Exogenous dsRNA applications to identify novel candidate susceptibility genes to downy mildew

Elevated temperature during the grape maturation period is a major threat for grape quality and thus wine quality. Therefore, characterizing the grape composition response to temperature at a larger scale would represent a crucial step towards adaptation to climate change. In response to changes in temperature, various physiological mechanisms regulate grape composition. Primary and secondary metabolisms are both involved in this response, with well-known effects, for example on anthocyanins, and lesser known effects, for example on aromas or aroma precursors. At the field scale or at the regional scale, however, numerous environmental or plant-specific factors intervene to make the effects of temperature difficult to distinguish from overall variability. In this study, it was attempted to overcome this difficulty by selecting well-characterized situations with differing temperatures.
A long-term study of air temperature variability across several Merlot vineyards in the Saint-Emilion and Pomerol wine producing area found significant temperature differences and gradients at various time scales linked to environmental factors. From this study area, a few sites were selected with similar age, soil and training system conditions, and with repeated and contrasted temperature differences during the maturation period. The average temperature difference during the maturation period was about 2°C between cooler and warmer sites, a difference similar to that expected under future climate change scenarios. In close vicinity to the temperature sensors at each site, grape berries were sampled at different times until full maturity during 2019 and 2020. Also, berries from bunches on either side of the row were analyzed separately, allowing an investigation of bunch exposure effect associated with the coupling of berry temperature and solar radiation. Four replicates of pooled berries for each time – site – bunch exposure combination were obtained and analyzed for biochemical composition. Analyses of variance of the biochemical composition data collected at different sampling times reveal significant effects associated with temperature, site, and bunch azimuth. For instance, anthocyanins in grape skins are clearly influenced by temperature and solar radiation exposure, with up to 30% reduction in warmer conditions.

Tutte le cantine possono aprirsi al pubblico? Evidentemente si, nessuno può impedire ad un produttore di accogliere i turisti.
Tutte le cantine possono far parte delle Strade del vino? No, perché la Strada del vino mette in gioco la reputazione della denominazione di origine alla quale è legata e le possibilità di sviluppo economico di un intero territorio.

Due to the global demand for terroir wines, the winemaking industry has focused attention on exploiting the local yeast microflora of each wine growing region to express the regional character and enhance the sensory profile of wines such as varietal typicity and aroma complexity. The objective of the present study was to isolate and compare the indigenous strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae present in different vineyards in the Mesogeia – Attiki wine region (Greece), evaluate their impact on chemical composition and sensory profile of Savatiano wines and select the most suitable ones for winemaking process.

Climate change leads to even more hostile and stressful for the wine microorganism conditions and consequently issues with fermentation rate progression and off-character formation are frequently observed. The objective of the current research was to classify a great collection of yeast isolates from Greek wines based on their technological properties with oenological interest. Towards this direction, fourteen spontaneously fermented wines from different regions of Greece were collected for further yeast typing. The yeast isolates were subjected in molecular analyses and identification at species level.

One on three cases of cancer is associated with lifestyle and nutritional patterns, and the excessive intake of alcoholic beverages is a well established risk factor. Moderate drinking has been associated with reduced or increased risk of various types of cancer, but the clinical relevance of the risk rates has not been evaluated in ad hoc prospective investigations.