Banques de données biologiques annuelles par terroir et optimisation des itinéraires culturaux

Does a white wine smell like red wine if you color it with red food coloring? A study by Morrot, Brochet, and Dubourdieu (2001, Brain and Language) suggests so. Subjects perceived red wine odors when tasting white wine that had been colored red. The perceived odor profile of the colored white wine became similar to that of a red wine. However, the forced-choice procedure used by Morrot et al. has some methodological shortcomings. Here, we used an alternative method (a rating procedure) to evaluate the presented wines.

The cultivation of grapes, can be accomplished with the use of different systems and practices of agricultural management, the choice of the system to be followed in the vineyard, depends on the conditions of available resources, these being: natural, economic, social, cultural and territorial. As well, it is relevant to know the characteristics of the soil of the vineyard. In the last decade, has been recurrent use of agricultural practices which date back to milinares traditions, with the aim of promoting a recovery of soil and lead the management of cultivation with less damage to the ecosystem. The study here, aimed to quantify the environmental impacts caused in the use of nutrients in conventional tillage and of grapes in the biodynamic agricultural properties in the state of Rio Grande do Sul- Brazil.

Un projet multidisciplinaire sur l’effet du sol et du climat sur la qualité du vin a débuté en Afrique du Sud il y a 5 ans. Des mesures sont effectuées sous culture sèche dans des vignes de Sauvignon Blanc dans six localités différentes, cinq dans le district de Stellenbosch et une à Durbanville.

Mannoproteins (MPs) are proteoglycans from the outmost layer of yeast cell walls released into wine during alcoholic fermentation and ageing on lees processes. The use of commercial preparations of mannoproteins as additives to improve wine stability with regards to the crystallization of tartaric salts and to prevent protein haze in the case of white and rosé wines is authorized by the OIV.
Regarding red wines and polyphenols, mannoproteins are described as able to improve their colloidal stability and modulate the astringent effect of condensed tannins. The latter interact with salivary proteins forming insoluble aggregates that cause a loss of lubrication in the mouth and promote a drying and puckering sensation. However, neither the interaction mechanisms involved in mannoproteins capacity to impact astringency nor the structure-function relationships related to this property are fully understood.

One of the consequences of global warming is the quick berry development giving rise to a disconnection between sugar accumulation and the formation of important quality minor compounds such as phenolics and volatile compounds being a huge challenge for the oenologist [1]. Thus, this phenomenon is forcing the search on strategies for maintaining the quality of wines despite this situation. One possibility is to make an early harvest with a low sugar concentration (18ºbrix) and advanced harvest for sparkling wine (20-21ºbrix) and afterwards to combine base wines properly and carry out the second fermentation trying to compensate the lack of secondary metabolites due to the quick berry development and higher alcohol degree of the second one, not adequate itself for sparkling wine. The aim of this study was to assess the chemical and physical characteristics, mainly volatile profile, and foaming properties of sparkling wines from grapes of Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc.