The REWINE journey has officially begun.

On 17–18 June 2026, partners from across Europe gathered in Thessaly, Greece, for the first Transnational Project Meeting and official Kick-Off Meeting of REWINE – Reskilling and Upskilling for Sustainable and Intelligent Territories in the European Viticulture and Beverages Ecosystem.

Hosted in Damasi, Larissa, at Tsililis K. Winery & Distillery the meeting deliberately moved beyond the setting of a conventional conference room. By bringing the partnership together inside a working winery, REWINE placed the people, businesses, traditions and territories it aims to support at the very heart of its first meeting. The choice reflected the project’s strong connection with the wine and beverages sector and created a space where discussions about skills, sustainability, tourism and regional development could immediately be connected with real working environments.

Six regions, one shared ambition

The Kick-Off Meeting brought together the REWINE partnership representing six regional clusters from Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Italy, Bulgaria and Austria. During the opening sessions, partners introduced their regional ecosystems, highlighted the opportunities and challenges facing their wine and beverages sectors, and shared their expectations for the four years ahead.

Although each territory brings its own identity, production traditions and labour-market realities, the discussions revealed a number of shared priorities: the need for new and updated skills, stronger links between vocational education and industry, sustainable production practices, digital transformation, attractive career pathways, wine and beverage tourism, improved branding and greater cooperation between regional actors.

These common challenges are precisely where REWINE intends to make a difference.

The project will establish six Centres of Vocational Excellence, creating interconnected regional ecosystems in which education and training providers, companies, sector organisations, public authorities and other stakeholders can work together. Through reskilling and upskilling, REWINE aims to help professionals and businesses respond to the green, digital, financial and social transitions transforming the European viticulture and beverages ecosystem.

Turning sector needs into real learning opportunities

The two-day meeting provided the partnership with a common understanding of how REWINE will move from ambition to action.

Partners explored the project’s approach to skills intelligence, including the future TalentVitis platform, which will help identify occupations, emerging skills needs and training gaps across participating regions. These findings will feed directly into the development of new learning opportunities for professionals in the sector.

REWINE will develop a comprehensive learning framework linking sector needs with training programmes, learning materials, MOOCs, micro-credentials, validation and certification pathways. Three professional profiles will form an important part of this work: Sustainability Agent, Tourism Agent, and Green and Digital Agent.

At the same time, the project will strengthen networking, peer learning, mobility, work-based learning and business–education partnerships, while developing governance and funding mechanisms designed to ensure that the REWINE ecosystem can continue creating value long after the funded project period ends.

Learning where wine and beverages are created

A distinctive feature of the Kick-Off Meeting was the opportunity to connect project planning with real businesses and real skills needs.

At Tsililis K. Winery & Distillery, partners explored the relationship between grape growing, winemaking, distillation, local know-how and tourism. Discussions addressed sustainable vineyard and production practices, quality, visitor experience, digital promotion, certifications and the challenge of attracting and developing skilled professionals. The visit highlighted how wineries and distilleries are not simply production facilities, but important contributors to agricultural employment, local supply chains, gastronomy, hospitality and regional identity.

At Domaine Migas, the partnership experienced the perspective of a family-run winery rooted in the viticultural identity of the Tyrnavos area. The visit demonstrated how tradition, technical expertise, investment and quality can be combined with contemporary needs in branding, tourism and customer experience. It also underlined the increasing importance of skills in hospitality, storytelling and wine tourism alongside the technical competences required in vineyards and cellars.

The visit to Pineios River Brewery S.A. broadened the discussion from wine to the wider beverages ecosystem. Partners examined how a visitable craft brewery can combine production, local identity, innovation, tourism and environmental responsibility. Particular attention was given to green practices such as the reuse of spent grain, recycling, reusable kegs, energy-saving technologies, solar energy and the monitoring of water and energy consumption. The experience demonstrated how beverage businesses themselves can become environments for education, sustainability awareness and skills development.

A strong beginning for four years of cooperation

The Kick-Off Meeting was more than the formal beginning of a European project. It was the first opportunity to transform a consortium into a community with a shared direction.

Over two intensive days, partners established the foundations for cooperation, clarified responsibilities and priorities, connected the different Work Packages and, most importantly, began building a common understanding of what vocational excellence should mean for Europe’s wine and beverages ecosystem.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to continue working collaboratively towards the successful implementation of REWINE and to ensure that its activities remain closely connected to the real needs of learners, professionals, businesses and territories.

From the vineyards, cellars and beverage enterprises of Thessaly, REWINE has now started its European journey, bringing together tradition and innovation, education and industry, people and territories to cultivate the skills needed for a more sustainable, digital and resilient future.