Exploring the factors affecting spatio‐temporal variation in grapevine powdery mildew

Astringency has been defined by the American Society for Testing Materials as “the complex of sensations due to shrinking, drawing or puckering of the epithelium as a result of exposure to substances such as alums or tannins”. Regarding the importance of astringency in wine consumer acceptance, elucidating the molecular mechanisms underpinning this complex sensation represents an important goal for scientists. Although different mechanisms have been described (Gibbins & Carpenter, 2013), the salivary protein precipitation is still the most accepted theory. According to this, wine astringency perceived in the oral cavity is originally attributed to the interaction and subsequence precipitation of salivary proteins by wine tannins –mainly flavanols–.

Winemaking generates significant amounts of by-products, such as grape pomace and wine lees, which are primarily used for distillation and composting.

In this video recording of the IVES science meeting 2025, Jordi Ballester (Centre des sciences du goût et de l’alimentation, CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Dijon, France) and María-Pilar Sáenz-Navajas (Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y el Vino (ICVV) (CSIC-UR-GR), La Rioja, Spain) speak about the concept of natural wine. This presentation is based on an original article accessible for free on OENO One.

Context and purpose of the study. The concept of terroir encompasses the investigation of the physical environment’s influence on grapevine physiology, grape composition, and wine quality, with an emphasis on employing viticultural zoning techniques to systematically characterize and analyze terroirs.

New and developing technologies, that provide sensors and the software systems for using and interpreting them, are becoming pervasive through our lives and society. From smart phones to cars to farm machinery, all contain a range of sensors that are monitored automatically with intelligent software, providing us with the information we need, when we need it. This technological revolution has the potential to monitor all aspects of vineyard activity, assisting growers to make the management choices they need to achieve the outcomes they want. For example, a future vineyard may possess automated imaging that generates a three dimensional model of the vine canopy, highlighting differences from the desired structure and how to use canopy management to improve fruit composition, or generates maps with yield estimates and measurements of berry composition throughout the growing season.