Carmen Vela, the Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation of the Ministry for the Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO) visited the headquarters of Bodegas Familiares Matarromera today, which is located at the Bodega Emina Ribera wine cellar in Valbuena Duero (Valladolid). She was a first-hand witness to the winemaking company’s continuous research, development and innovation efforts as led by its president, Carlos Moro.
The company’s innovative calling makes it more than deserving of the National Innovation Award which was delivered by the Spanish government in recognition of the company’s remarkable and extensive professional trajectory. The award was given last year by His Majesty Felipe VI.
The Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation emphasised that “Carlos Moro and Matarromera are a shining example of the region of Castilla y León’s significant potential in terms of research, development and innovation. This autonomous community experienced the most growth in this area in 2016: 13.1% up from the previous year”.
Carlos Moro, the president of Bodegas Familiares Matarromera, himself thanked Carmen Vela for her visit “as this is an acknowledgement of our innovative character and our commitment to society and the environment, both of which inspire us to continue in our research and our drive to produce better and better products which benefit consumers”.
Four “Challenges” for Matarromera
Among other recent developments in this area, Matarromera would like to highlight the granting and the leadership of four MINECO “Reto” (“Challenge”) projects in its last convocation. The winemaking company’s research activities drive studies on improving the quality and sensory properties of wine, alongside studies focusing on health and its links to different grape extracts.
Through the INGRAPE project, the company, alongside the CIAL-CSIC, is researching a new range of low-salt food products which are seasoned with grape extracts: these can be used in cooking, helping to prevent high blood pressure and control blood sugar levels.
Together with AINIA and the CSIS, Matarromera also plays a leading role in NUDACE, a project focusing on obtaining nutraceuticals and functional ingredients derived from olives to slow down degenerative processes associated with ageing.
The company is also working together with the University of Zaragoza on the HERBWINE project, which seeks to improve the aromatic profiles of wines, as well as MICROSEL, a project with Vitec (Fundación Parque Tecnológico de Vino) which was created with the aim of improving the quality and sensory characteristics of Ribera del Duero, Rioja and Rueda wines by optimising secondary and tertiary aromas.
The results and recognition that have been achieved continue to inspire the company to continue to invest in research, development and innovation and to maintain its position in the ranking as one of the winemaking companies that invests the most in this area in the entire world.
For Bodegas Familiares Matarromera, research, development and innovation are a strategic value and have been a key priority since the company’s very beginnings. With its own extensive research department, the company has been involved with around 90 projects since its first forays into research work in circa 2000. It is currently working on 14 projects – both regionally and nationally within Spain and also internationally in Europe – which have enabled and will continue to enable collaboration and the sharing of experiences with more than 19 universities, 20 technology centres and 68 businesses.
Furthermore, during these last 18 years the winemaking company has succeeded in acquiring 9 patents, the focuses of which include a procedure for extracting polyphenols, product traceability and grape extraction for cosmetic use and as a functional ingredient, in addition to the process and end results of obtaining non-alcoholic wine.
