Comportement phénologique et végétatif de la cv “Italia” en rapport an climat dans les deux zones typiques de viticulture de table en Sicile

3-Mercaptohexanol (3MH) is a volatile thiol occurring in several white and red wines, where it can contribute to fruity attributes. Its content is typically high in wines from certain grape varieties, in particular Sauvignon blanc, where it is considered a varietal marker. The strong nucleophilic character of thiols makes 3MH rather unstable during wine storage, due to the presence of several strong electrophilic species. Among these electrophilics, those arising from the oxidation of flavan3-ols such as catechin and epi-catechin have been indicated as critical for 3MH stability. Accordingly, there is a generalized interest towards the ability of vinification practices to reduce 3MH loss during aging through the management of wine flavan-3-ols content.

La caratterizzazione bioclimatica del territorio rappresenta un elemento sempre più impor­tante per il miglioramento dell’ attività agricola. La conoscenza degli andamenti assunti dai parametri meteorologici puà consentire di individuare le peculiarità dei singoli appezzamenti aziendali, ottimizzando le scelte sia in termini tattici (esecuzione dei più opportuni interventi colturali) che strategici (scelta delle specie o varietà più idonee a valorizzare ciascun am­biente).

The METAPIWI project advances viticulture research by examining microbial communities in PIWI (fungus-resistant) grapevines compared to traditional Vitis vinifera. It investigates how these microbes influence spontaneous fermentation and the production of distinct metabolites and aromas.

Many farming operations aim at controlling the leaf area of the vine according to its load. There are several techniques, direct and indirect, of estimate of this leaf area in a specific way, but impossible to implement at great scales. These last years, research in airborne and satellite remote sensing made it possible to show that a multispectral index of vegetation, computed from measurements of reflectances (red and near infrared), the « Normalised Difference Vegetation Index » (NDVI), is well correlated to the « Leaf Area Index » (leaf area per unit of ground) of the vine. Nevertheless these methods of acquisition and processing data are rather constraining and complex.

The mouthfeel of wine is one of the most important aspects of the organoleptic experience of tasting wine. In wine a great deal is known about certain compositional components and how they impact mouthfeel perception, such as phenolics. But there are other components where little is understood, such as oligosaccharides. Saccharides in general are found in very low concentrations with wine, especially compared to conventional foods. There is very little information about how oligosaccharides influence the mouthfeel perception of wine.