Advancing grapevine science through genomic research

Results in the characterization of a new wine terroir unit in south Brazil are reported. Presently, several areas in Brazil are being studied, in an effort to define new wine terroirs and improve the quality of Brazilian wines.

We performed a DC resistivity monitoring experiment during eight months in 2003. Low, medium and high resolution measurements have been carried out at various locations of a vineyard. General apparent resistivity mapping evidences the spatial variations of the summer drying of the subsurface.

We analyze the effects of climate (temperature and pluviometry) on the phenologic stages of the vine (débourrement, flowering, ripening and grape harvest). We rebuilt time series starting from the beginning of the XIXth century for the Medoc and the area of Bordeaux, data very seldom mobilized by researchers.

Tannin composition is an important attribute in red wine quality, and it is therefore critical to understand the factors influencing tannin extraction during alcoholic fermentation. Tannins contribute to the mouthfeel of wines, but they also form pigmented polymers...

The vineyard has experienced a general increase in yields mainly due to the elevated use of technology which caused a quality loss of grapes in more than one case. A large percentage of the Spanish vineyard is covered by a Denomination of Origin which limits the productive level of the vineyards as one of its regulations. The maximum production limit is a variable characteristic of each vineyard and is not usually regulated by agronomic criteria, and this explains the fact that each vineyard can reach high quality with a totally different yield from that set by the Denomination of Origin.