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

L’evoluzione del settore viti-enologico, supportato dalla ricerca ci propone sempre più frequentemente vini unici e inconfondibili. Il merito di ciò è da ricercare nel rapporto vitigno-territorio e dalla

The maturation patterns process has been very studied. In particular the modelization of the sugars and titratable acidity during the ripening period was an important approach, in particular for the prediction of harvest date (Barillere et al., 1988; Jourion et al.,1987; Maujean et al., 1983; Scienza, 1989). In Oltrepò Pavese, the widest viticultural district of Lombardy – Northern Italy – (about 15000 hectares), grape maturation trends shows high variability, due to the large variation in environmental characteristics of vineyards (altitude, exposure, soil type, mesoclimate) and to “cultivar x environment” interaction.

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).

It is important nowadays for wine producers to create a product that is an expression of their terroir, a concept including the interaction between a place (topography, climate, soil), the people (tradition, winemaking and viticultural practices) and the resulting product (grape varieties, wines) [1]. Nonetheless, wine’s typicity linked to those terroirs must be easily recognizable by consumers thanks to distinctive sensory characters and composition [2]. Among the compounds of interest, aromatic compounds and polyphenols play an important role in the quality of red wines, by impacting on the odour, color and astringency. To explore the influence of terroir factors, including climate, soil and human practices, on the chemical and sensory profile of wines, red wines from five terroirs of the Corbières appellation were subjected to a general study approach.

Context and purpose of the study. The temperature increase related to ongoing climate changes is causing a progressive anticipation of the ripening time, negatively affecting grape quality at harvest.