Nuove tecnologie per la viticoltura in zone di alto valore ambientale

Smoke impact is an ongoing and growing issue for vintners across the globe, with the west coast of the U.S. and Australia being two of the largest wine industries impacted. Wine has shown to be especially sensitive to smoke exposure, often acquiring off-flavor sensory characteristics, such as “burnt rubber”, “ashy”, or other medicinal off-flavors.1 While several studies have examined the chemical composition of smoke influences on wine, some studies disagree on what compounds are having the largest impact on smell and flavor.2 This study is designed as a bottom-up approach to inventory the chemical compounds derived from smoke from a grassland-like fire that are potentially influencing wine chemical composition.

AIM AND METHODS: Grape withering is one of the key steps in the production of the most renowned red wines of the Valpolicella area, namely Amarone and Recioto. This practice, which was already used since Roman times, entails important modifications in grape composition and in the chemical and sensorial characteristics of the corresponding wines, especially in terms of aromatic profile. The aim of this research is evaluating the aromatic evolution during grape withering of the three main varieties used in Valpolicella wines: Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella.Samples of the three varieties were analyzed at harvest and at different stages of withering, namely10%, 20% and 30% of weight loss. Free and glycosidically bound compounds were extracted and analyzed using Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). RESULTS: For all the samples the data were normalized to eliminate the effect of concentration due to grape dehydration. Terpene content and evolution varied considerably in relationship to grape variety. Corvinone was richer in cyclic terpenes (including phellandrene, limonene, and cymene) and they decreased during withering.

The recovery of bioactive compounds from grape and wine by-products is currently an important and necessary objective for sustainability. Grape pomace is one of the main by-products and is a rich source of some bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, polysaccharides, fatty acids, minerals and seed oil. Polysaccharides contained in the grape cell wall can be rhamnogalacturonans type II (RG-II), polysaccharides rich in arabinose and galactose (PRAG), mannoproteins (MP), homogalacturonans (HG) and non pectic polysaccharides (NPP).

The assessment of red wine mouthfeel relies primarily on the sensory description of its tannic properties. This evaluation could be improved by gaining a better understanding of the physicochemical properties of these tannins. Hence, the objectives of the present study were threefold: (1) to gain an insight into the sensory properties of subpopulations of proanthocyanidic tannins of different molecular sizes obtained through several ultrafiltration steps, (2) to quantify the kinetics of haze formation of these proanthocyanidic tannins in a dynamic polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) precipitation test, (3) to determine whether a correlation exists between the sensory and the precipitation data.

In recent years, “no-low” products seem to become a new worldwide trend. It appears to be a possible answer to the well-known context of climate change, the decline in wine consumption, and the wellness/health trend (“free from” claims, vegan, and so on…) That consumers are looking for. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the “no-low” products sold in the french market (but not only french products), focusing on the labelling, packaging, and sales presentation of these products.