Characterization of non-cultivated wild grapevines in Extremadura (Spain) 

The use of grapevine genetic diversity is a way to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change on viticulture systems. Leaf epidermal flavonoids (including flavonols and anthocyanins) are involved in plant defense mechanisms against environmental stresses, like high temperatures or excessive solar radiation [1,2]. Among other factors, they modulate light absorption, which reduces photoinhibition processes in photosynthetic tissues [1]. Therefore, the identification of grapevine cultivars with an increased content on leaf epidermal flavonoids arises as a potential avenue to improve grapevine tolerance to some detrimental environmental stresses.

The study conducted various fermentations of different grape juices using various strains of Lachancea thermotolerans and one strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Because of the new conditions caused by climate change, wine acidity must be influenced as well as the volatile profile. Non-Saccharomyces yeasts such as L. thermotolerans are real options to mitigate the impact of climate change in wine production.

The wine closure industry is mainly divided into three categories: screw caps, synthetic closures, and cork-based closures. Among this latter, microagglomerated cork stoppers treated with supercritical CO2 are now widely used, especially to avoid cork taint contaminations[1]. They are designed with cork granules obtained from cork offcuts of the punching process during the natural cork stoppers production. A previous study[2] showed that these stoppers released fewer polyphenols in 12 % (v/v) hydroalcoholic solution than natural cork stoppers.

Wine contains secondary metabolites derived from aromatic amino acids (AADC), which can determine quality, stability and bioactivity. Several yeast species, as well as some lactic acid bacteria (LAB), can contribute in the production of these aromatic compounds. Winemaking should be studied as a series of microbial interactions, that work as an interconnected network, and can determine the metabolic and analytical profiles of wine. The aim of this work was to select microorganisms (yeast and LAB) based on their potential to produce AADC compounds, such as tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, and design a microbial consortium that could increase the production of these AADC compounds in wines.

Remote sensing technology captures spectral data beyond the visible range, making it useful for monitoring plant stress. Vis-NIR (Visible-Near Infrared) spectroscopy (400-1000 nm) is commonly used to indirectly assess plant status during drought. One example is the widespread use of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) that is strongly linked to green biomass. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding the applicability of this method to all the drought conditions and if it is a direct correlation to the water status of the plant.