Soil functional characteristics for qualitative Sangiovese wine production in Tuscany (Italy)

Rare Earth Elements (REEs) include 15 lanthanides, yttrium and scandium. Their occurrence in soil and plants seems to be closely tied to the geological composition of the underlying mother rock, to the physical and chemical properties of the soil and to the specific ability of the plant to take up and accumulate these microelements.

Pomace and grape stems are the main solid organic waste from winery industries, resulting from the pressing and/or fermentation processes it is generated in large amounts in many parts of the world

Different studies have demonstrated that the application of ultrasounds (US) to crushed grapes improves chromatic characteristics of the wines (1,2), increases their polysaccharide content (3) and some aroma compounds are also favored (4,5)

Since the arrival of Phyloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifolia) in Europe at the end of the 19th century, grafting has become essential to cultivate Vitis vinifera. Today, grafting provides not only resistance to this aphid, but it used to adapt the cultivars according to the type of soil, environment, or grape production requirements by using a panel of rootstocks. As part of vineyard decline, it is often mentioned the importance of producing quality grafted grapevine to improve vineyard longevity, but, to our knowledge, no study has been able to demonstrate that grafting has a role in this context. However, some scion/rootstock combinations are considered as incompatible due to poor graft union formation and subsequently high plant mortality soon after grafting. In a context of climate change where the creation of new cultivars and rootstocks is at the centre of research, the ability of new cultivars to be grafted is therefore essential. The early identification of graft incompatibility could allow the selection of non-viable plants before planting and would have a beneficial impact on research and development in the nursery sector. For this reason, our studies have focused on the identification of metabolic and transcriptomic markers of poor grafting success during the first days/week after grafting; we have identified some correlations between some specialized metabolites, especially stilbenes, and grafting success, as well as an accumulation of some amino acids in the incompatible combination. The study of the metabolome and the transcriptome allowed us to understand and characterise the processes involved during graft union formation.

he main goal of this research was to identify key aroma compounds linked with the maturity of grapes (ripe and overripe) and involved in grapes and wines with an intense dried fruits aroma. Odoriferous zones reminiscent of these aromas were detected by gas chromatography coupled with olfactometry (GC-O).