Cultivation forms and viticulture models adapting to adverse “environmental” conditions

Climate change has become a major challenge for grape and wine production around the world

Tannins are a heterogenous class of polymeric phenolics found in grapes, oak barrels and wine. In red wine tannins are primarily responsible for astringency, though they also have an important role in reacting with and stabilizing pigments. There are numerous sub-classes of tannins found in wine but they all share structural heterogeneity within each sub-class, with varied polymer composition, configuration and length.

Numerous methodologies exist for the quantification of tannins, however, protein precipitation using bovine serum albumin has proved itself useful due to its strong correlation to the sensory perception of astringency and the basic instruments required for the method. Though the method can yield valuable insights into tannin composition, it cannot be automated easily and necessitates well-trained personnel.

L’A.O.C. Coteaux du Languedoc est située dans le Sud de la France, dans la partie Ouest de la bordure méditerranéenne. Elle forme un vaste amphithéâtre largement ouvert sur la mer méditerranée. L’Appellation a été constituée en 1960 par le regroupement de 14 anciennes petites appellations d’origine représentant 55 communes éparpillées dans les départements de l’Aude, de l’Hérault et du Gard. Par la suite, plusieurs extensions successives ont conduit à un ensemble actuellement composé de 168 communes.

Nowadays, the recovery of secondary resources of wine industry is insufficient and the developing of new products and adjuvants from secondary raw materials could become a relevant sector of research. The re-use of byproducts derived from winemaking could improve the sustainability of wine industry and give additional value to other food industries

Cover crops are acknowledged to be an interesting tool to produce
higher quality grapes in red varieties, as they generally reduce vine vigour and yield. However, their incidence in white wine quality is not clear, since higher nitrogen availability can play an important positive
role, and cover crops may compete for this nutrient. The possible reduction in available nitrogen can also modify the fermentation processes, as well as the synthesis of aromas in the wine. The aim of this work was to evaluate the long-term effect of a grass cover crop on grape and wine quality.