Polysaccharide families of lyophilized extracts obtained from unfermented varietal grape pomaces

This study aimed to validate a protocol and compare metrics for evaluating drought tolerance in two Vitis vinifera grapevine cultivars under field conditions. Various metrics were calculated to represent the physiological responses of plants to progressive water deficit. Data were collected from Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay plants subjected to three irrigation levels during the 2022-2023 season, along with data from three previous seasons. Hydro-escape areas were used to assess the plant’s ability to reduce water potential with decreasing soil water availability.

Consumption of wine/alcoholic beverages remains a topic of great uncertainty and controversy worldwide. The term “no safe level” dominates the media communication and policy ever since population studies in 2018 [1,2] were published, which denied the existence of a J-curve and suggested that ANY consumption of an alcoholic beverage is harmful to health. The scientific evidence accumulated during the past decades about the health benefits of moderate wine consumption, were questioned and drinking guidelines considered to be too loose.

Recently, there has been a shift toward sustainable wine production, according to EU policy (F2F and Green Deal), to reduce pesticide usage, improve workplace health and safety, and prevent the impacts of climate change. These trends have gained the interest of consumers and winemakers. The cultivation of disease resistant hybrid grape cultivars (DRHGC), known as ‘PIWI’ grapes can help with these objectives [1]. This study aimed to profile white and red wines produced from DRHGC in South Tyrol (Italy). Wines produced from DRHGCs were compared with conventional wines produced by the same wineries. The measured parameters were residual sugars, organic acids, alcohol content, pigments and other phenolics by LC-QqQ/MS, colorimetric indexes (CIELab); and volatile profiles (HS-SPME-GCxGC-ToF/MS [2]).

Targeted analytical methods can overlook compounds that are a priori unknown to play a role in the mouthfeel sensations. This limitation can be overcome with the information provided by untargeted metabolomic analysis using UPLC‐QTOF-MS. To this end, an untargeted metabolomic approach applied to 42 red wines has allowed development of a model with predictive capacity by cross-validation for the “dry”, “oily” and “unctuous” sensations perceived by a sensory panel. The optimal PLS model for “dry” retained compounds with positive regression coefficients (≥ 0.17) including a trimer procyanidin, a peptide, and four anthocyanins.

The growing interest in minority grape varieties is due to their potential for adaptation to global warming and their oenological capabilities. However, the cultivation of these varieties has often been limited due to their low economic efficiency. One such example is Maturana Blanca, a recently recovered and authorized minority grape variety in the DOCa Rioja region, known for its remarkable oenological potential but low productivity. This study aimed to increase the yield of Maturana Blanca by implementing the vertical cordon training system, which allowed for a higher number of buds per plant and an increased cluster count per vine.