Phenological characterization of a wide range of Vitis Vinifera varieties

Aim: Global climate change affects regional climates and hold implications for wine growing regions worldwide (Jones, 2007, 2015; van Leeuwen and Darriet, 2016). The prospect of 21st century climate change consequently is one of the major challenges facing the wine industry (Keller, 2010).

Polyphenols are present in a wide variety of plants and foods such as tea, cacao and grape1. An important sub-class of these compounds is the flavanols present in grapes and wines as monomers (e.g (+)-catechin or (-)-epicatechin), or polymers also called condensed tannins or proanthocyanidins. They have important antioxidant properties2 but their biosynthesis remains partly unknown. Some recent studies have focused on the role of glycosylated intermediates that are involved in the transport of the monomers and may serve as precursors in the polymerization mechanism3, 4. The global objective of this work is to identify flavanol glycosides in grapes or wines, describe their structure and determine their abundance during grape development and in wine.

Detailed geological analyses of a plot belonging to the « AOC Gaillac » area have been carried out. This plot belongs to the left bank terraces of the Tarn River which coinciding with one of the three main terroirs of the AOC area. It is localised on the rissian-aged (≈ 200 000 yrs B.P.)

Biocontrol using non-Saccharomyces yeasts is an alternative strategy to chemical additives to prevent the growth of spoilage microorganisms.

Oxidation processes constitute a main problem in winemaking. Oxidation result in color browning and varietal aroma loss, which are key attributes of wine organoleptic quality