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

Aim: Irrigated viticulture is expanding worldwide mainly as a short-term adaptation strategy to climate change. Plant-based methods are increasingly being used for irrigation scheduling in commercial vineyards. Canopy temperature (TC) has long been recognized as an indicator of plant water status. TC, but also the thermal stress indices, e.g. crop water stress index (CWSI) and stomatal

Wine industry is looking forward for innovative, safe and eco-friendly antimicrobial products allowing the reduction of chemical treatments in the grape defense and the winemaking process that can affect negatively the quality of the product. Ozone has been tested in food industry giving good results in preventing fungi and bacteria growth on a wide spectrum of vegetables and fruits, due to its oxidant activity and ability to attack numerous cellular constituents. Ozone leaves no chemical residues on the food surface, decomposing itself rapidly in oxygen. Gaseous ozone has been already tested for table grapes storage and on wine grapes during withering.

Planting grape varieties with several resistance loci towards powdery and downy mildew reduces the use of fungicides significantly. These fungus resistant or PIWI varieties (acronym of German Pilzwiderstandsfähig) contribute significantly to the 50% pesticide reduction goal, set by the European Green Deal for 2030. However, wine growers hesitate to plant PIWIs as they lack experience in vinification and are uncertain, how consumer accept and buy wines from these yet mostly unknown varieties. Grapes from four white and three red PIWI varieties were vinified in three vintages to obtain four diffe-rent white and red wine styles, respectively plus one rosé.

Pinot noir is an interesting vat variety for the high quality products it provides in the most suitable areas. In France, the most important Pinot Noir growing areas are Burgundy, Champagne, Alsace and the Loire. In Italy, Pinot Noir is grown almost exclusively in the northern regions of Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardy and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Bottle aging is crucial for wine quality, influencing its chemical and sensory properties [1]. Ideally, a phase of qualitative ageing enhances sensory attributes before a decline in quality occurs. Understanding the impact of oenological variables on these phases is a key challenge in modern winemaking.