Genetic determinism of grapevine development stages as a tool for the adaptation to climate change

Aim of the study was to investigate the metabolomic differences between Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon wines, divided according to their quality in two main groups: “Varietal” and “Premium”, and to point out metabolites tentative markers of their chemical signature and sensorial quality. Initially, 150 (50 x 3 biological replicates) experimental wines were produced by the same semi-industrial process, which covered 8 different Chilean valleys. The wine classification made by experts, divided the wines into two major groups (“Varietal” and “Premium”) and four subgroups (two for each major group). All the samples were analyzed according to a robust LC-MS based untargeted work-flow (Arapitsas et al 2018), and the proposed minimum reporting standards for chemical analysis of the Metabolomics Standards Initiative (Sumner et al 2007)

While the trend in winemaking is toward reducing the inputs and especially sulphites, the development of While the trend in winemaking is toward reducing the inputs

In red wine production, phenolic maturity is becoming increasingly important. Anthocyanins, flavonoids and total polyphenols content and availability significantly influence the harvest time of wine grapes while, during vinification process, their extraction strongly affects wine body, color and texture

Conserving and exploring the intra-varietal diversity of ancient varieties is essential to foster their use in the future, preserving the traditions and history of ancient growing regions and their wines. The conservation of representative samples of ancient varieties and the utilization of intra-varietal variability through polyclonal selection are advisable strategies to save and promote the cultivation of each variety, respectively.

Chardonnay is the world’s most planted white grape variety and has met a great commercial success for decades.