Using δ13C and hydroscapes as a tool for discriminating cultivar specific drought response

Long-term studies on grapevine phenology have clearly demonstrated that global warming is affecting phenological events, leading to an anticipation in their timing, and negatively impacting grape yield and berry quality. Therefore, dissecting the genetic determinants involved in the plant regulation of the phenological stages of budburst, flowering, veraison and ripening can improve our knowledge of the underlying mechanisms and support plant breeding programs and the advancement of vineyard management strategies.
We report here the results of a QTL mapping experiment conducted on three segregating populations obtained from the crossing of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ and ‘Corvina’, ‘Corvina’ and the hybrid ‘Solaris’ and ‘Rhine Riesling’ and ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’.

The aroma of wine is one of the most important determinants of quality as it strongly influences the consumer’s acceptance or rejection. Among the thousands of molecules comprising the wine aroma, sulfur-containing compounds can be considered as a “double-edged sword”: some of them, deriving from varietal precursors provide fruity pleasant aromas, while other ones, produced by yeast metabolism are related to “unpleasant” aromas

The designations of origin of the Loire Valley wine have been recognized according to customs and notoriety established over the centuries since the Middle Ages. There are four main production basins going up the Loire, from Nantes to the Sancerrois region: Nantes, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine and the vineyards of the Centre. In each of these basins, there is a wide range of appellations of origin which has been established according to a logic which may not seem obvious to the uninformed.

Using grapevine genetic diversity is one of the strategies to adapt viticulture to climate change. In this sense, assessing the plasticity of cultivars in their responses to environmental conditions is essential. For this purpose, the drought tolerance of Grenache, Tempranillo and Semillon cultivars grafted onto SO4 was evaluated at two experimental vineyards, one located in Valencia (Spain) and the other in Bordeaux (France). This was done by assessing gas exchange parameters, water relations and leaf hydraulic traits at the end of the season.

Valpolicella is a famous wine producing region in the province of Verona owing its fame above all to the production of two Protected Designation of Origins (PDOs) withered wines: Amarone and Recioto. In recent years, however, the wineries have been interested in the enhancement and qualitative increase of another PDO, Valpolicella Superiore. All the Valpolicella PDOs wines are produced with a unique grape blend, mainly Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and a range of other minor varieties.From 2019 Valpolicella product regulation has changed the grape proportion of the blend allowing new composition parameters of wines. For this reason, studying the volatile chemical profiles to support wine makers in the effort to produce high quality wines represents a field of great interest.