Exploring diversity of grapevine responses to Flavescence dorée infection

Soil management through cover crops in the lines of the vineyards is a common practice in viticulture, since it improves the characteristics of the soil. It has been shown that the cover crops can influence the cycle of nutrients, promote infiltration, decrease erosion, and enhance the soil microbiota biodiversity improving the grapevines. However, the area under the vines tends to be left bare by applying herbicides or tillage to avoid competition with the crop in hot climates. The use of cover crops under the vines might be a plausible alternative to the use of herbicides or cultivation, improving grapevine quality and soil characteristics. The aim of this research was to study the implications of different management of the soil under the vines (herbicide, cultivation or cover crops) on grapevine growth, water and nutritional status and belowground microbial communities.

Land use, plays a relevant role in the climatic system. It endows means for agriculture practices thus contributing to the food supply. Since climate and land are closely intertwined through multiple interface processes, climate change may lead to significant impacts in land use. In this study, 1-km observational gridded datasets are used to assess changes in the Köppen–Geiger and Worldwide Bioclimatic (WBCS)

The contribution of sulfur compounds to wine aroma has been studied for several years, as their role can be either positive, contributing to the fruitiness and typicity of some white wines like Sauvignon blanc, or negative when related to off-flavours caused by H2S.

In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for non-alcoholic wine with an ethanol content of less than 0.5% v/v. The dealcoholization process can take place by various methods, such as vacuum distillation or membrane technologies like osmotic distillation. Compared to distillation, membrane systems often require multiple passes or a combination of multiple separation methods. Complete or almost complete removal of ethanol significantly changes the sensory characteristics of wine.

The aim of this work was to study winemaking alternatives that will optimize the quality of the Tannat wines, taking advantage of the grape’s oenological potential.