The production of high-quality wines requires the use of high-quality grapes. Some compounds originating from grapes may negatively influence the odour and flavour of the resulting wine in their original form or as precursors for off-odours and –flavours. Therefore, a rapid evaluation of the grapes directly upon receival at the winery is advantageous. Up to now, grape aroma is mainly evaluated by tasting, however, this leads to subjective results. The use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy allows a rapid, objective and destruction-free analysis without previous sample preparation. Moreover, the measurement can be integrated into an existing process without additional sampling.

Originally, the role of the malolactic fermentation (MLF) was simply to improve the microbial stability of wine via biological deacidification. However, there is an accumulation of evidence to support the fact that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) also contribute positively to the taste and aroma of wine. Many different LAB enter into grape juice and wine from the surface of grape berries, cluster stems, vine leaves, soil and winery equipment. Due to the highly selective environment of juices and wine, only a few types of LAB are able to grow.

One of the major threats to viticulture is represented by fungal pathogens. Plasmopara viticola, an oomycete causing grapevine downy mildew, is one of the principal causes of grape production losses. The most efficient management strategies are represented by a combination of agronomical practices, fungicides’ applications, and use of resistant varieties. Plant resistance is conferred by the presence of resistance (R) genes. Opposed to them, susceptibility (S) genes are encoded by plants and exploited by pathogens to promote infection. Loss or mutation of S genes can limit the ability of pathogens to infect the host. By exploiting post-transcriptional gene silencing, known as RNA intereference (RNAi), it is possible to knock-down the expression of S genes, promoting plant resistance.

Le climat a de fortes implications sur le bon fonctionnement physiologique de la vigne et a besoin d’être quantifié afin de déterminer l’aptitude des régions à la culture de la vigne. Une méthode, qui pourrait éventuellement servir à prévoir l’aptitude des régions à la culture de la vigne, est proposée.

The hill Somló looks like a huge island wich jumps out of the see, a few kilometers away from the slope of Bakony highland and on the edge of the Hungarian small plane.