Learning from remote sensing data: a case study in the Trentino region 

Much research has sought to define the complex contribution of terroir (varieties x site x cultural practices) on wine composition. This investigation applied recent advances in chemometrics to determine relative contributions of vine growth, berry maturity and site mesoclimate to wine composition and sensory profiles of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon for two vintages.

The objective of the present work was to study the influence of the foliar application of seaweed (Laminaria japonica), on the bunch and on the must in the ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ grape. The experiment was carried out in the years 2021/2022, in a 21-year-old commercial vineyard, in the municipality of “Dom Pedrito” – “Rio Grande do Sul” (RS). A completely randomized experimental design was used, with 4 treatments and 4 replications (7 plants per replication). The treatments were: T1- control treatment; T2- Exal Powder 5 g L-1; T3- Hidro Exal 15 ml L-1; T4- Exal Powder 5 g L-1+ Hidro Exal 15 ml L-1.

In this video recording of the IVES science meeting 2021, Fulvio Mattivi (Fondazione Edmund Mach, Centro Ricerca ed Innovazione, San Michele all’Adige, Italy) speaks about the effects of water deficit on secondary metabolites in grapes and wines. This presentation is based on an original article accessible for free on OENO One.

In the context of climate change and the growing need to reduce the use of phytosanitary products, the exploration of disease-resistant grape varieties and/or adapted to drought conditions is becoming crucial for the wine industry in certain regions of France, such as Occitanie. Currently, exploring the oenological potential of varieties by analyzing their biochemical composition before and after winemaking comes rather late in the varietal selection process.

From fruit set to ripening, the grape berry mesocarp experiences a wide range of dynamic physical, physiological, and biochemical changes, such as mesocarp cell death (MCD) and hydraulic isolation. The premature occurrence of such events is a characteristic of the Niagara Rosada (NR) variety, utilised as table grapes and winemaking. In our opinion, the onset of ripening would not cause MCD, but a down-regulation of respiratory enzymes during the early loss of cell viability, while maintaining membrane integrity. For this, we investigated three distinct developmental stages (green (E-L33), veraison (E-L35), and ripe (E-L39)) of NR berries by label-free proteomics, enzymatic respiratory activity and outer mesocarp imaging. Cell wall-modifying proteins were found to accumulate differently throughout ripening, while cytoplasmic membranes continue intact.