Cumulative effects of repeated drought stress on berry composition, and phenolic profile: Field experiment insights

The phenolic component of red wine is responsible for important elements of flavor and mouthfeel, and thus quality of the finished wine. Additionally, many of these phenolics have been associated with health benefits such as reduction of the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis and preventing Alzheimer’s disease. While the origins, concentrations, and chemistries of the phenolics in a finished red wine are well known, the fundamental mechanisms and kinetics of extraction of these phenolics from grape skins and seeds during red wine fermentation are poorly understood. This lack of knowledge regarding the extraction mechanisms of phenolics during red wine fermentation makes informed manipulations of the finished wine’s phenolic composition difficult.

Infection of the grapes with Botrytis cinerea has a tremendous impact on the resulting crop yield and quality. Well-known problems that are associated with B. cinerea are specific off-flavors, poor filterability, and brownish color in white wines. The development of a B. cinerea infection strongly depends on weather conditions and is highly variable through different vintages. Typical control measures include defoliation and the use of fungicides, which involves high personnel and material costs. They also involve a great risk, especially since the effectiveness and time point of these treatments are difficult to predict.

A pool of terpenoids possibly implicated in minty odours and in the appreciable refreshing sensation, has been identified in the ageing bouquet of red Bordeaux wines

AIM: Previous research on the fruity character of red wines highlighted the role of esters [1]. Literature provides evidence that, besides these esters, other compounds that are not necessarily volatiles may have an important impact on the overall fruity aroma of wine, contributing to a masking effect [2][3]. The goal of this work was to assess the olfactory consequences of a mixture between esters and proanthocyanidic tannins, through sensory and physico-chemical approaches.

Developing a tractable genetic engineering and gene editing system is an essential tool for grapevine. We initiated a plant transformation and biotechnology program at Oregon State University using the grape microvine system (V. vinifera) in 2018 to interrogate gene-to-trait relationships using traditional genetic engineering and gene editing. The microvine model is also used for nanomaterial-assisted RNP, DNA, and RNA delivery. Most reference genomes and annotations for grapevine are collapsed assemblies of homologous chromosomes and do not represent the specific microvine cultivar ‘043023V004’ under study at our institution.