Deciphering the function and regulation of VviEPFL9 paralogs to modulate stomatal density in grapevine through New Genomic Techniques

Red wines felt as astringent and bitter generally show high content of tannins due to grape phenolic compounds’ extraction in the maceration process. Among different enological practices, mannoproteins have been shown to improve the mouthfeel of red wines (1) and the color (2,3). In this work, we evaluated the effect of mannoproteins on the mouthfeel profile of Sangiovese wines obtained by excessive tannin extraction.

The monitoring of the number of micro-orgranisms in wine is crucial for the wine producer. Traditional counting methods include microscopic enumeration and plating on selective media, which measures the culturability of the cells. The use of epifluorescence microscopy is, however, a method, which can measure both culturability and

Vitis vinifera is one of the most diffused grapevines over the word and it is the raw material for high quality wines production. The availability of more resistant interspecific hybrid vine varieties, developed from crosses between Vitis vinifera and other Vitis species, has generating much interest, also due to the low environmental effect of production. However, hybrid grape wine composition and varietal differences between interspecific hybrids are not well defined. Different studies revealed that wine consumption has health effects due to its high content of antioxidants, as phenolic compounds. In particular, simple phenols are appreciated not only for their physiological health benefits, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective effects, but also because they affect wines organoleptic profile and have a significant role in defining their nutritional characteristics.

Primary and secondary metabolites are major components of grape quality and wine typicity. Their accumulation is interconnected through a complex metabolic network, which is still not well understood. This study aims to investigate how the enzymes of central carbon metabolism interact with anthocyanin biosynthesis during grape berry development: does the accumulation of anthocyanins, which represents a non-negligible diversion of carbon metabolic fluxes, require reprogramming of central enzymes or is it controlled downstream of central metabolism? To this end, 23 enzymes involved in central carbon metabolism pathways have been analyzed in the berries of 3 grape cultivars, which have close genetic background but distinct temporal dynamics of anthocyanin accumulation.

As the climate warms, the focus of concern in viticulture often turns to how higher temperatures may shift growing regions, change the character of AVAs, and alter fruit quality. However, climate warming is increasing most quickly during the winter dormancy cycle, a critical and often underappreciated portion of the grapevine life cycle. In response to decreasing temperatures and decreasing daylength, grapes initiate a series of physiological changes to enter dormancy, acquire freeze resistance, and time spring phenology such that the growing season begins after threat of frost.