I.
Integrated science
Research questions are framed at the boundary between disciplines, not within their interiors. Viticulture and oenology share the same conversation as ecology, public health, economics, law and the humanities.
Scientific charter
The Tokaj Memorandum on Integrated Vine and Wine Science
The foundational statement of theTokaj Vine & Wine Congress, articulating the principles and the commitment that underpin the programme.
Preamble
The wine sector enters the second quarter of the twenty-first century facing convergent challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, the social licence to operate, the diversification of global markets, and the growing demand for transparent, evidence-based science. These are not viticultural challenges or oenological challenges in isolation. They are integrated questions, and they require an integrated science.
Tokaj Vine and Wine Congress is convened around the conviction that vine and wine science must move beyond a one-sided focus on production economics or laboratory technique. It must hold together - in the same conversation - the vineyard ecosystem, the chemistry of fermentation, the bioactivity of polyphenols, the economics of by-product valorisation, the cultural heritage of wine regions, and the education of the next generation of researchers and practitioners.
Principles
Seven principles of the memorandum
The principles that organise the scientific programme of the congress and the long-term vision of integrated vine and wine science.
II.
Regenerative practice
The vineyard is treated as an ecosystem to be restored, not exploited - through cover cropping, no-till agriculture, biodiversity restoration, and the integration of livestock where appropriate.
III.
Circular bioeconomy
Approximately thirty per cent of the biomass produced by the wine sector is not wine. Marc, lees, pomace, vine leaves and prunings are inputs to a wider economic system, not waste streams.
IV.
Transparency and traceability
Modern analytical methods - molecular fingerprinting, isotopic analysis, blockchain-anchored provenance - are deployed in service of consumer trust and the protection of geographical origin.
V.
Cultural heritage
The intangible heritage of wine - traditional cultivation methods, indigenous varieties, local cuisine, the rituals of community life - is preserved alongside the tangible: terraced slopes, dry-stone walls and historic cellars.
VI.
International collaboration
A diversifying global wine sector requires education, research and policy that crosses borders. The congress is convened in English and welcomes participation from across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia.
VII.
Scientific rigour with public benefit
Research questions are pursued for their scientific merit and for their utility to the communities, businesses and consumers the sector serves.
Commitment
By convening the Tokaj Vine and Wine Congress, we commit:
- To open the scientific programme to all serious contributions across the seven thematic sessions.
- To support early-career researchers through accessible programmes and dedicated initiatives.
- To publish the proceedings in a form that supports continued international scholarship.
- To advance the long-term vision of integrated vine and wine science as both a research direction and a teaching field.
- To work in partnership with the wider Tokaj wine region and its institutions, ensuring that the science of wine remains anchored in the places where wine is made.
Signatories
The full list of signatories - including the Honorary Chair, the Scientific Committee and partner institutions - will be announced together with the formal opening of the congress.
Stand alongside the memorandum
We invite researchers, vintners, institutions and partners who recognise themselves in these principles to join the congress and contribute to its programme.