Isolated Antarctic soil yeasts with fermentative capacity with potential use in the wine industry

Aim‐ Rootstocks provide protection against soil borne pests and are a powerful tool to manipulate growth, fruit composition and wine quality attributes

The results of the first step of the zoning study carried out in Bolghery appellation area (Castagneto Carducci, Tuscany) in the 1993-1995 period have been recently published. Quality factors of Bolgheri appellation and different “terroirs ” were identified.

Climate change impacts on both yields and quality have increased over the past decades, with the effects of extreme climate events having the most dramatic and obvious impacts. Increasing length and intensity of heatwaves associated with increased water stress necessitates a reevaluation of climate change responses of grapevine and, ultimately, a reconsideration of vineyard management practices under future conditions. Here we summarize results from a three-year field trial manipulating irrigation prior to and during heatwave events to assess impacts of water application rates on vine health and physiology, berry chemistry, and wine quality. We also highlight potential mitigation strategies for extreme heat, both in terms of water application, as well as other cultural practices that could be widely applicable.

Botrytis cinerea has more than 1200 host plants and is one of the most important plant pathogens in viticulture. Under certain environmental conditions, it can lead to the development of a noble rot, which results in a specific metabolic profile, altering physical texture and chemical composition. The other microbes involved in this process and their functional genes are poorly characterised. We have generated metatranscriptomic [1,2] and DNA metabarcoding data from three months of the Furmint grape variety, representing the four phases of noble rot, from healthy berries to completely dried berries.

Extension of the growing season, compression of the annual growth cycle and higher frequency and severity of weather extreme events are consistent features of global warming. While mitigation of factors causing global warming is necessary in the medium-long term, wine growers need “ready to go” adaptation practices to counteract negative effects bound to climate change. This must be done in a sustainably way, meaning that remunerative yield, desired grape quality, low production cost and environment friendly solutions must be effectively merged. In this work, we will review contribution given over the last two decades prioritizing issues related to scion and rootstock choice, changes in vineyard floor management, new perception related to the use of irrigation in vineyards, adaptation practices aimed at decompress maturity, solutions to counteract or minimize damages due to late frost and sunburn and, lastly, some hints on how precision viticulture can help with all of this.