Variabilité spatiale du gel printanier dans le vignoble champenois : application au zonage climatique

The quality of wine is difficult to define. This is most certainly accredited to everyone´s different perception of quality. Some of the indicators of high-quality wines are complexity, balance, color and intensity. Color is one of the most crucial attributes of quality, not only for the obvious implications for their perception but also because they are indicators of other aspects related to its aroma and taste. Phenolic compounds are the main responsible for wine color, being anthocyanin and tannins the most determinant compounds in red wines. In addition to color, wine aroma is another important attribute linked with quality and consumer preferences.

Reduced off-flavour is an organoleptic defect due to an excess of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) in wine and often happening in Shiraz wines. This off-flavour is a direct consequence of the lack of oxygen flow during winemaking and bottle storage. Therefore, wine closure could have a direct impact on the formation of VSC due to the oxygen transfer rate that can modulate their levels. Even if dimethylsulfide (DMS) contributes to reduced off-flavor, it is also a fruity note enhancer in wine and its evolution during wine ageing is not well understood.

Challenging conditions created by limited water supply and changes in the climate require an understanding of the physiological status of table grapes along the whole value chain. This is critical to develop tools for regulatory management of growth balances and grape quality. This study aimed to determine the impact of different amounts of water and an altered micro-climate (complete covering of vineyards with plastic) on the physiological reaction of the grapevine during the growth season.

Implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in viticulture and enology is a rapidly growing field of research with an essential number of potential practical applications.

Sotolon (3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone) is a naturally occurring odorant compound with a strong caramel/spice-like scent, present in many foodstuffs. Its positive contribution for the aroma of different fortified wines such as Madeira, Port and Sherry is recognized. In contrast, it is also known to be responsible for the off-flavor character of prematurely aged dry white wines. The formation mechanisms of sotolon in wine are still not well elucidated, particularly in Madeira wines, which are submitted to thermal processing during its traditional ageing. The sotolon formation in these wines has been related to sugar degradation mechanisms, particularly from fructose [1].