Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites of grapes. Plants produce a wide variety of this type of metabolites through diverse biosynthesis pathways and their production is sometimes a response to external stimuli, either environmental or biotic stresses. Some of them may act as chemical defenses against pathogens or herbivores and their synthesis is increased when the attack exists. However, it is remarkable that the synthesis of these interesting compounds can be activated even when the stimulus is not present, with the use of elicitors. These are substances that when applied exogenously trigger the biosynthetic pathways conducting to the synthesis of these defense compounds.

Aims: In previous work, five indigenous Pichia kluyveri strains, GS1-1, FS-2-7, HS-2-1, C730 and C732, were isolated and selected from spontaneous fermented wines from Ningxia and Gansu. The aims of this study were to 1) evaluate resistance of these strains to environmental stressors that may restrict their growth and the progress of alcoholic fermentation; 2) Investigate their fermentation dynamics; 3) Characterise aroma profiles of Cabernet Sauvignon wines made from mixed cultures of P. kluyveri and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In the course of the present work, which is the first part of a study on the “characterization of Barbera dell’Oltrepo Pavese D.O.C.” 30 wines Barbera from 1993 vintage have been compared only regarding their sensory characteristics. An unstructured scale card, composed by 15 descriptors have been used.

Anthocyanins and phenolic compounds play a crucial role in winemaking, contributing to the profile, flavor, color, texture, and stability of wine. Grape clusters, specifically Vitis vinifera L. cv. Grenache, were handpicked from a commercial vineyard sited in Tudelilla, La Rioja, Spain (42°18′ 52.26″, Long. -2°7′ 59.15″, Alt. 582 m) on five distinct dates from veraison to harvest during the 2015 season. Non-contact spectral measurements were conducted on intact grape berries using a VIS-NIR spectrometer operating in the 570 – 1000 nm spectral range under controlled laboratory conditions, positioned at a distance of 25 cm from the berries. The quantification of 16 anthocyanins and phenols in 120 grape clusters was performed using HPLC, established as the reference method for validating the spectral tool.

We analyze the effects of climate (temperature and pluviometry) on the phenologic stages of the vine (débourrement, flowering, ripening and grape harvest). We rebuilt time series starting from the beginning of the XIXth century for the Medoc and the area of Bordeaux, data very seldom mobilized by researchers.