Development of analytical sampling technique to study the aroma profile of Pinot Noir wine

The Earth’s system is undergoing major changes through a wide range of spatial and temporal scales as a response to growing anthropogenic radiative forcing, which is pushing the whole system far beyond its natural variability. Sources of greenhouse gases largely exceed their sinks, thus leading to a strengthened greenhouse effect. More energy is thereby being supplied to the system, with inevitable shifts in climatic patterns and weather regimes. Over the last decades, these modifications have been manifested in the full statistical distributions of the atmospheric variables, with dramatic changes in the frequency and intensity of extremes. Natural hazards, such as severe droughts, floods, forest fires, or heatwaves, are being triggered by extreme atmospheric events worldwide, thus threatening human activities. Viticultculture is not only exposed to changing climates but is also highly vulnerable, as grapevine phenology and physiological development are strongly controlled by atmospheric conditions. Therefore, the assessment of climate change projections for a given region is critical for climate change adaptation and risk reduction in viticulture. By adopting timely and suitable measures, the future sustainability and resiliency of the sector can be fostered. Climate-grapevine chain modelling is an essential tool for better planning and management. However, the accuracy of the resulting projections is limited by many uncertainties that must be duly taken into account when transferring knowledge to stakeholders and decision-makers. Climate-smart viticulture will comprise ensembles of locally tuned strategies, envisioning both adaptation and mitigation, assisted by emerging technologies and decision-support systems.

The composition of grape berry cell walls was studied on two grape varieties, two years and two maturation levels at the same time as the extraction of anthocyanins and tannins. The chemical composition of skins, seeds, and pulps, focused on polyphenols and polysaccharides, was compared to the chemical composition in polyphenols after extraction from the skins in model solutions or after wine making of the berries. Polyphenols were mainly characterized by UPLC-MS and HPLC-SEC. Polysaccharides were characterized by analysis of the neutral sugar compositions, and also by the CoMPP (comprehensive micropolymer profiling) analysis, a new method which targets the functional groups of cell wall polysaccharides.

In this audio recording of the IVES science meeting 2022, Thibaut Verdenal (Agroscope, Pully, Switzerland) speaks about managing nitrogen balance in cover-cropped vineyard. This presentation is based on an original article accessible for free on OENO One.

Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of environmental hazards (e.g., prolonged drought), and even non-extreme climate events (e.g., a period of slightly warmer temperatures) can lead to extreme impacts when they occur simultaneously with other (non-extreme) events.

Effective control with fungicides is essential to protect grapevine from downy mildew, a devastating disease caused by the oomycete Plasmopara viticola. Managing this disease faces challenges in maintaining fungicide efficacy as the number of modes of action decreases and the risk of fungicide resistance increases. Long-term measures should address strains resistant to multiple modes of action, that can be selected by the repeated use of single-site fungicides. For these reasons, a precision management of the disease, that considers the selection of the best fungicide schedule according to the sensitivity profile of the pathogen population, is needed.