Application of nitrogen forms such as nitrate, urea, and amino acids effects on leaf and berry physiology and wine quality

In Ancient Egypt, wine was a luxury product consumed mainly by the upper classes and the royal family and offered to gods in daily religious rituals in the temples.
Since the Predynastic (4000-3100 BC) period, wine jars were placed in tombs as funerary offerings. From the Old Kingdom (2680-2160 BC) to the Greco-Roman (332 BC-395 AD) period, viticulture and winemaking scenes were depicted on the private tombs’ walls. During the New Kingdom (1539-1075 BC), wine jars were inscribed to indicate: vintage year, product, quality, provenance, property and winemaker’s name and title.

Introduction increasing sustainability is essential and a societal challenge, requiring fundamental changes in behaviour and attitudes. This applies to both producers and consumers. For the wine industry in particular, such a change is a major challenge. An eip-agri research project is evaluating the introduction of a returnable glass system in the german wine industry as a key solution for increasing sustainability. Given the need for change associated with a returnable system, the project is theoretically grounded in systems innovation, as this approach provides solutions for complex, transformative change.

Pratiquement tout le territoire d’Istrie possède les bonnes conditions naturelles pour la viticulture, laquelle dans ce lieu a une tradition millénaire. La viticulture était et reste toujours la plus importante branche de production agraire et d’économie. Les sites viticoles en Istrie sont caractérisés par des diverses conditions naturelles.

Wine production is a complex biochemical process that involves a heterogeneous microbiota consisting of different microorganisms such as yeasts, bacteria, and filamentous fungi. Among these microorganisms, yeasts play a predominant role in the chemistry of wine, as they actively participate in alcoholic fermentation, a biochemical process that transforms the sugars in grapes into ethanol and carbon dioxide while producing additional by-products. The quality of the final product is greatly influenced by the microbiota present in the grape berry, and the demand for indigenous yeast starters adapted to specific grape must and reflecting the biodiversity of a particular region is increasing. This supports the concept that indigenous yeast strains can be associated with a “terroir”.

Selected strains of non-Saccharomyces yeasts showed a positive effect on sensory characteristics and aromatic complexity of wine. A sequential microbial culture of non-Saccharomyces and S. cerevisiae species is usually inoculated due to poorer fermentability of non-Saccharomyces species. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in the production of white wines. We evaluated how individual combinations of sequential inoculations of non-Saccharomyces and S. cerevisiae species affect the aromatic compounds (volatile thiols and esters) and sensory characteristics of the wines.