Permanent cover cropping with reduced tillage increased resiliency of wine grape vineyards to climate change

The reflections presented here are a synthesis of a set of research on the construction of a scientific logic concerning the relations between the terroir, the vine, the wine, and on the study of a product, the wine, considered as the resulting from many interactions between factors of various orders. This work has benefited greatly from discussions of an epistemological as well as a technical nature with all the researchers at URVV (Angers) and with our colleagues at the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, over several years.

According to the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Cava is protected in the quality sparkling wines made by the traditional Champenoise method were the wine realize a second fermentation inside the own bottle1. Geographical and human peculiarities of each bottle are the main way for the final quality2. The aim of this study is to find correlations and which target compounds are the most representative of the quality of two different grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Xarel·lo. The quality of these two types of grapes is being studied for each variety by a previous classification of the vineyard made by the company who provided the samples (qualities A,B,C,D, being A the better one and D the worst one). The target compounds studied are organic acids and polyphenols. The methodology for the determination of organic acids is HPLC-UV/vis and for some of them the enzymatic methodology.

Located in the western bekaa region of lebanon, rachaya is known for its extensive history of viticulture and ideal mediterranean conditions for grapevine cultivation. Despite the area’s importance in grapevine production, there is limited knowledge about the local grape varieties grown there. In this work, we conducted a detailed analysis of five local grapevine varieties in the area, obeidy, kassoufi, foddeh, aswadi, and maryami, of which little is currently known, in comparison to a set of international varieties.

Although oligosaccharides have much impact both on health (prevention of diabetes, cardiovascular disease), and on the perception of wine (sweetness, astringency, acidity or bitterness), information on their composition in wine is still limited.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration has continuously increased since pre-industrial times from 280 ppm in 1750, and is predicted to exceed 700 ppm by the end of 21st century. For most of C3 plant species elevated CO2 (eCO2) improve photosynthetic apparatus results in an increased plant biomass production. To investigate the effects of eCO2 on morphological leaf characteristics the two Vitis vinifera L. cultivars, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon, grown in the Geisenheim VineyardFACE (Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment) system were used. The FACE site is located at Geisenheim University (49° 59′ N, 7° 57′ E, 94 m above sea level), Germany and was implemented in 2014 comparing future atmospheric CO2-concentrations (eCO2, predicted for the mid-21st century) with current ambient CO2-conditions (aCO2). Experiments were conducted under rain-fed conditions for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). Six leaves per repetition of the CO2 treatment were sampled in the field and immediately fixed in a FAA solution (ethanol, H2O, formaldehyde and glacial acetic acid). After 24 h leaf samples were transferred and stored in an ethanol solution. Subsequently, leaf tissue was dehydrated using ethanol series and embedded in paraffin. By using a rotary microtomesections of 5 µm were prepared and fixed on microscopic slides. Subsequent the samples were stained using consecutive staining and washing solutions. Afterwards pictures of the leaf cross-sections were taken using a light microscope and consecutive measurements were conducted with an open source image software. Differences found in leaf cross-sections of the two CO2 treatments were detected for the palisade parenchyma. Leaf thickness, upper and lower epidermis and spongy parenchyma remained less affected under eCO2 conditions. The observed results within grapevine leaf tissues can provide first insights to seasonal adaptation strategies of grapevines under future elevated CO2 concentrations.