Analytical and Chemometric Investigation of Phenolic Content of South African Red Wines

In response to increasing societal demands for environmentally-friendly viticulture, winegrowers are adapting their cultivation techniques, particularly by reducing the use of herbicides.

Following the acquired awareness of the presence of ochratoxin A in grape derivatives, actions were undertaken to contain this contamination, and attempts were made to evaluate the presence of any other molecule belonging to this class.

The wine-making process generates numerous by-products at each stage (crushing, fermentation, ageing), including wine lees, which account for almost 25% of the total quantity.

The Earth’s system is undergoing major changes through a wide range of spatial and temporal scales as a response to growing anthropogenic radiative forcing, which is pushing the whole system far beyond its natural variability. Sources of greenhouse gases largely exceed their sinks, thus leading to a strengthened greenhouse effect. More energy is thereby being supplied to the system, with inevitable shifts in climatic patterns and weather regimes. Over the last decades, these modifications have been manifested in the full statistical distributions of the atmospheric variables, with dramatic changes in the frequency and intensity of extremes. Natural hazards, such as severe droughts, floods, forest fires, or heatwaves, are being triggered by extreme atmospheric events worldwide, thus threatening human activities. Viticultculture is not only exposed to changing climates but is also highly vulnerable, as grapevine phenology and physiological development are strongly controlled by atmospheric conditions. Therefore, the assessment of climate change projections for a given region is critical for climate change adaptation and risk reduction in viticulture. By adopting timely and suitable measures, the future sustainability and resiliency of the sector can be fostered. Climate-grapevine chain modelling is an essential tool for better planning and management. However, the accuracy of the resulting projections is limited by many uncertainties that must be duly taken into account when transferring knowledge to stakeholders and decision-makers. Climate-smart viticulture will comprise ensembles of locally tuned strategies, envisioning both adaptation and mitigation, assisted by emerging technologies and decision-support systems.

Falanghina, a typical wine from the Sannio (Campania region, Italy), hosts a complex fungal microbiota that significantly influences both fermentation dynamics and sensory characteristics.