Techniques of delimitation in France

The arrangements of flowers and wine counterparts are inextricably linked. Whether a fundamental aspect of tablescaping or acolytes to broader entertainment rituals, they have an entangled history since ancient times. The aim of this contribution is to verify the influence of visually delicate and robust flower arrangements on individual description of wines. Changes in the sensory description of wines were investigated during subjects’ (thirty-two participants) exposure to three different conditions: the presence of delicate, robust, or totally absent flower arrangements. In each condition, the same two wines were blind tasted: a wine previously defined as delicate – a Pinot Noir from Australia, and a wine known for its robust character – a Tannat from Uruguay.

Enzymatic browning (BE) of must is caused by polyphenol oxidases (PPOs), tyrosinase and laccase. Both PPOs can oxidize diphenols such as hydroxycinnamic acids (HA) to quinones, which can later polymerize to form melanins [1], which are responsible of BE in white wines and of oxidasic haze in red wines. SO₂ is the main tool used to protect must from BE thanks to its capacity to inhibit PPOs [2]. However, the current trend in winemaking is to reduce and even eliminate this unfriendly additive. Among the different possible alternatives for protecting must against BE, the inoculation with a selected Metschnikowia pulcherrima MP1 is without any doubt one of the most promising ones.

Climate change critically challenges viticulture. Among other threats, extreme and increasingly frequent heatwaves cause irreversible burns on leaves and bunches. A series of observations and experiments was conducted to better understand how leaf burns originate and whether genetics or management practices can mitigate them. In 2019, a panel of 279 potted cultivars of Vitis vinifera L. grown outdoors suffered a heat peak and a genetic origin of leaf burn variability was demonstrated. To deeper explore this variability, fourteen cultivars were selected for their contrasting responses to high temperatures, and detached leaves were submitted to a controlled increase in temperature up to 50 °C in a growth chamber.

Changes in the low molecular weight phenolic fraction, obtained by liquid-liquid microextraction technique, were studied after controlled oxidation of two typologies of Sangiovese wines (Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti Classico) belonging to two vintages (2017 and 2018). The fractions were characterized by LC-MS and quantified by HPLC. The most abundant extracted compounds were the phenolic acids. The effect of oxidation, vintage, and wine typology was stated by a three-ways ANOVA. Gallic and syringic acids significantly increased after oxidation while (–)-epicatechin decreased the most.

SO2 reaction with electrophilic species present in wine, including in particular carbonyl compounds, is responsible for the reduction of its protective effect during wine aging. In the present study, direct 1H NMR profiling was used to monitor the reactivity of SO2 with acetaldehyde under wine-like oxidation conditions.