Vitamins in musts : an unexplored field

It is well known that high oxygen levels and high ageing temperatures are detrimental to white wine’s composition and ageing capacity. However, these results, though valuable

AIM: Grape withering is an oenological post-harvest process used for production of reinforced and sweet wines. Drying can be carried out by keeping the ripe grape in traditional large, well-aired rooms (non-controlled environment) or, more and more often, in a warehouse under controlled conditions of airflow and relative humidity (controlled environment)[1].

Atypical ageing (ATA) is a wine aroma fault occurring in white wines characterised by an early loss of varietal aroma as well as nuances of wet mop, acacia blossom, shoe polish and dirty rag among others. 2-aminoacetophenone (2AAP) – a degradation product of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) – has been described as the major odour-active compound and chemical marker responsible for this off-flavour. Depending on the aroma intensity of wines, its odour threshold varies from 0.5 to 10.5 μg/L. It seems that a stress reaction in the vineyard triggered by climatic, pedological and viticultural factors can ultimately cause ATA development in wines and therefore shorten their shelf-life.

Irrigation of vineyards is a matter of controversial arguments at areas of high quality wine production. Besides, the effects of the water in the plant are closer related to the water availability than to the irrigation regime.

Climate change, driven by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is one of humanity’s most significant environmental challenges.