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

The terroir is today the most important factor of production and development in the wine sector. In a context where the commercial challenge is taking place all over the place, the distinction between traditional and “new” producing countries is not only a geographical, cultural and technical counter position but also, and above all, a legal one. Indeed, the system of standards present in the “old world” (plantation rights, production decrees, yields per hectare, etc.) which may represent, in the short term on the global market, constraints to development and product innovation must become an opportunity. But threats become opportunities, if we work, from the vine to the market, via communication, more on the elements of difference than on those of affinity.

Traceability of agro-alimentary products is very important to certify their origin. This work aimed to characterize wines obtained by the same cultivar (Nero d’Avola and Fiano) – grown in regions with different soil and climate conditions during three vintages (2003-2005) – employing isotopic analyses (NMR and IRMS) and sensory analyses.

Microbial ecosystems are primary drivers of viticultural, oenological and other cellar-related processes
such as wastewater treatment. Metagenomic datasets have broadly mapped the vast microbial species
diversity of many of the relevant ecological niches within the broader wine environment, from vineyard
soils to plants and grapes to fermentation. The data highlight that species identities and diversity
significantly impact agronomic performance of vineyards as well as wine quality, but the complexity
of these systems and of microbial growth dynamics has defeated attempts to offer actionable
tools to guide or predict specific outcomes of ecosystem-based interventions.

Chitosan has been shown to enhance grapevine tolerance toward downy mildew while reducing the environmental impact of traditional protection products.

Flow cytometry (FCM) is a powerful technique allowing the detection, characterization and quantification of microbial populations in different fields of application (medical environment, food industry, enology, etc.). Depending on the fluorescent markers and specific probes used, FCM provides information on the physiological state of the cell and allows the quantification of a microorganism of interest within a mixed population. For 15 years, the enological sector has shown growing interest in this technique, which is now used to determine the populations present (of interest or spoilage) and the physiological state of microorganisms at the different stages of winemaking.