For many years, enological research has developed commercial formulates of yeast derivatives as stabilizing agents and technological adjuvants in winemaking. These products are obtained from yeast by autolytic, plasmolytic, or hydrolytic processes that liberate many macromolecules from the yeast cell, principally polysaccharides and oligosaccharides and most specifically mannoproteins that are well known for their ability to improve tartaric stability and to reduce the occurrence of protein hazes (Ángeles Pozo-Bayón et al., 2009; Charpentier & Feuillat, 1992; Morata et al., 2018; Palomero et al., 2009).

Botrytis cinerea, an Ascomycota pathogen with a broad host range, infects over 1200 plant species. Grapes infected by this pathogen, which subsequently develop a noble rot, remain in the vineyard for an extended period, thus being exposed to a diverse array of physical, chemical and biological factors, which give rise to a complex microbial community.

The sensory characteristics of wine are a topic studied by several researchers over time, but it continues to be a current and challenging subject. These characteristics are fundamental for the consumer acceptability, which has increasingly aroused their interest to modulate them in line with current market trends and innovation demands. The wine physical-chemical and sensory properties depend on a wide set of factors: they begin to be designed in the vineyard and are later constructed during the various stages of winemaking. Afterwards, the wine is placed in bottles and stored or commercialized.

Barolo DOCG is an economically important wine producing region in Northwest Italy. It is a small region of approximately 70 km2 gross area. The topography is very complex with steep sloped hills ranging in elevation from below 200 m to 550 m. Barolo DOCG wine is made exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape. Bioclimatic indexes are often used in viticulture to gain a better understanding of broader climate trends which can be compared temporally and geographically. These indexes are also used for identifying potential phenological timing, growing region suitability, and potential risks associated with expected climatic changes. Understanding how topography influences bioclimatic indexes can help with understanding of mesoscale climate behaviour leading to improved decision making and risk management strategies. The average monthly maximum and minimum temperatures, the Cool Night Index, the Huglin Index, and the monthly diurnal range (from July to October) were calculated using data from 45 weather stations within a 40 km radius of the Barolo DOCG growing area between the years 1996 and 2019. Linear and multiple regression models were developed using independent variables (elevation, aspect, slope) extracted from a digital elevation model to identify significant relationships. Bioclimatic indexes were then kriged with external drift using independent variables that showed significant relationships with the bioclimatic index using a 100 m resolution grid. The maximum monthly temperatures and the Huglin Index showed consistent significant negative relationships with elevation in all years. The minimum monthly temperatures showed no relationship with elevation but in some months a small but significant relationship was observed with aspect. Due to the lack of a relationship between minimum monthly temperatures and elevation compared to the significant relationship between maximum monthly temperatures and elevation, monthly diurnal range had a negative relationship with elevation.

AIM: Three Oenococcus oeni strains previously isolated from spontaneous malolactic fermentation were characterized for their surface properties. Planktonic and sessile cells were investigated for aroma compounds production and the expression of genes involved in citrate and malate metabolism (citE and mleA, respectively), glycoside-hydrolase (dsrO), fructansucrase (levO), rhamnosyl-transferase (wobB), glycosyltransferase (wobO).