Vitamins in grape must: let’s lift a corner of the veil

Currently, climate change represents one of the major issues for the wine sector. The increasing temperature already recorded and expected in the upcoming years reduce the vegetative cycle of the grape varieties planted in Bordeaux area, affecting the physicochemical parameters of grapes and consequently, the quality of wine. From a sensory point of view, the attenuation of the fresh fruity character in some varietals is accompanied by the accentuation of dried-fruit notes [1]. As a new adaptive and ecological strategy on global warming, some winegrowers have initiated changes in the Bordeaux blend of vine varieties using late-ripening grape varieties [2]. 

A relevant trend in winemaking is to reduce the use of chemical compounds in both the vineyard and winery.

Pinot Blanc, an important grape variety grown in some mountain areas of Northern Italy such as South Tyrol over the last decades, with its cultivation covering 10.3% of the total vineyards, has compatible climatic conditions (e.g. heat requirements) which are normally found in the geographical areas of the mountain viticulture [1,2,3,4]. Climatic changes are hastening the growth of this variety at higher elevations, particularly for the production of high quality wine.

Nowadays, the recovery of secondary resources of wine industry is insufficient and the developing of new products and adjuvants from secondary raw materials could become a relevant sector of research. The re-use of byproducts derived from winemaking could improve the sustainability of wine industry and give additional value to other food industries

Vitis vinifera L. and other Vitis have high genetic variations for cultivars or varieties. Many countries carried out strong efforts creating new clones of varieties, mainly focusing on plants free of viruses and other grapevine diseases, but also on different agronomical and enological characteristics of the plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate six clones of Merlot in the traditional viticulture of southeastern Brazil, focusing on distinct characteristics of yield, enological potential of grapes and wine typicality, in order to improve wine quality.