Maturità fenolica e cellulare come metodo di valutazione dell’interazione vitigno-ambiente: il caso del Cabernet-Sauvignon

Sulphur dioxide has been used for many years for its antimicrobial, antioxidant and antioxydasic properties in winemaking but nowadays, it is a source of controversy. Indeed, consumers are more attentive to the naturalness of their foods and beverages and the legislation is changing to reduce the total SO₂ levels allowed in wines. To limit and replace the doses of sulphur dioxide applied, winemakers can now use bioprotection consisting in live yeast addition as alternative,seems to be promising. This process, lightly used in from the food industry, allows to colonize the environment and limit the development or even eliminate undesirable microorganisms without altering the sensory properties of the product.

Downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) is a fungal pathogen that causes a destructive disease in grapevines (Vitis vinifera).

High temperatures can reduce the phenolic content of grapes, especially anthocyanins and copigments involved in colour stabilisation of red wines [1]. This could make it difficult to maintain stable colour during storage [2].

Haze formation in wine during transportation and storage is an important issue for winemakers, since turbid wines are unacceptable for sale. Such haze often results from aggregation of unstable grape proteinaceous colloids. To date, foreseeably unstable wines need to be treated with bentonite to remove these, while excessive quantities, which are often required, affect the wine volume and quality (Cosme et al. 2020). One solution to avoid these drawbacks might be the use of peptidases. Marangon et al. (2012) reported that Aspergillopepsins I and II were able to hydrolyse the respective haze-relevant proteins in combination with a flash pasteurisation. In 2021, the OIV approved this enzymatic treatment for wine stabilisation (OIV-OENO 541A and 541B).

During a three-year period, the vineyards of the Carnuntum wine district are investigated for their terroir characteristics. The interdisciplinary study is aimed at the description of the physiogeographic