The film-forming Pichia spp. in a winemaker’s toolbox: A simple isolation procedure and their performance in a mixed-culture fermentation of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Gewürztraminer must

Environmental analysis (climate, vegetation, geomorfoloy-lanscape, lithology and soil) and its integration in a quality index taking the Appellation of Origin as the sole universe are used as general methodology for terroir zoning in Spain (Sotés and Gómez-Miguel, 1986-2005). This methodology is also applied to specific aspects of different Spanish Appellations of Origin (size, distribution and landscape peculiarities and vine occupation index).

The shelf life of food is defined as the period in which the product will remain safe, is certain to retain desired sensory, chemical, physical, and microbiological characteristics

Vitis vinifera L. is the most widely cultivated Vitis species which includes numerous cultivars. Owing to their superior quality of grapes, these cultivars were long considered the only suitable for the production of fine wines. However, the lack of resistance genes in V. vinifera against major grapevine pathogens, requires for its cultivation frequent spraying with large amount of fungicides. Thus, the search for alternative and more sustainable methods to control the grapevine pathogens have brought the breeders to focus their attention on other Vitis species. In fact, wild Vitis genotypes present multiple resistance traits against pathogens, such as powdery mildew, downy mildew and phylloxera.

Modern winemakers must ensure effective alcoholic fermentation without losing the intrinsic biodiversity of the different oenological contexts. In this sense, the population of saccharomyces cerevisiae characteristic of wineries that traditionally do not use selected yeasts can represent an interesting reservoir of biodiversity.

Wines matured in contact with wood are extremely popular with consumers all over the world. Oak wood allows the organoleptic characteristics of wine to be modified. Wines are enriched with volatile and non-volatile compounds extracted from the wood. The aromas extracted from oak wood contribute to the construction of the wine’s aromatic profile and the main polyphenols extracted can modify taste perceptions such as astringency and bitterness. All the compounds extracted from the wood thus contribute to the balance and quality of the wines.