Use of a new, miniaturized, low-cost spectral sensor to estimate and map the vineyard water status from a mobile 

In this work, an innovative analytical method has been proposed for fast and reliable in-line analysis of tannins in wines; the method is fast, does not require sample preparation and is based on the selective reactivity of tannins in a mixture containing proteinaceous matter (i.e. gelatin), under pH 3.5, resulting in the formation of white cloudiness.

Aims: The objective of this research was to analyse the spatial and temporal variability of vine phenology of the Tempranillo variety in the Toro Designation of Origen (DO) related to climatic conditions at present and under future climate change scenarios.

This study was performed on Chasselas wine to assess the impact of exposure to wine light according to several glass color of bottles. The aim was to highlight any differences whether from an organoleptic or analytical point of view depending on the color. For this, four different shades were compared, dead leaf, green, cinnamon and transparent. A control, not treated with light, was also included in the study. Several tests were carried out with different exposure times in boxes as well as in stores. The bottles were exposed 7 days, 4 days as well as 2 days in box but also 7 days in store. At the end of each test the different modalities were tasted by an expert panel in order to observe any differences between the tint modalities. As a result of these experiments, it was observed that organoleptic differences significant appeared after 2 days of exposure, in particular on the olfactory notes of the reduction. The transparent modality was seen to be significantly more intense on reduction scores compared to other modalities, including the witness in particular. These differences were also observed during all the tests even that of 7 days of exposure in store where we would have thought that there would be no difference. Overall, the control and cinnamon modalities are generally perceived to have more intense notes on the fruity, floral descriptors but less intense for reduction than the transparent shade. For the dead leaf and green modalities, the results are more contrasted and sometimes approach those of the control and other times closer to the transparent modality. Regarding the analytical results, similar conclusions could be drawn with respect to the sensory tests. In fact, the transparent modality is the variant which has an absorbance of the UV-C solution that is twice as high as the other modalities after the 7-day treatment in the chamber. In view of the sensory and analytical results obtained in this study, the choice of the color of the bottles turns out to be an essential element in influencing the intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of a wine. In order to preserve the qualities of the wine over the medium and long term, dark and opaque tints should be favored. Conversely, a transparent glass could be recommended in the case of rapid consumption of the wine after bottling.

In recent years, developing more efficient and sustainable viticulture management has been essential due to the impact of climate change in semiarid regions. For this reason, the use of recycled organic mulching (ROM) in the vineyard has become an interesting strategy to cope with water stress, isolated soil from extreme temperatures and improving soil humidity, control the presence of weeds and therefore reduce the inputs of herbicides and improve soil fertility. This work aimed to analyse the effect of three different organic mulches [straw (S), grape pruning debris (GPD) and spent mushroom compost (SMC)] and two traditional soil management techniques [herbicide (H) and interrow (IN)] on weed coverage and the spontaneous plant communities’ presence. Data sampling was collected throughout the vine vegetative cycle of 2021 in La Rioja, Spain. The different soil management techniques had a clear effect on weed coverage and his development during the vine vegetative cycle. SMC and H were the treatments with the highest and the lowest coverage percentage, respectively. IN had a delayed weed emergence at the beginning of the vine vegetative cycle, but finally it reached maximum values nearby SMC. GPD and S had similar effects on weed emergence, reaching 25-30% of the maximum coverage values. A total of 29 herbaceous species were identified during the vegetative cycle, some of them very isolated and occasional. Principal component analysis (PCAs) showed a good association between spontaneous species and treatments, furthermore, specific species-treatment associations were found. Moreover, three clear groups of herbaceous communities were identified by cluster analysis. This study provides interesting information about the effect of different alternative soil management on herbaceous plant coverage and weed species communities which could contribute to making more sustainable viticulture.

High concentration of sugars in grapes and alcohol in wines is one of the consequences of climate change on viticulture production in several wine-growing regions. In order to investigate the possibilities of adaptation of vineyard management practices aimed to reduce the accumulation of sugar during the maturation phase without reducing the accumulation of anthocyanins in grapes, a study with severe shoot trimming, shoot thinning, cluster thinning and date of harvest was conducted on Merlot variety in Istria region (Croatia), under the Mediterranean climate. Four factors which may affect grape maturation and its composition at harvest were investigated in a two-years experiment; severe shoot trimming applied at veraison when >80% of berries changed colour (in comparison to untreated control), shoot thinning (0 and 30%), cluster thinning (0 and 30%), and the date of harvest (early and standard harvest dates). Shoot thinning had no significant impact on berry composition, despite the obtained reduction in yield per vine. Lower Brix in grapes were obtained with earlier harvest date and if no cluster thinning was applied, although at the same time a reduction in the concentration of anthocyanins in berries was observed in these treatments. On the other hand, if severe shoot trimming was applied when >80% of berries changed colour, a reduction of Brix was obtained without a negative impact on berry anthocyanins concentration. We conclude that in cases when undesirably high sugar concentrations at harvest are expected, severe shoot trimming at 80% veraison may effectively be used in order to obtain moderate sugar concentration in berries together with the adequate phenolic composition.