The Australian geographical indication process

Rapid and accurate quantification of grape berry phenolics, anthocyanins and tannins, and identification of grape varieties are both important for effective quality control of harvesting and initial processing for wine making. Current reference technologies including High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) can be rate limiting and too complex and expensive for effective field operations

Climate change results in erratic weather conditions, which may lead for many crops including grapevine, to a reduced production and products of lower quality. Concerning grapevine, climate change results in shorter growing seasons and dates for budbreak, flowering and fruit maturity occur earlier in many regions. It also leads to an increase of various pests and diseases, as well as the vectors responsible for disease distribution.

In April 2024, the French official catalog includes 449 grape varieties and rootstocks. In 10 years it has been enriched with 70 varieties. It is an indisputable marker of the interest of professionals in genetic resources of all origins and the expectations they have to prepare the viticulture of the future. The scientific community has now put all irons in the fire and is not neglecting any avenue of adaptation. The regular decline in the use of phytosanitary products and the already marked effects of climate change are the targets of varietal improvement.

The genetic material preservation is a priority issue in winemaking research. The recovery of minority grape varieties can control the genetic erosion, contributing also to preserve wine typical characteristics. In D.O.Ca. Rioja (Spain) the number of grown white varieties has been very limited, representing Viura the 91% of the cultivated white grape area in 2005, while the others, Garnacha Blanca and Malvasía riojana, hardly were grown. For this reason, a recovery and characterization study of plant material was carried out in this region. In 2008, the results obtained allowed the authorization of three minority white varieties: Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Blanca and Turruntés.

It is a well-established fact that premature oxidation is noxious for wine aromatic quality and longevity. Although some oxidation-related aroma molecules have been previously identified, there are not works carrying out systematic research about the changes in the profiles of odour-active volatiles during wine oxidation.