From genes to vineyards: system biology and new breeding technologies for water stress tolerance in grapevines

Hail damage can have a major impact on the vine’s physiological growth (defoliation, wood and cane damage) and can lead to significant yield and economic losses.

La valanga di fango che si è abbattuta nel Salemitano e nell’Avellinese, provocando decine di vittime, è stata causata in larga misura dalle insufficienti opere idrauliche e dalla manca­ta manutenzione di antiquati canali idrici.

Certain yeast species belonging to the Pichia genus are known to form a distinctive film on grape must and wine. In a mixed-culture type fermentation, Pichia spp. (P. kluyveri in particular) are known to impart beneficial oenological attributes. In this study, we report on an easy isolation method of Pichia spp. from grape must by exploiting their film-forming capacity on media containing 10% ethanol. We isolated and identified two Pichia species, namely Pichia kudriavzevii and Pichia kluyveri, and subsequently co-inoculated them with Saccharomyces cerevisiae to ferment Gewürztraminer musts. Noteworthy differences included a significant increase in the 2-phenethyl acetate levels with the P. kluyveri co-fermentation and a general increase in ethyl esters with the P. kudriavzevii co-fermentation. Both Pichia co-inoculations yielded higher levels of glycerol in the final wines. Based on all the wine parameters we tested, the P. kluyveri strain that was isolated performed similarly to a commercial P. kluyveri strain.

La Franciacorta è una piccola regione collinare della provincia di Brescia. Il territorio è molto eterogeneo sia dal punto di vista geologico, che geomorfologico e pedologico. Circa 1.000 ettari sono destinati alla produzione di uve Chardonnay, Pinot bianco e Pinot nero per il vino Franciacorta ottenuto unicamente utilizzando la lunga fermentazione naturale in bottiglia.

The study described the effect of sensory analysis on commercial ‘Sauvignon blanc’ vineyards within the Stellenbosch Wine of Origin District. The sensorial evaluation of the berries was able to give a description of each parcel type and relate it to the cultural practices.