Heat berry: the influence of abiotic factors on the composition of berries, must and wine in Vitis vinifera L. CV Riesling

Il n’existe presque pas d’études qui caractérisent l’effet du climat viticole sur la typicité des vins en considérant les différents types de climats à l’échelle mondiale. Cette étude fait partie d’un projet CYTED de zonage vitivinicole. L’objectif a été de caractériser l’effet du climat viticole sur la typicité des vins sur une macro région viticole du monde.

Lugana Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) wines are made from Turbiana grapes. The aroma of Lugana wines results from the combined contribution of esters, terpenes, norisprenoids, sulfur compounds and the benzenoid methyl salicylate. This study aims to investigate how volatile aroma compounds are affected by different nitrogen supplies and yeast strains. Wines were produced with a standard protocol with 2021 Turbiana grapes with two different yeasts Zymaflore Delta e Zymaflore X5 (Laffort, France).During the alcoholic fermentation of the must, when H2S appeared, additions of various nitrogen supply were made: inorganic nitrogen, organic nitrogen, a mix of inorganic and organic nitrogen and organic nitrogen with an addition of pure methionine. During wine fermentation, a daily measurement of hydrogen sulfide was carried out.

Rotundone is the main aroma compound responsible for peppery notes in wines whose biosynthesis is negatively affected by heat and drought. Through the alteration of precipitation regime and the increase in temperature during maturation, climate change is expected to affect wine peppery typicality. In this context there is a demand for developing sustainable viticultural strategies to enhance rotundone accumulation or limit its degradation. It was recently proposed that ultraviolet (UV) radiations could stimulate rotundone production. The aim of this study was to investigate under field trial conditions the impact of grape exposure and UV treatments on rotundone in Vitis vinifera L. Tardif, an almost extinct grape variety from south-west France that can express particularly high rotundone levels. Four different treatments were compared in 2021 to a control treatment using a randomised complete block design with three replications per treatment. Grape exposure was manipulated through early or late defoliation. Leaf and laterals shoots were removed at Eichorn Lorenz growth stages 32 or 34 on the morning-sun side of the canopy. During grape maturation, UV radiations were either reduced by 99% by installing UV radiation-shielding sheets, or applied four times using the Boxilumix™ non thermal device (Asclepios Tech, Tournefeuille) with the aim of activating plant signalling pathway. Loggers displayed in solar radiation shields were used to assess the effect of such shielding sheets on air temperature within the bunch zone. The composition of grapes subjected to these treatments will be soon analysed for their rotundone content and basic classical laboratory analyses. Grapes will be harvested to elaborate wines under standardized small-scale vinification conditions (60kg) that will be assessed by a trained sensory panel.

Sforzato di Valtellina DOCG is a special dry red wine produced from partially dehydrated Nebbiolo wine-grapes growing in the Rhaetian Alps valley of Valtellina (Lombardy, Italy). Valtellina terraced vineyards are located at an altitude of 350–800 m according to ‘heroic’ viticulture on steep slopes. The harvested grape bunches are naturally dehydrated indoors, where a slow and continuous withering occurs (about 20% w/w of weight loss), until at least 1st December when the grapes reach the desired sugar content and can be processed following a normal winemaking with maceration.

Historical terrace vineyards are simultaneously impressive documents of the human inclination to design, sites for the production of high quality wines and habitats for a rich variety of flora and fauna