Identification of the agronomical and landscape potentialities in Côtes du Rhône area (France)

Terroir is a complex concept which associates soil, climate, grape variety and cultural practices that include the training system and oenological techniques. It is a type of social construction with man at its centre. The typicality of a wine is also a social construction which is the result of an agreement among specialists vis à vis a given quality of the wine whose references are the wine’s origins (e.g. terroir) and taste.

One cultivar could produce distinct wines with typical properties and qualities different depending on its cultivated and its mesoclimatic conditions.

Malic acid has a strong impact on wine pH and the contribution of fermenting yeasts to modulate its concentration has been intensively investigated in the past. Recent advances in yeast genetics have shed light on the unexpected property of some strains to produce large amounts of malic acid (“acidic strains”) while most of the wine starters consume it during the alcoholic fermentation. Being a key metabolite of the central carbohydrate metabolism, malic acid participates to TCA and glyoxylate cycles as well as neoglucogenesis. Although present at important concentrations in grape juice, the metabolic fate of malic acid has been poorly investigated.

Sunburn is a physiological disorder that leads to yield and quality losses in a range of fruits such as grapes and apples. It affects the visual appearance and the composition of the fruit, leading to irreversible changes and ultimately, cell death in extreme situations.

Dans la region Nord-Est du Brésil, située à la Vallée du São Francisco, localiséee entre les paralleles 8-9º HS, la production de vins tropicaux a commencé il y a une vigntaine d’années. Dans cette région, il est possible d’avoir au minimum deux récoltes par an, car la moyenne de température est de 26 ºC, avec une pluviosité moyenne de 550 mm entre les mois de janvier-avril.