Red Grenache variety in Rhône Valley : impact of “terroir” and vintages on the aromatic potential of the grapes

Tartrates are salts of tartaric acid that occur naturally in wine and lead to sediments that cause consumers’ rejection. There are currently different treatments to prevent its occurrence, with cold stabilization being the most traditional and well-known method.

Grapevine resilience to climate change has become one of the most pressing topics in the Viticulture & Enology field. Vineyard health demands understanding the mechanisms that explain the direct and indirect interactions between environmental stressors. The current climate change scenario, where drought and heat-wave are more frequent and intense, strongly demands improving our knowledge of environmental stresses. During a heatwave, the ambient temperature rises above the plant’s average tolerance threshold and, generally, above 35 oC plant’s adaptation to heat stress is activated.

Armenia, a small country in the South of the Caucasus, has been rediscovering its wine-growing past since the discovery in 2007 of archaeological wine-growing remains dating back around 8,000 years. They are among the oldest in the world. Despite a great diversity of grape varieties, Armenian winegrowers did not have sufficiently organized genetic collections to produce plants and satisfy the growing demand for planting.

The perception of wine quality is determined by the assessment of multiple sensory stimuli, including aroma, taste, mouthfeel and visual aspects. With so many different parameters contributing to the overall perception of wine quality, it is important to consider the contribution of all metabolites in a wine when attempting to relate composition to quality.

For several years, numerous studies aimed at limiting the use of SO2 in wines (thermal treatments, pulsed electric fields, microwaves …). Processes must be able to preserve the organoleptic qualities of wines with low energy consumption. In this context, ultraviolet radiations (UV-C), at 254 nm, are well known for their germicidal proprieties. In order to inactivate microorganisms in grape juice and wine without affecting the quality of the product, efficiency of UV-C treatment process should be optimized.