Les sols du cru de Bonnezeaux, Thouarcé, Anjou, France

Climate change has become a reality that is becoming more and more apparent every day, with changes in the physico-chemical composition of grapes and an increase in the alcohol content of finished wines. These higher alcoholic degrees are not without consequences for the success of alcoholic and malolactic fermentation. Correcting the alcohol content (-20% of the initial alcoholic strength) is also part of an approach designed to meet consumer expectations for healthier, lighter or lower-alcohol wines (9 to 13% vol.). Correcting the alcohol content of wines also rebalances the mouthfeel by reducing the alcohol’s burn.

Temperature extremes affect grapevine physiology, as well as grape quality and production. In most grape growing regions, frost or heat wave events are rare and as such conducting a risk analysis using robust statistics makes the use of long term daily data necessary.

The interaction between cultivar and growing environment is the base of wine quality and typicality. In recent time the behaviour of different clones within the same cultivar became another fundamental factor influencing the enological result. In order to clarify cultivar/clone/environment relations, a trial was carried out in 2008 studying the performances of three clones of ‘Nebbiolo’, grown in different environments: south-east Piedmont (hilly and characterized by a loamy and alkaline soil) and north-east Piedmont (a plain area characterized by a sandy and acidic soil).

Endogenic diseases often arise from pathogens that exist within the plant tissue, including fungi, bacteria, and viruses, which can remain latent and then emerge under stress conditions or favorable environmental conditions, causing symptoms that weaken vines or can lead to plant death.

AIM: The application of microwaves (MW) to the grape is a technique to reduce the contact time with pomace because it allows to break the cell walls of the berry.