Environmental protection by means of (“Great”) vitiviniculture zonation

For characterization, sensory designing and authentication rapid analytical technologies have become available. Some, like Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometry allow a rapid spectrum of the volatile compounds of wines. Combined with chemometrics wines can be characterized. The same approach can be used to calculate the results of virtual mixtures and allow formulation of constant quality blends. Other new techniques and portable devices based on spectroscopy allow measurements on production sites and in grocery stores, even for the smart consumer. We will present some examples of the application of these techniques for authentication of wines, both in the laboratory and on site.

The production of fermented alcoholic beverages involves numerous processes in which microorganisms and enzymes convert components derived from the raw material into a wide range of compounds that affect the sensory characteristics of the resulting product. It is estimated that there may be as many as 800 to 1,000 such compounds in wine. These compounds belong to different chemical groups such as esters, alcohols, carboxylic acids, carbonyl compounds, polyphenols, sugars and many others.

Climate changes and the trend towards organic and more sustainable winemaking highlighted the need to use biological methodologies. The reduction in the use of SO2, the need of the reduction of ethanol content of wines and the now need to reduce or eliminate chemical phytosanitary products, have prompted the search for alternative practices.

Cette recherche a eu pour but l’étude des effets d’un renforcement radiatif et thermique sur les zones inférieures de la canopée de la vigne (solarisation par des films ou des paillages réfléchissants installés sur le sol, sous les ceps), notamment l’étude de leurs conséquences sur la composition biochimique des moûts à la vendange et sur la qualité des vins.

Atypical ageing (ATA) is a wine aroma fault occurring in white wines characterised by an early loss of varietal aroma as well as nuances of wet mop, acacia blossom, shoe polish and dirty rag among others. 2-aminoacetophenone (2AAP) – a degradation product of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) – has been described as the major odour-active compound and chemical marker responsible for this off-flavour. Depending on the aroma intensity of wines, its odour threshold varies from 0.5 to 10.5 μg/L. It seems that a stress reaction in the vineyard triggered by climatic, pedological and viticultural factors can ultimately cause ATA development in wines and therefore shorten their shelf-life.