Biotic interactions: case of grapevine cultivars – the fungal pathogen Neofusicoccum parvum – biocontrol agents 

During the tasting of a fine, old wine, the aromas generated in the glass are intertwined in an intimate, complex manner, expressing the fragrance of the aging bouquet. This aging bouquet, which develops during bottle storage through a complex transformation process, may result in a broad palette of nuances. Among these, undergrowth, truffle, toasted, spicy, licorice, fresh red- and black-berry fruit and mint descriptors were recently identified as features of its olfactory representation for red Bordeaux wines. Although a targeted chemical approach focusing on volatile sulfur compounds revealed the role played by dimethyl sulfide, 2-furanmethanethiol, and 3-sulfanylhexanol as molecular markers of the typicality of the wine aging bouquet of red Bordeaux wines, its chemical transcription has only partially been elucidated.

The Maillard reaction (MR) is a non-enzymatic reaction between reducing sugars and amino acids, resulting in the production of volatile and flavour-active compounds.

La mesure de la résistivité électrique des sols est une technique non destructive, spatialement intégrante, utilisée depuis peu en viticulture. L’utilisation d’appareils de mesures performant et de logiciels adaptés permet de traiter les données afin de pouvoir visualiser en deux ou trois dimensions les variations de textures ou d’humidité d’un sol.

ulfur compounds in wine have been studied for several years due to their impact on wine flavour, but the role of polysulfides is a recent topic. Polysulfides in wine are formed when two sulfhydryl groups oxidize, especially in presence of elemental sulfur or metal catalysts from field treatment residues (Ugliano et al. 2011). These compounds are odourless, but can degrade during storage and affect the wine quality. The mechanism of their formation is still largely unknown but different chemical and biochemical pathways have been suggested. Disulfides from cysteine (Cys) and glutathione (GSH) have been revealed in model wines (Kreitman et al. 2016) and more recently also higher polymerized forms in real wines (Van Leeuwen et al. 2020). Volatile varietal thiols like 3-mercaptohexanol (3MH) and 4-mercaptopentanone (4MMP) – flavour compounds with tropical or fruity notes – could undergo similar reactions, also with Cys and GSH, subsequently losing their flavour property (fate). Even more concerning is the possible release of H2S from polysulfides during storage, leading to undesired off-flavours (Sarrazin et al. 2010).

Vineyard nutrient management is crucial for reaching production-specific quality standards, yet timely evaluation of nutrient status remains challenging. The existing sampling protocol of collecting vine tissue (leaves and/or petioles) at bloom or veraison is time-consuming. Additionally, this sampling practice is too late for in-season fertilizer applications (e.g. N is applied well before bloom). Therefore alternative early-season protocols are necessary to predict the vine nutrient demand for the upcoming season. The main goals of this project are to 1) optimize existing tissue sampling protocols; 2) determine the amount of nutrients removed at the end of the growing season.