Which potential for Near Infrared Spectroscopy to characterize rootstock effects on grapevines?

The present study evaluates the effect of prefermentative maceration enzymes and yeast autolysate on the concentration of conjugated precursors and volatile thiols, respectively.Sauvignon blanc and Merlot grapes underwent skin-contact maceration with or without pectolytic enzymes, for the production of white and rosé wines

The traditional pruning system in Piedmont (North-West Italy) is the Guyot system; it requires trained personnel, difficult to find, and it does not permit the mechanization of winter pruning, thus it is very expensive. An alternative technique that could allow the reduction of the vineyard management costs could be the spur-pruning which is simpler to perform and fully mechanized.

The production of high-quality wines requires the use of high-quality grapes. Some compounds originating from grapes may negatively influence the odour and flavour of the resulting wine in their original form or as precursors for off-odours and –flavours. Therefore, a rapid evaluation of the grapes directly upon receival at the winery is advantageous. Up to now, grape aroma is mainly evaluated by tasting, however, this leads to subjective results. The use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy allows a rapid, objective and destruction-free analysis without previous sample preparation. Moreover, the measurement can be integrated into an existing process without additional sampling.

Une variable composite, dénommée Indice de Site (SI), intégrant les propriétés physiques du sol et le mésoclimat, avait été proposée pour caractériser les terroirs dans le cadre d’une étude des vignobles de Cabernet Sauvignon de Hawke’s Bay en Nouvelle Zélande.

In recent years, the use of amphorae in winemaking has become more frequent, symbolizing a return to the origins of vinification to broaden the availability of wines with different style.