Parcours de découverte des terroirs viticoles

AIM: The diversity and complexity of the fermentation ecosystem during wine making limits the successful prediction of wine characteristics. The use of selected starter cultures has allowed a better control of the fermentation process and the production of wines with established characteristics. Among them, the use of mixed fermentations with Starmerella bacillaris and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts has gained attention in recent years due to the fructophylic nature of the first and the ability of this inoculation protocol to reduce the acetic acid and ethanol content of the wines.

Cover crops are planted in vineyards for multiple benefits including soil conservation, weed management, regulation of grapevine vegetative growth

When considering the application of a systemic approach to assess the intrinsic complexity of agricultural production, the following question immediately arises

In the current viticultural context, global warming leads to advanced and possibly accelerated ripening which can alter the balance among desirable grape quality traits sought for winemaking. Evaluation of genetic material that displays delayed and/or slower ripening could uncover a potential “slow ripening” trait for incorporation into commercial varieties through breeding. In this study, we evaluated a white-fruited selection discovered in the Grape Breeding and Genetics program at E. & J. Gallo Winery that displayed an unusual ripening pattern compared to standard varieties. Vines of the slow-ripening selection did not differ in their visual appearance, water status or gas exchange characteristics compared to vines of its normal-ripening sibling.

Current remote sensing strategies rely heavily on reflectance data and energy balance modelling using thermal imagery to estimate crop water use and stress. These approaches show great promise for driving precision management decisions, but still require work to better understand how detected changes relate to meaningful physiological changes. Under water stress, grapevines exhibit a range of responses involving both biological and physical changes within leaves and canopies.