Research & development

Innovation has been the cornerstone of the Vivelys approach since its inception, thanks to ongoing investment and work in the field of research and development.
R&D themes
Vivelys benefits from 20 years of applied research in oenology and microbiology, and over 10 years of theoretical and practical vineyard studies.

It has honed its expertise in a number of areas:

  • Determination of grape profiles and indication of ripeness,
  • Measurement and monitoring of hydric activity,
  • Optimisation and security of alcoholic fermentation,
  • Selection and production of indigenous yeasts,
  •  Wine ageing and the understanding of phenomena resulting from interactions between the various ageing parameters (oxygen, oak, compounds, lees, and polyphenols.),
  • Brettanomyces (contamination, vineyard research, growth factors in red wines),
  • Control over key parameters during the various stages of the process (extraction, vinification, ageing),
  • Sensory evaluation of the wines.
Modelling
Our modelling work comprises more than 3,000 trials, performed over the past 10 years, and over 5,000 industrial validation tanks since 2006.

The models developed by Vivelys are central to its expertise and the technological solutions it provides.
Experimental & pilot cellars
Vivelys has an experimental capacity of 1,000 trials, which are carried out in Europe and the Southern Hemisphere during the two annual harvests.

The experimental cellars in Montpellier (France) and Chile are both equipped with cigar tanks and stainless steel barrels that can produce small volumes of wine under real conditions.  

Vivelys also runs a network of pilot cellars using the Vivelys approach and tools. This offers an invaluable opportunity to develop our know-how.

Vivelys is licensed under the CIR (Crédit d'Impôt Recherche, research tax credit) system.
R&D Partners
In addition to the applied research carried out at Vivelys itself, fundamental investigations are conducted in partnership with public research laboratories and innovation support centres.

Examples of R&D projects

Vinaromas Project
Vinnotec project
Vinaromas Project
In the Vinaromas project, Vivelys studied the use of oak in oenology. The study investigated the impact of oak chips on wines and the controlled use of wood to influence the potential wine profiles. Download items from symposia: wood chip usage in oenology: applications of the Vinaromas project.

This project was carried out with the French Wine and Vine Institute (IFV Sud-ouest), the applied viticulture and oenology research centre and the Lab for Flavor Analysis and Enology (LAAE), a detailed analysis laboratory located in Zaragoza.

The Vinaromas project set out to enhance the aromas of wines made in the Pyrenees mountains from the Fer Servadou, Gros Manseng, Grenache and Carignan grape varieties.

Vinnotec project
As the project’s industry sponsor, Vivelys has developed four monitoring, measurement and management systems in partnership with IRSTEA and INRA:
  • Monitoring system for polyphenol extraction during vinification: a prototype for measuring optical density in a turbid medium, tested under real conditions inside Vivelys clients’ cellars and internally to facilitate data collection on highly varied samples,
  • Linear tracking system for alcoholic fermentation – Scalya® project.
  • Measuring system of the oxidation risk of white grape musts – Cilyo® solution
  • Ageing management system, combined with a stirring system to ensure homogeneity across vats – Scalya® prototype for wine ageing management.

The collaborative R&D Vinnotec project harnessed the power of public and private research. It was certified by the Qualiméditerranée competitiveness cluster and supported by the French government (FUI, fonds unique interministériel, unique interministerial fund), the Languedoc-Roussillon region, OSEO and ERDF. (Total R&D expenditure = €4 million.)

Learn more: download the project presentation

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Our publications