Valorization of grapevine leaves: screening of polyphenol composition in 50 cultivars

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a multifactorial autoimmune disease associating demyelination and axonal degeneration developing in young adults and affecting 2–3 million people worldwide. Plant polyphenols endowed with many therapeutic benefits associated with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties represent highly interesting new potential therapeutic strategies. We recently showed the safety and high efficiency of grape seed extract (GSE), a complex mixture of polyphenolics compounds comprising notably flavonoids and proanthocyanidins, in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model of MS.

Light is a fundamental part at sales points which influences in the conservation of wines, particularly in those that are sold in transparent glass bottles such as rosé wines and increasingly white wines. The photochemical effect known as “light-struck taste” can cause changes in the aromatic characteristics of the wine. This “light-struck taste” is due to reactions triggered by the photochemical sensitivity of riboflavin (RBF).

The purpose of the present study was to understand the overall concept of an aged dry white wine using a descriptive mental questionnaire. A total of 680 worldwide participants, grouped according to their involvement in the wine business, replied to an online questionnaire to characterize the sensory analytical and synthetic descriptors of an aged dry white wine. The descriptors were selected using a Check-All-That-Apply (CATA) approach concerning wine colour, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and global appreciation.

‘Tempranillo Tinto’ is a black-berried Iberian cultivar that originated from a hybridization between cvs. ‘Benedicto’ and ‘Albillo Mayor’ [1]. Today, it is the third most widely grown wine grape cultivar worldwide with more than 200,000 hectares of vineyards mostly distributed along the Iberian Peninsula, where it is also known as ‘Cencibel’, ‘Tinta de Toro’, ‘Tinta Roriz’, and ‘Aragonez’, among other synonyms. Here, we quantified the intra-varietal genomic diversity in this cultivar through the study of 35 clones or ancient vines from seven different Iberian wine-making regions. A comparative analysis after Illumina whole-genome sequencing revealed the presence of 1,120 clonal single nucleotide variants (SNVs).

Using grapevine genetic diversity is one of the strategies to adapt viticulture to climate change. In this sense, assessing the plasticity of cultivars in their responses to environmental conditions is essential. For this purpose, the drought tolerance of Grenache, Tempranillo and Semillon cultivars grafted onto SO4 was evaluated at two experimental vineyards, one located in Valencia (Spain) and the other in Bordeaux (France). This was done by assessing gas exchange parameters, water relations and leaf hydraulic traits at the end of the season.