Safety-Gated Valorisation of Vine and Wine By-Products: An EU-Focused Circular Bioeconomy Framework

Vineyards and wineries generate seasonal, wet and compositionally variable side-streams whose safe use is constrained by rapid spoilage, contaminants, fragmented regulation and scale. This EU-focused structured narrative review synthesised 90 scientific and official sources and proposes an integrated decision framework rather than another catalogue of valorisation routes. The framework applies a non-compensatory sequence: characterise and stabilise the batch, test route-specific hazards, assign evidence-level and technology readiness, verify legal eligibility, define a safe fallback, and only then compare material flows, environmental burdens and risk-adjusted economics. Current implementation evidence is strongest for controlled composting, conventional wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion and selected grape-seed oil, polyphenol and heat-integrated biochar operations; clinical, plant-protection and several novel-extract claims remain product- and context-specific. Illustrative ENPV cases show that high-value extraction can offer greater upside but lower robustness than compost/biochar when moisture, transport, rejection and price uncertainty are included. The framework provides an auditable basis for pilot design, regional cooperation and data collection, while explicitly requiring industrial and multi-season validation before investment or product approval.