Characterization of bunch compactness and identification of associated genes in a diverse collection of cultivars of Vitis vinifera L.

Worldwide, with an average of 6.7 million cultivated hectares, of which exclusively 51% in Europe (faostat, 2021), the production of table and wine grapes is a leading sector, with continued growth in Europe in the area devoted to vine cultivation. during the growing season, most of the plant organs can be susceptible to several fungal and oomycete diseases, leading to important economic losses and causing detrimental effects on fruit quality. the increasingly scarce availability of fungicidal products, often also related to their relative impact on the environment, coupled with the emergence of resistance in the pathogen to these products, make defence increasingly challenging.

The tartaric salts precipitation is one of the main issues regarding wine instability 1. In addition to the well-known and deeply studied phenomena of potassium hydrogentartrate precipitation (KHT), the last decade has been increased the phenomena of calcium tartrate (CaT) precipitation, that is a concern for the wine industry 2.

The choice of sites for viticulture depends on natural environmental factors, particularly climate, as grapevines have specific climatic requirements for optimum physiological performance and berry quality achievement. In the Stellenbosch wine-producing region, the complex topography and the proximity of the ocean create a variety of topoclimates resulting in different growth conditions for vines within short distances.

Climate change has had a global impact on grape production, and as a result, developing table grape varieties that can withstand climate-related threats has become a significant goal. However, it is equally important to ensure that these new grape varieties meet the preferences of consumers. To achieve this goal, a procedure has been developed that combines sensory analysis with spectroscopic data collected in the NIR region. Each sample was analyzed using both traditional analytical techniques and non-destructive NIR spectroscopy.

The microbial diversity during spontaneous grape must fermentation has a determinant influence on the chemical composition and sensory properties of wine. Therefore, yeast diversity is an important target to better understand wine regionality. Hence, the aim of this study was to isolate, identify, and characterize the yeast core microbiota in grape must during the early stage of lab-scale spontaneous fermentation of withered grapes to produce Amarone della Valpolicella wine (Verona, Italy).