Grapevine is one of the world’s most important cultivated plants, domesticated from the wild vine over 11,000 years ago. The fungi associated with it are doubtless as old as the plant itself. Despite their co-evolution with the vine over the centuries, it was only with the invention of the microscope in the seventeenth century that fungi started to be recognised.

In the Cognac appellation, the production of white wines is almost exclusively dedicated to elaborate Charentaise eaux-de-vie. In this sense, the quality of Cognac eaux-de-vie intrinsically depends on the quality of the base wines subjected to the distillation stage. In this context, the production of these base wines differs from those of classic white wines to release particular organoleptic properties during the distillation stage.

The development of sensory profiles is crucial for quality control and innovation in the wine industry. If quantitative descriptive analysis is the most commonly used method for establishing sensory profiles due to its robustness, it presents significant limitations.

Over the last few years a drastic reduction has been noted in the survival rate of vine cuttings in nurseries, as well as in young vineyards in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The low average take percentages of young vines can be attributed to several factors, including fungal, bacterial and viral diseases, insect and nematode pests,

Grapevine vigour, defined as the propensity to assimilate, store and/or use non-structural sugars for allowing fast growth of shoots and producing large canopies[1], is crucial to optimize vineyard management. Recently, a model has been proposed for predicting the vigor of young grapevines through the measurement of the vegetative growth and physiological parameters, such as water status and gas exchange[2]. Our objectives were (1) to explore the influence of the association of two grapevine varieties (Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon, grafted onto R110 rootstocks) with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the vegetative vigour of young plants; and (2) to assess the effect of environmental factors linked to climate change on the vegetative vigour of Cabernet Sauvignon.