Microbiology and Biochemistry graduation by London University. PhD in Food Science and Technology by Reading University, UK. Associate Professor at Faculty of Biotechnology, Catholic University of Portugal. Director of Associate Laboratory CBQF (2010 – 2016).  Executive Director of UTAD’s Platform of Innovation in Vine and Wine. Coordinator and partner of a large number of national/European research projects in food and wine science. Co-author of more than 90 original articles in peer review journals. Director of Extension at faculty (1997-2008) with the overall responsibility for designing and running Post-Graduate programmes (Food Safety, Enology and Wine Marketing). Chairman of Wine Research and Development Agency promoted by the Portuguese wine industry through their interprofessional body Viniportugal from 2006 to 2013 when it was discontinued. Member of leadership team of the European Technology Platform Food for Life. Vice President of Competitiveness Pole – Portugal Foods until February 2017.

• https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2017-4131

Title: A scientific basis for the concept of terroir – more questions than answers?

Abstract: The concept terroir plays an important role in the appreciation of wine presenting, i.e., through its origin. A wine is distinguished by the particularity of the combination of biological factors – especially the nature of the grape – with the “environmental” effects that can influence this distinction – soil, climate, altitude, etc. For this distinction, human intervention also contributes, and these factors, taken as a whole, are abbreviated in the terroir of the area of origin of the wine. With current scientific knowledge, would not be expected that the concept of terroir begin to be more decoded? At “omic” techniques era, and with the increase of accessibility to sophisticated analytical chemistry, we must have a basis for defining the role of the above-mentioned factors in the perceived quality of a wine. Do we have it?