Caratterizzazione delle produzioni vitivinicole dell’ area del Barolo: un’esperienza pluridisciplinare triennale (5)

In sparkling wines, foam is a relevant aspect whose measurement method could affect the results. The shaking test (ST) is a simple method measuring foamability1,2

Brettanomyces bruxellensis is considered as the main spoilage yeast in oenology. Its presence in red wine leads to off-flavour due to the production of volatile phenols such as 4-vinylphenol, 4-vinylguaiacol, 4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol, whose aromatic notes are unpleasant (e.g. animal, leather, horse or pharmaceutical). Beside wine, B. bruxellensis is commonly isolated from beer, kombucha and bioethanol production, where its role can be described as negative or positive. Recent genomic studies unveiled the existence of various populations.

Global warming has enhanced the frequency and severity of drought events, hence calling for a better management of water resources in the vineyard and for an improvement of breeding platforms. Somatic embryogenesis (SE) (i.e. the initiation of embryos from somatic tissues) can spontaneously generate new genetic variability, which results from genetic mutations, changes in epigenetic marks, or phenotypic alterations.
This study was tailored to test whether vines in vitro regenerated through SE (i.e. somaclones), can tolerate water deprivation better than the mother plant.

Haplotype-resolved genome assemblies were produced for Chasselas and Ugni Blanc, two heterozygous real-field genetic pool Vitis vinifera cultivars by combining high-fidelity long-read sequencing (HiFi) and high‐throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C). The telomere-to-telomere full coverage of the chromosomes allowed us to assemble separately the two haplo-genomes of both cultivars and revealed structural variations between the two haplotypes of a given cultivar.

Understanding how different pedoclimatic conditions interact with vine and berry physiology, and subsequently impact wine quality, is paramount for an good valorization of viticultural terroirs and can help to optimize mitigation strategies in the face of global warming