Volatile Organic Compound markers of Botrytis cinerea infection in artificially inoculated intact grape berries

Under the pressure of global warming, several wine grape growing regions around the world are increasingly suffering from advanced and compressed phenology; endangering wine character while also creating serious logistic problems. From a physiological standpoint, the issue of delaying ripening is not simple as, in several instances, only a few processes must be delayed (i.e. sugar accumulation into the berries) while other events such as pigmentation and accumulation of other important phenolic compounds should proceed at a normal rate. Thus, the issue of decoupling technological maturity from phenolic maturity is another important consideration. Over the last decades, several research groups have endeavored to establish alternate cultural practices aimed at addressing this decoupling. In some cases, special applications of quite robust and well known practices regarding physiological principles have been utilized, however some completely new techniques are also being studied. In figure 1 of the review, we offer a panorama of the available tools and in the text we elaborate on those having provided most reliable and consistent results under an array of genotypes and environmental conditions. Among these, primary focus is given to post‐veraison—apical to the cluster—leaf removal (that can also be suitably replaced by applications of anti‐transpirants); the use of kaolin against multiple summers’ stresses; and a drastic version of late winter pruning having the potential to postpone ripening into a cooler period with improved grape composition and a limited negative impact on yield and storage reserves replenishment. 

45 non irrigated vineyards distributed in the DO (Denomination) Pla i Llevant de Mallorca and the DO Binissalem Mallorca were used to investigate the characteristics of production and quality and their relationships certain environmental factors and cultural practices. The grape varieties investigated are autochthonous to the island of Mallorca, Manto Negro and Callet as red and Prensal Blanc as white. All plants were measured for four consecutive years in the main production and quality parameters. Among the environmental factors, the type of soil has been studied, more specifically its water retention capacity, the planting density, the age of the vineyard and the level of viral infection. The presence or absence of virus seems to have no effect on any component studied in the varieties studied. For the white variety Prensal Blanc age is negatively correlated with production and the number of bunches, nevertheless it does not cause any effect on the required quality parameters. However, for the red varieties Callet and Manto Negro, the age of the plantation is the variable that best correlates with the quality parameters, therefore the old vines should be the object of preservation by the viticulturists and winemakers in order to guarantee its contribution to the quality of the wines made with these varieties.

In the context of climate change, it is essential to provide producers with alternatives based on local grape varieties capable of meeting modern quality and sustainability requirements.

Global warming due to greenhouse gases (GHG) has become a serious worldwide concern. The new EU Green Deal aims t0 achieve GHG emissions reduction by at least 55% by 2030 and a climate neutral EU economy by 2050. The deal strongly encourages GHG reducing measures at local, national and European levels. The REDWine project will demonstrate the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of reducing by, at least, 31% of the CO2 eq. emissions produced in the winery industry value chain by utilizing biogenic fermentation CO2 for microalgae biomass production

To characterize a wine, the most frequently used criteria describe its color, its origin, the grape varieties from which they come, or even for white wines its residual sugar content (dry, semi-dry, sweet). In france, the system of appellations of origin set up in 1919 was initially based solely on the notoriety and origin of the wines. But given the unfavorable consequences that this lack of details generated, the public authorities quickly integrated in 1927 into the “capus” law criteria for access to designations of origin, relating to the specific characteristics of the soils of the vineyards and the grape varieties used, in particular exclusion of interspecific hybrid varieties. In 1935 the creation of the aoc system confirmed the interest in precisely defining all the production conditions that must be implemented to be able to claim the benefit of an aoc, and grape varieties were an essential condition for acquisition.