Productivity, quality, and thermal needs of the Piedirosso vine: four years of observations

Brazil has a recent history on geographical indications and product regulation for high quality wines. The first geographic indication implemented was the Vale dos Vinhedos Indication of Procedence (

AIM: Volatile compounds joint to aromatic precursors form the aroma of grape must that will provide a characteristic aroma to the wine.

The production of high-quality wines requires the use of high-quality grapes. Some compounds originating from grapes may negatively influence the odour and flavour of the resulting wine in their original form or as precursors for off-odours and –flavours. Therefore, a rapid evaluation of the grapes directly upon receival at the winery is advantageous. Up to now, grape aroma is mainly evaluated by tasting, however, this leads to subjective results. The use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy allows a rapid, objective and destruction-free analysis without previous sample preparation. Moreover, the measurement can be integrated into an existing process without additional sampling.

Nitrogen and temperature are two important factors that influence wine fermentation and volatile compounds production. Among the different compounds present in the must, nitrogen is an essential nutrient for the management of the fermentation kinetics but it also plays an important role in the synthesis of fermentative aromas. To address the problems related to nitrogen deficiencies, nitrogen additions during alcoholic fermentation have been developed.

Ecological sustainability refers to developing viticulture in adequate environmental conditions.