Geological history and landscape of the Coastal wine-growing region, South Africa

We have sequenced two commercial strains of Lachancea thermotolerans (Lt) from the company Lallemand: Laktia™ y Blizz™.

The effects of climate change are seriously affecting the quality of wine grapes. High temperatures and drought cause imbalances in the chemical composition of grapes. The result is overripe grapes with low acidity and high sugar content, which produce wines with excessive alcohol content, lacking in freshness and not very aromatic. As a consequence, the search of varieties with capacity of produce quality grapes in adverse climate conditions is a good alternative to preserve the sustainability of vineyards. In this work, quality parameters of seven Vitis vinifera L. cultivars (five whites and two reds) recently recovered from extinction and grown under two different hydric regimes (rainfed and irrigated) were analyzed during the 2020 vintage. At harvest time, weight of 100 berries, must physicochemical parameters (brix degree, total acidity, malic acid, pH), and carbon and oxygen isotope ratios (δ13C, δ18O) were determined. Subsequently, varietal aroma potential index (IPAv) and total polyphenol index (TPI) were analyzed. Quality parameters, IPAv and TPI, showed significant differences between varieties and water regimes. Both red varieties, Moribel and Tinto Fragoso, stood out for their high aromatic and phenolic potential, which was higher under rainfed regime. Regarding to white varieties, Montonera del Casar and Jarrosuelto stood out in terms of varietal aroma potential. Montonera del Casar high acidity in its musts and Jarrosuelto showed the highest berry weights.

The study of the interaction between vineyards and the environment to establish the grapevines in the appropriate places has been applied in wine science for 5000 years. Advances in the field of the zoning have not been uniform in time, and have occupied a preferential place in the contributions of Roman writers of the 1st Century AC, the contemplations of Tokay (1700) and Porto (1756) and works of the second half of the 20th century. Zoning practices today integrate multidisciplinary methodologies (viticulture, enology, soils, climatology, cartography, statistics, computer science) and require further development for future application.

In the Burgundy vineyard, frequent tractor traffic and management of inter-rows alternating grass cover and chemical weed-control lead to structural soil contrast between row and inter-row. The aim of this study was to characterize and model water flow in relation with topsoil structure modifications induced by these practices. Void ratio of the different soil volumes were determined using bulk density measurements.

A large population of vines of the Mandón minority red variety (synonymous with Garró) has been located in old vineyards of the D.O. Arribes (Zamora and Salamanca) to conserve and recover this minority variety. The wines made with this variety are characterized by their good structure and color, interesting harmony, an excellently low pH, with high acidity, as well as complex aromas of blue fruits and a marked and expressive minerality.