Investigating the role of endophytes in enhancing grapevine resilience to drought

Valpolicella is a famous Italian wine-producing region. One of its main characteristic is the intensive use of grapes that are submitted to post-harvest withering. This is rather unique in the context of red wine, especially for the production of a dry red wine such as Amarone. Amarone wines produced in Valpolicella different geographic origin are anecdotally believed to be aromatically different, although there is no systematic study addressing the chemical bases of such diversity. Aroma is the product of a biochemical and technological series of steps, resulting from the contribution of different volatile molecules deriving from grapes, fermentations, and reactions linked to aging, as well as one of the most important features in the expression of the geographic identity and sensory uniqueness of a wine.

The grape volatile compounds determine the wine quality and typicity [1]. Thus, looking for agronomic tools to improve its composition it is of great interest in the sector [2]

Crimson Seedless’ (Vitis vinifera L.) is a late-ripening, red seedless table grape cultivar with inadequate anthocyanin accumulation and less than ideal berry size issues

Among the items preserved in gene banks, the old standard and autochthonous varieties represent an increasing value, since these varieties may have properties to make their cultivation more effective under changing climatic conditions. The increasingly extreme weather is a huge challenge for the viticulture. Collectional varieties can also play important role in protection against pests and pathogens. A genebank ensures not only the preservation of rare varieties, but also gives the opportunity for more knowledge and research of these varieties.

Grapevine leaves are known to contain different polyphenols such as flavonols, catechins and stilbenes, which are known to act as main contributors for plant defense against pathogens (1). While the composition for some major cultivars has been studied, there is lack of systematic comparison about the content of these compounds in the wide ecodiversity of Vitis vinifera cv. Recent advances in Mass Spectrometry-based Metabolomics allow a wider and more sensitive description of these polyphenols, as instance of those present in leaves (2). Such information could help to better explain leaf traits regarding the development of the leaf or to the plant tolerance to a pathogen. Moreover, these compounds offer appealing applications for human health due to their antioxidant activities.