BIP Exploring Traditional Food and Wine Production and Local Heritage — Present and Future

https://eu-gift.com/eu-gift-summer-school-2026-blended-intensive-programmes-bip-exploring-the-traditional-food-and-wine-production-and-local-heritage-present-and-future/ The University of La Rioja (Spain), together with our EU-GIFT partners from Eszterházy Károly Catholic University (Hungary), the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca (Romania), the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (Portugal), and the University of Verona (Italy), has organized a joint summer school, which has taken place in Logroño (Spain) in June 2026. The course has focused on traditional food and wine production and local heritage. Traditional food and wine production has increasingly been recognised as a powerful driver of cultural identity, local sustainability, rural development, tourism development, and community resilience. Many regions have faced a risk of losing traditional tastes and practices due to homogenised global food culture. This concern has driven renewed interest in analysing the opportunities and future of traditional products. Recent research has shown a strong global movement toward reconnecting with heritage while adapting to changing economic, social, and environmental pressures. This course has been part of the activities developed by the EU-GIFT University Alliance, the European University for Geographical Identity as a Driver for Food Systems Transition to Sustainability, which has united seven Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The EU-GIFT Alliance has focused on addressing the skills, research, and innovation requirements inherent in the production of foods and beverages bearing a geographical identity within the European Union. The programme has consisted of a one-day online event with a preparatory task for the students and a five-day in-person event in Logroño. The course has included both academic lectures and technical visits to food and wine producers in La Rioja. The technical visits have been organized in collaboration with the European Centre for Rural Information and Promotion in La Rioja.