneurial action. For economic policy, the project provides information on the development of the economic sustainability of the wineries, their income situation and the structure of the sector.

Project start: 01.12.2022
Project end: 30.09.2023
Sponsor: Forschungsring des Deutschen Weinbaus

Project start: 01.11.2019
Project end: 30.04.2023
Sponsor: Hessen State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts, European Commission

The project involves the acquisition of knowledge-based results on sustainable economic and ecological success of wineries as well as innovatively conveying these results to various groups of interest within the wine industry, such as instructors and universities, associations, consultants and politicians, through an online platform. Based on the unique database of the Geisenheim business analysis, the profitability examination and evaluation are to be fundamentally updated and enhanced, in order to adapt to current industry conditions along with scientific and technological progress. In this context, benchmarks of economic success will be presented for different types of ecological sustainability. The project combines analysing profitability and ecological sustainability of wineries in the form of benchmarks and annotated graphic reports. An innovative economic-index, based on anonymous sales data provided by ERP software, is being developed. An interactive data portal allows various groups of interest user-friendly access to the results. Goals This project pursues three core objectives for the wine industry: 1) Economic sustainability: New knowledge-based graphical and annotated evaluations as a benchmark for wineries in addition to an up-to-date economic-index are being developed. 2) Ecological sustainability: How can ecologically sustainable wineries be more economically successful? To answer this question, indicators of ecological and economical sustainability are combined. 3) The results will be made available to businesses and the industry in general over an online portal.

Project start: 01.01.2022
Project end: 31.12.2022
Sponsor: Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr, Landwirtschaft und Weinbau Rheinland-Pfalz

Der deutsche Weinsektor unterliegt einem anhaltenden Strukturwandel. Durch die Änderungen des Wettbewerbsumfeldes professionalisieren sich die Betriebe und konzentrieren sich zunehmend ausschließlich auf Weinbau und – Vermarktung, wobei die Betriebsgröße aus wirtschaftlichen Gründen steigt. Dieser Strukturwandel erfordert von den Weingütern fortdauernde Entwicklung und Anpassung, um wirtschaftlich erfolgreich agieren zu können. Übergeordnetes Ziel des seit 1994 bestehenden Forschungsprojektes „Wirtschaftlichkeitsanalyse im Weinbau“ ist die kontinuierliche Bereitstellung von entscheidungsrelevanten Informationen für die erfolgsorientierte Führung von Unternehmen der Weinbranche. Durch Analyse und Aufbereitung der gewonnenen betrieblichen Daten wird den teilnehmenden Unternehmen eine Entscheidungsunterstützung für unternehmerisches Handeln zur Verfügung gestellt. Für die Wirtschaftspolitik werden durch das Projekt Informationen zur wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung der Weingüter, ihrer Einkommenssituation und zur Branchenstruktur bereitgestellt.

Project start: 01.01.2020
Project end: 31.12.2022
Sponsor: German Academic Exchange Service

After a successful partnership of Geisenheim University (HGU) with the University of Thessaly in Greece (ZuGAbe-Project), HGU would now like to establish a partnership with the University of West Attica (UNIWA) and particularly with the Department of Wine, Vine and Beverage Sciences. The cooperation between the two Universities is called Future Challenges in Viticulture, Enology and Wine Business (WOW-project) and is funded by DAAD. The main objective of the project, namely a long-term partnership between the two institutions, will be achieved through common events, such as workshops, conferences, summer schools etc., but also through an exchange program for students and scientists of both universities.

Project start: 01.01.2022
Project end: 30.12.2022
Sponsor: German Academic Exchange Service

Wine is very important in Caucasian countries, both economically and culturally. In recent years, the importance of the wine industry has risen sharply, especially due to the fact that a large part of wine production is exported. In this context, the attractive markets in other European and non-European countries have gained in importance as export destinations in recent years. The high intensity of competition in these markets requires the confident application of economic fundamentals. Building on this, strategies of differentiation are essential in order to stand out from the crowd of competitors. This results in the first thematic focus 'Differentiation'. For the sale of wine in the Caucasus, wine tourism is also playing an increasingly important role. In order to do justice to its importance, this topic is taken up as a second focus both in the lectures and in the excursion destinations. Both focal points are brought together in a practical way in the 'Wine Tourism Project' and are also combined in the discussion rounds. The element of viticulture and oenology in Georgia will be repeated, not only because there was a great demand for this from Geisenheim and Armenian students during the previous summer schools, but also because the traditional 'amphora wines' in Georgia are currently experiencing a renaissance worldwide and have sparked a new trend, also in other wine-growing countries, such as Germany. The Summer School 2022 is planned as an analogue event with digital elements. The entire programme is to take place in person again, but the seminar content and key notes are to be broadcast live and made accessible to (pre-registered) participants worldwide. In this way, the HGU can show its presence at the international level, strengthen its international competitiveness and visibility in difficult times, not only in the Caucasus region but worldwide, and enable professional training from home through the online taster modules.

Project start: 01.01.2021
Project end: 31.12.2021
Sponsor: German Academic Exchange Service

Wine is essential good in Caucasian countries, both economically and culturally. In recent years, the importance of the wine industry has risen sharply, primarily since a large part of wine production is exported. In this context, the attractive markets in European and non-European countries have become important export destinations in recent years. The high intensity of competition in these markets requires the secure application of economic principles. Due to the high prices of Caucasian wines, specialized trade, in particular, plays a prominent role as a distribution channel in export. For this reason, the focus of the summer school was expanded to include the topic of "specialized wine trade." Wine tourism is playing an increasingly important role in the wine sales in the Caucasus - referring to the promotion policy of the governments as well as the activities of the GIZ (Gesellschaft für die Internationale Zusammenarbeit) in the Caucasus. Following the importance, ' wine tourism' was taken up both as lectures and excursions.

