From vineyard to bottle. Rationalizing grape compositional drivers of the expression of “Amarone della Valpolicella” terroir

“Vinum debet esse naturale ex genimine vitis et non corruptum”. The Eucharistic wine must be made with pure grapes that must not be contaminated in any way. This is how wine was born in the monastery of the Augustinians, and that is how the genetic improvement of grapevine implemented over the decades at the Agricultural Institute of San Michele all’Adige (since 1874; Trentino – Italy) has been oriented to make the cultivation of grapes always more sustainable. This concept is still current and meets the worldwide urgent need of reducing the use of chemicals, under a climate crisis scenario. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the varieties introduced in Trentino and the new cultivars produced by pioneer breeders have already embraced the principle of sustainable viticulture.

Over the past 70 years, scientific literature has consistently illustrated the advantageous effects of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) on plant growth and stress tolerance. Recent reviews not only reaffirm these findings but also underscore the pivotal role of AMF in ensuring the sustainability of viticulture. In fact, various companies actively promote commercial inoculants based on AMF as biofertilizers or biostimulants for sustainable viticulture. However, despite the touted benefits of these products, the consistent effectiveness of AMF inoculants in real-world field conditions remains uncertain.

Depuis 1973, une commission statutaire administre la législation qui régit le zonage vitivinicole en Afrique du Sud. La province «Le Cap de l’ouest» cerne toutes les zones viticoles sauf quatre unités. Pour la plupart, le Cap de l’ouest a un climat méditerranéen. Les zones viticoles – qui produisent les «vins d’origine» – sont des régions, des districts, des quartiers et des domaines. Les régions sont vastes, séparées par la topographie, par ex. des chaînes de montagnes et des fleuves. Généralement, chaque région représente une zone climatique. Le climat de chaque district est plus homogène. Les quartiers sont exactement délimités par le climat, la topographie et la géologie. Les domaines sont les plus petits. Chaque domaine doit avoir un seul propriétaire.

Ultra-premium champagne wines are characterized by a long stay on laths. The goal of the winemaker is to use all possible oenological techniques to keep the aromatic freshness of the future products. To that purpose, some champagne base wines can be aged on lees in oak barrels. However, if it is now acknowledged that such ageing practices contribute to the oxidative stability of dry white wines, no study has been done on Chardonnay champagne base wines designed for a long ageing on laths [1].

Originaire du bassin lémanique, le chasselas est l’emblème de la viticulture suisse. Pour autant, les surfaces de chasselas n’ont cessé de diminuer, passant de 6’585 hectares en 1986 à près de 3’600 aujourd’hui, reflet d’une baisse de consommation. Une récente étude a cherché à comprendre les raisons de ce désintérêt. Réalisée dans