New insights on thiol precursors catabolism by yeast during wine fermentation: identification of the N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine conjugate

Under current climate change pressures, obtaining grapes with adequate acidity at harvest is one of the main challenges for growers, especially if the goal is producing sparkling wines. This issue arises from two main occurrences: i) higher temperatures enhance degradation of malic acid; ii) grape maturity may occur under suboptimal climatic conditions due to an advanced phenology.

Climate changes and the trend towards organic and more sustainable winemaking highlighted the need to use biological methodologies. The reduction in the use of SO2, the need of the reduction of ethanol content of wines and the now need to reduce or eliminate chemical phytosanitary products, have prompted the search for alternative practices.

The markets for quality wine are becoming more competitive as newer producers emerge and traditional producers improve their quality. The concept of terroir is one way to differenzi­ate wines in a competitive market and to enhance producer income.

Recycled organic mulch within the row in vineyard floor management has become an interesting ecological strategy to adapt the crop to climate change consequences in semi-arid regions.
This study aimed to assess the impact of three recycled organic mulches [straw (STR), grape pruning debris (GPD), and spent mushroom compost (SMC)] and two conventional soil management practices [herbicide (HERB) and under-row tillage (TILL)] on vegetative vigour (NDVI), production (kg/plant), and physiological parameters (δ13C in grapes and leaf gas exchange during four grapevine phenology stages). Additionally, temperature and water soil parameters were collected at three soil depths. Data was collected during the 2021 and 2022 grapevine growing seasons in La Rioja, Spain.

INTRODUCTION: Lately, there has been an increasing interest in using plant-derived proteins for wine phenolic fining.