Cultivation site effect on the quality of Moscato di Pantelleria

Color is one of the main qualitative parameters of a wine. As a matter of fact, immediately after having opened a bottle of wine, color, even before aroma and taste, is the first sensorial parameter to be evaluated by the consumer It can change according to various factors depending on the characteristics of the grapes or on the different production and storage processes.

In winemaking, several antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) produced by different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were found to be responsible for the inhibition of malolactic fermentation (MLF) carried out by some strains of Oenococcus oeni. However, only two AMPs produced by one of the yeast strains studied were totally identified and their mechanism of action was described. In an attempt to identify new AMPs, a 5-10 kDa peptidic fraction produced by an oenological strain of S. cerevisiae and previously shown to strongly inhibit MLF carried out by a strain of O. oeni was further purified.

Each grape cultivar is composed of a population of individuals that are genetically different. Clonal selection has allowed the purification and improvement of the global quality

Understanding grapevine molecular processes and the underlying defence responses is vital for developing sustainable disease control strategies. Lipid signalling pathways, involving the synthesis and degradation of lipid molecules, have emerged as a key regulator in plant defence against pathogens. This study aims to elucidate the role of fatty acids and lipid signalling in grapevine’s defence response to P. viticola infection. The expression of lipid metabolism-related as well as lipid signalling genes was analysed, by qPCR, in three grapevine genotypes: Chardonnay (susceptible), Regent (tolerant) with Rpv3-1 resistance loci, and Sauvignac (resistant) harbouring a pyramid of Rpv12 and Rpv3-1 resistance loci.

Pesticide residues in Austrian wines have so far been poorly documented. In 250 wines, 33 grape musts and 45 musts in fermentation, no limit values were exceeded, but in some cases high lev-els (>0.100 mg/l) of single residues were found, meaning that a reduction of these levels before bottling could make sense. In the course of this study, a white and a red wine were spiked with a mix of 23 pesticide residues from the group of fungicides (including botryticides), herbicides and insecticides. The influence of the following treatments on residue concentrations and volatile profiles were investigated: two activated charcoal products, a bentonite clay, two commer-cial mixed fining agents made of bentonite and charcoal, two yeast cell wall products, and a plant fiber-based novel filter additive. The results of this study show that all the agents tested reduced both residues and aromavolatile compounds in wine, with activated charcoal having the strongest effect and bentonite the weakest. The mixed agents and yeast wall products showed less aroma losses than charcoal products, but also lower residue reduction. Plant fibers showed good reduction of pesticides with moderate aroma damage, but these results need to be con-firmed under practical conditions.