Identifying physiological and genetic bases of grapevine adaptation to climate change with maintained quality: Genome diversity as a driver for phenotypic plasticity  (‘PlastiVigne’ project)

Developing a sustainable agricultural production system and acquiring the full potential of land resources requires employing land-use assessment. This entails knowledge of the climate, soil, and topography of the area of interest.

Polyphenols, bioactive secondary metabolites abundantly found in various grapevine components such as stalks, skins, and seeds, have attracted considerable attention in recent decades due to their potential health benefits. These compounds, including flavan-3-ols, flavanols, flavones, and stilbenes, are known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Vine water status is a crucial determinant of vine growth, productivity, fruit composition and terroir or wine style; therefore, regulating water stress is of great importance. Since vine water status depends on both soil moisture and aerial environment and is very temporally dynamic, direct measurement of vine water potential is highly preferable. Current methods only provide limited data. To regulate vine water status it is critical to monitor vine water status to be able to: (1) measure vine water status to predict the effect of water stress on the overall vineyard performance and fruit quality and optimize harvest management and wine-making (2) properly regulate the water status to impose for a desired fruit quality or style (3) determine if water management has reached the desired stress level.

In the past, the contribution of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in winemaking has always been considered negative for their limited enological attitude if compared with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In recent decades there has been a reevaluation of the role of non-Saccharomyces wine yeasts especially when used in combination and in support with S. cerevisiae (mixed fermentation). In this regard, selected non-Saccharomyces yeasts could be profitable used to give distinctive features, to enhance flavor and aroma complexity and to reduce the ethanol content of wines. Further emerging trends in the use of these yeasts are related to their role as bioprotectants and producers of health promoters compounds.

Terroir studies are common nowadays but few have used precise pedoclimatic measures in order to evaluate the precocity potential. The objectives of this work were (i) to assess the effect of main terroir parameters (soil, climate and topography) influencing the phenological development of the vine, and (ii) to evaluate a geostatistic approach by using a high number of already existing plots (higher variability) to analyze the terroir parameters’ impact.