Characterization of variety-specific changes in bulk stomatal conductance in response to changes in atmospheric demand and drought stress

In recent years, resistant varieties have returned to the attention of the wine sector as a response to climate change and the reduction of pesticides in grapevine management, which is the main culprit of pesticide use in European agriculture. In this context, the production of sparkling wines could be strongly influenced due to its requirements for a particular balance between sugars and acidity, and the necessity of sound grapes to ensure wine quality. However, these parameters are not the only ones that define the suitability of a grape variety to produce sparkling wine.

The wine sector is greatly threatened by climate change, but is also one of its contributors.

The sustainability of vineyards is a major issue. The choices proposed to date have major flaws such as the lack of scientific bases or the use of dangerous products such as copper. GiESCO has published a charter of best practices for the environment and for people adapted to various environments. The use of sustainably resistant grape varieties that produce quality wines plays a central role here. Often innovative cultivation systems associated with new technologies and based on scientific bases, guarantee respect for people and the environment. These proposals are brought together in a charter which is part of a meta-ethical approach to seeking consensual measures to ensure the sustainability of vineyards.

The increasing frequency of wildfires on the West Coast of the USA is seen as a significant risk for the grape and wine industry. Research has shown that perceived smoke impact in wines correlates with increases in volatile phenols (VPs) in grapes exposed to fresh smoke.

In northern cold climate conditions, chilling requirement fulfillment in dormant grapevine buds is slowed or stopped by subzero temperatures impacting the transcriptional processes needed to complete chilling requirement. Cabernet Franc and Reisling in Geneva, NY were used to determine the impact of natural oscillating temperatures on grapevine bud transcriptional activity during light and dark periods of a two-week period in January with fluctuating diurnal winter temperatures. Cabernet Franc and Reisling bud samples were collected at 32 time points during the natural vineyard temperature cycle at 6:00 (dark), 14:00 (light) and 18:00 (dark) hours) to monitor gene expression in consecutive freezing and non-freezing temperature oscillations. Genotype, light and dark, and temperature oscillations conditions were explored.