Terroir et marché : exemples de stratégie pour les vins d’une petite région (Muscadet – Anjou – Touraine)

Valpolicella is a famous wine producing region in the province of Verona owing its fame above all to the production of two Protected Designation of Origins (PDOs) withered wines: Amarone and Recioto. In recent years, however, the wineries have been interested in the enhancement and qualitative increase of another PDO, Valpolicella Superiore. All the Valpolicella PDOs wines are produced with a unique grape blend, mainly Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and a range of other minor varieties.

The main objective of this work is to study and model the impact of the polyphenolic profile on the stability and quality of wine aroma during oxidative aging.

This study aims to create an updated, agile viticultural climate index (similar to the Winkler Index) by performing in-depth analyses of current and historical data from industry partners in several major winegrowing regions. The Winkler Index was developed in the early twentieth century based on analysis of various grape-growing regions in California. The index uses heat accumulation (i.e. Growing Degree Days) throughout the growing season to determine which grape varieties are best suited to each region. As viticultural regions are increasingly subject to the complexity and uncertainty of a changing climate, a more rigorous, agile model is needed to aid grape growers in determining which cultivars to plant where. For the first phase of this study, 21 industry partners throughout Napa Valley shared historical phenology, harvest, viticultural practice, and weather data related to their Cabernet sauvignon vineyard blocks. To complement this data, berry samples were collected throughout the 2021 growing season from 50 vineyard blocks located throughout 16 American Viticultural Areas that were then analyzed for basic berry chemistry and phenolics. These blocks have been mapped using a Geographic Information System (GIS), enabling analysis of altitude, vineyard row orientation, slope, and remotely sensed climate data. Sampling sites were also chosen based on their proximity to a weather station. By analyzing historical data from industry partners and data specifically collected for this study, it is possible to identify key parameters for further analysis. Initial results indicate extreme variability at a high spatial resolution not currently accounted for in modern viticultural climate indices and suggest that viticultural practices play a major role. Using the structure of data collection and analyses developed for the first phase, this project will soon be expanded to other wine regions globally, while continuing data collection in Napa Valley.

Grapevines are continually wounded throughout their cultivation especially during winter pruning. Grapevines respond to wounding by occluding xylem vessels with gels or tyloses to limit pathogen attack and dehydration of the tissues. Although the production of xylem vessel occlusions has been studied in grapevine, to date we have no knowledge of whether different genotypes respond differently. The objective of this study was to characterize the genetic variation in xylem vessel occulsions in five different scion genotypes pruned at different dates.

Somló is Hungary’s smallest wine district, however one of the best producing white wines. The majority of vineyard areas are located on the slopes of Somló-hill, situated at the point where the Kisalföld meets Bakonyalja