From soil to canopy, the diversity of adaptation strategies  to abiotic constraints in grapevine

The monitoring of the number of micro-orgranisms in wine is crucial for the wine producer. Traditional counting methods include microscopic enumeration and plating on selective media, which measures the culturability of the cells. The use of epifluorescence microscopy is, however, a method, which can measure both culturability and

The wine industry, a key sector for the European Union’s economy, exhibits significant energy consumption, amounting to approximately 1,750 million kWh annually within this geographic context, with major contributions from Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal (Fuentes Pila et al., 2015).

Sotolon (3-hydroxy-4,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone) is a naturally occurring odorant compound with a strong caramel/spice-like scent, present in many foodstuffs. Its positive contribution for the aroma of different fortified wines such as Madeira, Port and Sherry is recognized. In contrast, it is also known to be responsible for the off-flavor character of prematurely aged dry white wines. The formation mechanisms of sotolon in wine are still not well elucidated, particularly in Madeira wines, which are submitted to thermal processing during its traditional ageing. The sotolon formation in these wines has been related to sugar degradation mechanisms, particularly from fructose [1].

In the complex scenario that the wine industry and its promotion are currently facing, this research proposes a theoretical expansion of the traditional model used to understand the wine experience, namely the classic sensory, emotional and cognitive triad, moving toward a multidimensional approach that also incorporates cultural, symbolic and contextual dimensions in order to comprehend the conscious experience.

In Douro Region, vineyards are usually planted on hillsides with steep sloops. The models currently used for planting those vineyards are, depending on the initial slope of the hillside, vertical planting or terraces.