WAC 2022 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 WAC 9 WAC 2022 9 1 - WAC - Oral presentations 9 Integrative grape to wine metabolite analyses to study the vineyard “memory” of wine

Integrative grape to wine metabolite analyses to study the vineyard “memory” of wine

Abstract

Wine production is a complex multi-step process and the end-product is not easily defined in terms of composition and quality due to the diversity of the raw materials (grapes) and the biological agents (yeast and bacteria) used/present during the fermentation. Furthermore, linking what happens in the vineyard to the wine fermentation and ultimately to characteristics in the wine during ageing is often attempted in scientific studies, but clear causal relationships between factors are not easy to extract. Most wine research is therefore split along viticultural or oenological experimentation. Oenologists/yeast biologists seek direct links between the yeast fermenting a specific juice and the resulting changes in the wines, whereas viticultural studies explore treatments and their effects on grape production and berry quality parameters. If these studies indeed attempt to link back to the vineyards or the wines respectively, invariably one or more of the steps in the wine system is left unexplored, or being handled as a black box. The scientific challenge and opportunity therefore remains to study wine as a system (from vineyard to tank to barrel to bottle to glass). Our approaches in this regard will be explained by using examples from model vineyards under study where grape berries and their reactions to modulated environmental factors were studied using climatic monitoring in combination with molecular and metabolite profiling of the berries during all stages of development. These characterised grapes were then fermented into wines while continuing the detailed metabolite profiling of the juice and wine matrices. The wines were also subjected to sensory evaluations to complete the analysis of the final products. With these studies, we hope to contribute to the analysis of grape and wine active compounds in a holistic manner in order to identify correlations and predict outcomes under a specific set of conditions.

DOI:

Publication date: June 9, 2022

Issue: WAC 2022

Type: Article

Authors

Melane Vivier

Presenting author

Melane Vivier – South African Grape and Wine Research Institute, Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Stellenbosch University

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | WAC 2022

Citation

Related articles…

Performance of Selected Uruguayan Native Yeasts for Tannat Wine Production at Pilot Scale

The wine industry is increasing the demand for indigenous yeasts adapted to the terroir to produce unique wines that reflect the distinctive characteristics of each region. In our group, we have identified and characterized 60 native yeast strains isolated from a vineyard in Maldonado-Uruguay, in which three strains stood out: Saccharomyces cerevisiae T193FS, Saturnispora diversa T191FS, and Starmerella bacillaris T193MS. Their oenological potential was evaluated at a semi-pilot scale in Tannat must vinification in the wine cellar to have a more precise and representative evaluation of the final product.

Read More

Cultures des vignobles en forte pente: possibilités de mécanisation. Effet de l’exposition et de l’orientation des rangs

Plus de la moitié du vignoble suisse (14’000 ha) est situé sur des coteaux en forte pente (> 30%). Dans certains vignobles, la pente naturelle du terrain a été réduite par la construction de terrasses soutenues par des murs.

Read More

Influence of soil characteristics on vine growth, plant nutrient levels and juice properties: a multi-year analysis

Soil physical and chemical properties affect vine nutrition, as indicated by leaf and petiole nutrient content, in a way that may directly impact wine properties.

Read More

On the losses of dissolved CO2 from laser-etched champagne glasses under standard tasting conditions

Under standard champagne tasting conditions, the complex interplay between the level of dissolved CO2 found in champagne, its temperature, the glass shape, and the bubbling rate, definitely impacts champagne tasting by modifying the neuro-physico-chemical mechanisms responsible for aroma release and flavor perception. Based on theoretical principles combining heterogeneous bubble nucleation, ascending bubble dynamics and mass transfer equations, a global model is proposed (depending on various parameters of both the wine and the glass itself), which quantitatively provides the progressive losses of dissolved CO2 from laser-etched champagne glasses.

Read More

Challenges and opportunities for increasing organic carbon in vineyard soils: perspectives of extension specialists

Context description and research question: an increasing number of farmers are considering the impact of conservation practices on soil health to guide sustainable management of vineyards. Understanding impacts of soil management on soil organic carbon (SOC) is one lever for adoption of agroecological practice with potential to help maintain or improve soil health while building SOC stocks to mitigate climate change (Amelung et al., 2020).

Read More