W.E. B.E.S.T. Prin project on the third annual conference “European Association of Wine Economists – EUAWE”

On June 11th-14^th, 2024, the third annual conference “European Association of Wine Economists – EUAWE” was held at Convitto Palmieri in Lecce, in which many professionals and scholars participated in presenting research results in the fields of wine and in adjacent fields.

Among different sessions, the one related to Supply Chain Management and Blockchain was held in which Professor A. Galati from the University of Palermo was engaged as moderator and in which three different research works under the project PRIN 2020 – W.E. B.E.S.T. were presented.
The first research work with the title “NFT – Soul Bound Tokens for Winery Reputation” was presented by D. Bentivoglio and involved the Polytechnic University of Marche and the University of Cagliari. Indeed, the co-authours of the work are Tonelli R.; Tiddia A.; Pinna A.; Lunesu M.I.; Cherchi G.; Chiaraluce G.; Staffolani G.; Zonneveld G.; Rafaiani G.; Finco A. Specifically, the research work focuses on online reviews, a phenomenon that is becoming widely important especially in the purchase of a bottle of wine on the e-commerce market. Given the large number of negative online reviews that often do not coincide with the real after-sales experience, to ensure authenticity and quality for consumers, a Blockchain-based feedback system using Soulbound Tokens (SBT) could be implemented. Through SBT, the winery will receive evaluations of the quality of its products from consumers who can demonstrate that they own or have purchased the bottle of wine via a certificate of possession registered on the Blockchain.
Instead, the second work was presented by G. Farina (the University of Naples Federico II) and it interested not only economic matters but also more specific matters of law. The work entitled as “What About Blockchain Oracles Inserting Tracking Data Through Smart Contracts? Exploring an Italian Winery Through a Case Study Approach”, which co-authors are Maschio M.R., Fiore M., Galati A., concerned a case study conducted on a Sicilian wine business that has independently implemented the Blockchain Technology with the aim of fighting against food fraud and counterfeiting. The implementation project of BCT concerns specifically a premium wine called “Signum Aetnae” that is accompanied by a speaking label that allows consumers to become owners of the purchased bottle and be recorded on BCT like a proof of authentication. The business underlines the importance of Blockchain for protection from counterfeiting and fraud and also says that the intervention of Ministry of Agriculture is important for a better centralization and management of data and information in the wine sector.
The last research work with the title “How to innovate traceability in the food supply chain: blockchain adoption for the wine production” was presented by G. Chiaraluce (the Polytechnic University of Marche) and the co-authors are Zonneveld G., Rafaiani G., Bentivoglio D., Staffolani G., Finco A. Given the growing interest of consumers regarding traceability and quality, the work presents a framework for using BCT to trace the production of an Italian winery and to provide a detailed analysis of the associated costs. Specifically, a cost analysis was conducted to estimate the expenses related to developing, maintaining, and operating this BCT framework. While the initial development costs are substantial, the ongoing maintenance and transaction costs are relatively low. This makes blockchain a viable option for improving traceability in the wine supply chain.

Some photos from the conference are provided bellow.