Project start: 01.01.2021
Project end: 31.12.2021
Sponsor: Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr, Landwirtschaft und Weinbau Rheinland-Pfalz

The German wine sector is constantly changing. Shifts in this competitive environment have been pushing wineries to become more professional, prioritize wine-growing and marketing as well as increase their size due to economic pressure. These structural changes have required wineries to continuously adapt and evolve in order to be economically successful. Since 1994, the overarching objective of the research project “Profitability Analysis in Viticulture” has been to constantly provide important and relevant information required for the successful management of wine companies. By analysing and processing aggregated operational data, the companies are offered a supportive tool for making well-informed, entrepreneurial decisions. Additionally, the project provides economic policymakers with insights into the economic developments, income situation and current structure of the wine sector.

Project start: 01.10.2018
Project end: 30.09.2021
Sponsor: Federal Office for Agriculture and Food

The SUSCHOICE project has three main objectives: (a) to identify the effects of different factors (macro, structural and individual) influencing consumers' sustainable food choices and; (b) to evaluate the possible strategies for promoting sustainable food consumption based on the different macro and structural conditions and individual life contexts; and (c) to test marketing strategies for promoting sustainable food consumption among young adults across different European countries..

Project start: 01.01.2020
Project end: 31.12.2020
Sponsor: German Academic Exchange Service

The academic program, comprising 25 well-balanced sessions with varying topics, has been put together by Geisenheim University. The first digital pan caucasian summer schoo "West Meets east" addressed several species, such as world wine markets, strategy, wine marketing, viticulture, and wine-growing in Germany, Armenia, and Georgia. The representatives of the leading wine institutions and industry experts from Germany, Georgia, and Armenia provided profound insights into the current developments in wine export, import, and consumption in these three countries. Furthermore, the uniqueness of Qvevri vinification was an integral session of the digital event.

Project start: 01.01.2018
Project end: 31.12.2020
Sponsor: Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau und andere Formen nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft

The purpose of this project is to examine the entire value chain of organic wines in Germany using qualitative and quantitative research methods. This analysis that investigates all actors of the value chain of organic wine will help to understand why: 1) wineries do apply organic wine making; 2) retailers decide to sell organic wine and; 3) the majority of German consumers do not demand organic wines actively. Based on the results of the aforementioned surveys, a communication tool-kit for wineries, retailers and associations will be developed, in order to build loyalty and to attract new consumers.

Project start: 01.05.2017
Project end: 30.04.2020
Sponsor: Forschungsring des Deutschen Weinbaus

Project start: 01.12.2018
Project end: 30.09.2019
Sponsor: Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin

The core objective of this study is to provide the wine industry with a practical understanding of the importance consumers place on nutrition and ingredient labelling for wine in relation to other choice factors (e.g. country, region, price, etc.) Specifically, the study aims to examine how consumers might react when being confronted with nutrition and ingredient labelling for wine, how it might influence consumer demand for wine, and how wine consumers and the wine industry might be affected by positive or negative media coverage of wine ingredients.

Project start: 01.01.2018
Project end: 31.12.2018
Sponsor: German Academic Exchange Service

In September 2018, a summer school on "Wine Business" was conducted in Tbilisi (Georgia) by Geisenheim University in cooperation with the Agricultural University of Georgia (AGRUNI) and Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU). The five-day program focused on developments on world wine markets and economics, business strategies, wine marketing and market research, and verticalization and cooperation. Additionally, the summer school included the topics viticulture and winemaking as well as the sensory evaluation of German wines. This session aimed to present Western consumers' sensory and qualitative requirements to the students and at the same time to arouse interest in Germany as a wine country.

Project start: 01.01.2018
Project end: 31.12.2018
Sponsor: Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr, Landwirtschaft und Weinbau Rheinland-Pfalz

The German wine sector is subject to ongoing structural change. As a result of the changes in the competitive environment, companies are becoming more professional and are increasingly concentrating exclusively on wine-growing and marketing, with the size of farms increasing for economic reasons. This structural change requires the wineries to continue to develop and adapt in order to be economically successful.

Project start: 15.03.2017
Project end: 31.12.2018
Sponsor: Deutscher We

The aim of this project is to carry out a cross-regional study in order to obtain up-to-date data on tourism in Germany by using qualitative and quantitative methods, in which both tourists and producers in all 13 German growing regions are interviewed.

Project start: 01.05.2011
Project end: 31.10.2014
Sponsor: European Commission

Beside the traditional cultivation of raspberry in open field, they are now increasingly grown under rain protection or in high tunnels to extend the cropping period. The main used plastics are standard polyethylene foils to cover rainshelters and tunnels. However, different materials are available nowadays which vary in their transparency for UV radiation or have shading properties. Raspberry leaves and berries are rich in in vitamin C and polyphenols. They are synthesized at biotic or abiotic stress and their antioxidant action protect the plants against oxidative stress by free radicals. Moreover, these bioactive compounds play a crucial role in the prevention of a wide range of human diseases. The use of high tunnels alters the growing conditions for raspberries by changes of the microenvironment, mainly temperature. Photosynthesis is one of the most temperature-sensitive factors controlling plant growth. Beside photosynthesis, heat stress is negatively associated with a lot of physiological activities. However, less is known about changes of photosynthesis, carbohydrate synthesis and accumulation of nutritional ingredients in raspberry fruits grown under plastic tunnels. Therefore, the impact of different environments (light intensity and – quality, temperature and rel. humidity) on photosynthesis of raspberry plants and their carbohydrate and polyphenol compounds will be studied in a comparative trial between cultivating them in open field or in high tunnel with shading or different UV transparency properties.