Meet our three recipients of the Penfolds Evermore France Grant Program
Penfolds has selected the successful recipients of the Evermore France Grant Program, with three recipients chosen to share €120,000 of funding for their bold and innovative projects.
Aligning to the grant program themes of community and winemaking and viticulture, the program received more than 40 applications from businesses, individuals and community organisations across France hoping to create positive impact and reflect the Penfolds brand DNA of venturing beyond.
With the support of a judging panel, including four external judges - wine critic and writer, Jane Anson, wine writer and science professor, Colin Hay; Managing Director of Champagne Thiénot, Stanislas Thiénot; and Professor of Oenology at the University of Bordeaux, Pierre-Louis Teissedre.
L’Appel de la Vigne
Funding Amount: €25,000
Project: The Call of the Vine
An industry-led initiative supported by six wine estates, L’Appel de la Vigne will create a series of videos and presentations to reshape perceptions of wine careers by connecting professionals with university students and those over 18 years of age through storytelling. With the support of local professionals sharing their stories and what connects them to the vineyard, The Call of the Vine project aims to bring professionals from the viticulture sector together to transform perceptions of careers within the industry and demonstrate viable career opportunities/pathways.
Pépite Raisin
Funding Amount: €40,000
Project: Pépite Antifungal
The project aims to develop and implement a grape-based solution for protecting vineyards against certain types of fungal attacks using grape seed extracts. This project is part of a broader effort to repurpose by-products from winemaking, transforming grape marc into a valuable resource for the health of vines and soils. By leveraging the natural antifungal properties of grape seed extracts, the project seeks to reduce reliance on synthetic fungicides and promote more sustainable viticulture practices.
INRAE - EGFV
Funding Amount: €55,000
Project: Using rootstocks to optimize water use efficiency while sustaining yield
Established at the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ISVV) within the INRAE Bordeaux-Aquitaine center, the project is centred around the GreffAdapt experimental vineyard. Led by the Ecophysiology and Functional Genomics of Grapevine (EGFV) research unit, the project aims to evaluate how different grapevine cultivars and rootstocks influence water use efficiency and yield across varying environmental conditions. By addressing environmental heterogeneity and employing various data science approaches, this project will integrate yield-related traits with water use efficiency, genotypic diversity and environmental factors, with the goal to improve sustainability and climate resilience in viticulture.
In partnership with Florida International University (FIU), Penfolds officially launched a 10-week immersive internship program on June 9 as part of the Evermore program.
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