Similarities among wine aromas and landscape scents around the vineyard in five Mediterranean sites

Optimizing the use of water and improving irrigation strategies has become increasingly important in most winegrowing countries due to the consequences of climate change, which are leading to more frequent droughts, heat waves, or alteration of precipitation patterns. Optimized irrigation scheduling can only be based on a reliable knowledge of the vineyard water status.

In this context, this work aims at the development of a novel methodology, using a contactless, miniaturized, low-cost NIR spectral tool to monitor (on-the-go) the vineyard water status variability. On-the-go spectral measurements were acquired in the vineyard using a NIR micro spectrometer, operating in the 900–1900 nm spectral range, from a ground vehicle moving at 3 km/h. Spectral measurements were collected on the northeast side of the canopy across four different dates (July 8th, 14th, 21st and August 12th) during 2021 season in a commercial vineyard (3 ha). Grapevines of Vitis vinifera L. Graciano planted on a VSP trellis were monitored at solar noon using stem water potential (Ψs) as reference indicators of plant water status. In total, 108 measurements of Ψs were taken (27 vines per date).

Calibration and prediction models were performed using Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression. The best prediction models for grapevine water status yielded a determination coefficient of cross-validation (r2cv) of 0.67 and a root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSEcv) of 0.131 MPa. This predictive model was employed to map the spatial variability of the vineyard water status and provided useful, practical information towards the implementation of appropriate irrigation strategies. The outcomes presented in this work show the great potential of this low-cost methodology to assess the vineyard stem water potential and its spatial variability in a commercial vineyard.

Phenolic compounds are among the most important quality factors of wines. They contribute to the organoleptic characteristics of wine such as colour, astringency, and bitterness. Although tannins found in wine can come from microbial and oak sources, the main sources of polyphenols are skin and seed from grapes. Yet, the link between grape seed phenolic content and wine composition, or even the link between seed maturity stage and wine composition are poorly studied. This work describes and explains the seed tannins kinetics release in wine, but also the impact of seed maturity stage on seed tannins extractability.

It is widely known the impact that oxidation has on wine sensory degradation and eventually, in the shortening of its longevity.

The wine sector generates a considerable amount of wealth but is facing a growing problem of fraud. Wine counterfeiting is one of the oldest and most common cases of food fraud worldwide. Therefore, the authenticity and traceability of wine are major concerns for both the industry and consumers. To address these issues, robust and reliable analysis and control methods are necessary. Several methods have been developed, ranging from simple organoleptic tests to more advanced methodologies such as isotopic techniques or residual radioactivity measurements.

Downy mildew, a disease caused by Plasmopara viticola (Berk. et Curt.) Berl. and De Toni, is one of the strongest threats to grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) production. Recently, sources of resistance to downy mildew were identified among Caucasian germplasm. Among them, the Georgian variety Mgaloblishvili revealed a unique resistance mechanism. A genome wide association study (GWAS) allowed the identification of the genetic bases of Mgaloblishvili resistance, the loci Rpv29, Rpv30 and Rpv31. To dissect the three resistance loci, Mgaloblishvili genome was sequenced using PacBio HiFi reads and assembled.