Impact of Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica Newman) on the chemical composition of two grape varieties grown in Italy (Nebbiolo and Erbaluce)

Studying the impact of reducing alcohol techniques in the chemical composition of the aromatic profile of rosé Tempranillo wines from the spanish region of Castilla-La Mancha INTRODUCTION: In the last decades there has been an increseasing demand of wines with low or non-existing alcohol concentration due to the negative effects that alcohol has in health. In spite of that, there are not laws that protect these products, and there is also a great difficulty in the elaboration of these type of wines due to the increasing temperatures because of climate change. This is why the oenological industry has made great advances in the development of different techniques that could satisfy consumers’ demands without modifying wine quality. The most used techniques have been post-fermentative ones.

La caratterizzazione bioclimatica del territorio rappresenta un elemento sempre più impor­tante per il miglioramento dell’ attività agricola. La conoscenza degli andamenti assunti dai parametri meteorologici puà consentire di individuare le peculiarità dei singoli appezzamenti aziendali, ottimizzando le scelte sia in termini tattici (esecuzione dei più opportuni interventi colturali) che strategici (scelta delle specie o varietà più idonee a valorizzare ciascun am­biente).

I performed my PhD in grapevine physiology under the supervision of Dr. H. Medrano, standing in the vineyards from pre-dawn to sunrise during many hot, wet and sunny days with my colleagues J.M.E. and J.B. I also spent many days and nights facing ticks year-round working in Mediterranean macchias with J.Gu. and M.M. Later I was able to supervise PhD students on grapevines – like A.P. and M.T. – and on Mediterranean vegetation – like J.Gal. With the incorporation to the group of M.R.-C. ‘the puzzle’ was completed and, combining the aforementioned studies, we could conclude (more than 20 years ago) things like: (1) stomatal conductance is the best proxy for ‘water stress’ in studies on photosynthesis; (2) steady-state chlorophyll fluorescence retrieves photosynthesis under saturating light; (3) photoinhibition is not a major photosynthetic limitation under water stress; (4) mesophyll conductance instead is; and (5) mesophyll conductance is a major driver of leaf water use efficiency.

In a recent context where consumers pay an increasing attention to sustainability and eco-friendly aspects in the decision-making process, the use of the resistant varieties in the wine sector have returned to the attention. In this context, the use of mould-resistant grape varieties would be an opportunity for sparkling wine producers as it can reduced the pesticide utilization in grape management and hence production costs.
However, the use of the resistant varieties to produce the base wine may be strongly influenced due to its requirements for a particular balance between sugars and acidity to ensure the quality of the final product. In addition, the aromatic profile of base wine plays a crucial role in the perception of the quality of the sparkling wine.

Cover crops in vineyards bring numerous benefits, including enhanced soil health, improved water infiltration, and potential pest reduction. However, they also present risks, such as reduced vine vigour and yield due to competition for water and nutrients (Celette & Gary 2013, Garcia et al., 2018).