FREE TERPENE RESPONSE OF ‘MOSCATO BIANCO’ VARIETY TO GRAPE COLD STORAGE

Pinking is the emergence of pink tones in white wines exclusively produced from white grape varieties, known as pinking phenomena for many years. Pinking is essentially appeared when white wines are produced under reducing conditions [1,2,3]. Pinking usually occurs after bottling and storage of white wines, but its appearance has also been described after alcoholic fermentation or even as soon as the grape must is extracted [4]. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to investigate the existence of an-thocyanins in white wines made from different white grape varieties and grown locations and critically evaluate the most common method used for predicting pinking appearance in white wines: the Pinking Susceptibility Index (PSI).

Today, nearly one billion bottles of different sizes and capacities are aging in Champagne cellars while waiting to be put on the market. Among them, several tens of thousands of prestigious cuvees elaborated prior the 2000s are potentially concerned by prolonged aging on lees. However, when it comes to champagne tasting, dissolved CO₂ is a key compound responsible for the very much sought-after effer-vescence in glasses [1]. Yet, the slow decrease of dissolved CO₂ during prolonged aging of the most prestigious cuvees raises the issue of how long a champagne can age before it becomes unable to form CO₂ bubbles during tasting [2].

In the Bordeaux vineyards, press red wine represents about 15% of the volume of wines. Valuing this large volume of press wine is necessary from an economic point of view, of course, but also because of their organoleptic contribution to the blend. Nevertheless, there is a lack of recent knowledge on the composition of press wines. This work aims to establish an initial assessment of their composition (aromatic and polyphenolic) and to set up hypothesis on to the links with their sensorial identity.

Nowadays, the trend is to reduce the use of chemical inputs in the food sector, including in oenology. One of the inputs widely used in the wine making process are sulfites, for its several properties: antimicrobial and antioxidiant. This use isn’t without consequences on consumer’s health and environment, it can lead for example to allergic reactions and pollution. To limit the addition of chemical inputs, microbial alternatives are used. It consists to inoculate in grape must, a micro-organism able to inhibit the growth of the negative indigenous flora during the phase before the fermentation and to guarantee the sensory qualities of wines.

Infection of grapes (Vitis vinifera) by Botrytis cinerea (grey mould) is a frequent occurrence in vineyards and during prolonged wet and humid conditions can lead to significant detrimental impact on yield and overall quality. Growth of B. cinerea causes oxidisation of phenolic compounds resulting in a loss of colour and formation of a suite of off-flavours and odours in wine made from excessively infected fruit. Apart from wine grapes, developing post-harvest B. cinerea infection in high-value horticultural products during storage, shipment and marketing may cause significant loss in fresh fruits, vegetables and other crops. A rapid and sensitive assessment method to detect, screen and quantify fungal infection would greatly assist viticultural growers and winemakers in determining fruit quality.