Background Galicia is a Spanish region located in the northwest of Spain.. The project will focus on the main Galician denomination of origin for wines and the main white wine denomination of Spain, Rías Baixas. The Rías Baixas is located mainly inside the province of Pontevedra and consists of an area of 3 500 ha and involves more than 6 500 winegrowers living in 33 different councils: from the area of the Ulla river to the Miño river (Spanish-Portuguese border). The production of the 2008 vintage was 18 500 000 kg of (mainly Albariño) grapes. The area contains granitic soils (which allow for the easy drainage of rainwater) and is subject to Atlantic weather (rainy but temperate): the climate is favourable to the development of fungus attacks that cause losses of up to 50% in grape production. Consequently, winegrowers use large quantities of chemicals to avoid the diseases caused by fungus attacks every year, together with chemical fertilisers to avoid the loss of nitrogen caused by the rainy weather and the structure of easy draining granitic soil. As a result, wine production costs are high in Galicia, and production methods pose a risk to the environment. The run-off of chemical products has an impact on the area’s many rivers and its coastline, much of which is part of the Natura 2000 network and, moreover, important for the fishing industry. Objectives The project aims to demonstrate the need and viability of sustainable management of wine production in the vineyards of the Rías Baixas within an integrated system. Specific objectives are: To demonstrate the feasibility of creating an ‘Integrated Control System to Minimise the Environmental Risks’ based on a net of meteorological sensors located in vineyards, in order to minimise the use of chemical products to those strictly necessary (i.e. when there is a probability of fungus attack); To demonstrate that by using a limited quantity of chemical products it is possible to be more productive and improve quality – yielding better economic results and minimising environmental risks; and To disseminate the idea of reducing the use of chemical treatments in the vineyards as an added value for wineries and the community – all project actions will be included in an Environmental Management System. Expected results: A 15% reduction in the use of chemical products for vineyard treatments. This will mean that the pollution caused by chemical deposits on water and soil will be reduced at the same rate, with a knock-on effect on production costs for winegrowers; and A 5% reduction in the use of chemical nitrogen fertilisers.