Enhancing table grape production: addressing challenges and opportunities for sustainability and quality improvement

The historic Tokaj Wine Region in northeast Hungary, a UNESCO World Heritage region since 2002, encompasses 5,500 ha vineyards. Produced from “noble rot” grapes, Tokaji Aszú is known as one of the oldest botrytized wines all over the world. Special microclimatic conditions (due to Bodrog and Tisza rivers, Indian summer), soil conditions (clay, loess on volcanic bedrock) and grape

As viticulture faces challenges such as climate change or vineyard dieback, the choice of the variety and rootstock becomes more and more crucial. To study rootstock levers in the Bordeaux region, a parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon (CS) was planted with four rootstocks in 2014. Twenty repetitions of each of the following four rootstocks were set up: 101-14 MGt, Nemadex AB, 420A MGt and Gravesac. The number of bunches, yields and pruning weights of the vine shoots were measured individually on 240 vines from 2017 to 2021. Since 2020, nitrogen status assessed by assimilable nitrogen level, hydric status assessed by δ13C and berry maturity were measured on 80 samples taken from 20 repetitions of the four rootstocks. A lower yield was measured for CS grafted onto Nemadex AB due to the lower number of bunches and the lower weight of berries. The differences between the other three rootstocks are small, but CS grafted onto 420A MGt was the most productive. The CS grafted onto Nemadex AB had the lowest pruning weight while 101-14 MGt had the highest. In 2020, δ13C showed a more moderate water stress with 101-14 MGt and 420A MGt than with Nemadex AB. Surprisingly, the Gravesac was under more stress than the 101-14 MGt. The nitrogen status in the berries was better for Nemadex AB but this was perhaps due to the significantly lower weight of the berries.Rootstock 101-14 MGt attained the highest accumulation of sugars in the berries while 420A MGt allows to preserve higher acidity. The parcel is still young which may explain some of the results. These measures must therefore be continued over the next several years to fully assess the effects of these rootstocks on the development of the vines and the quality of the production under new climatic conditions.

Estimation of the resistance of a wine against oxidation is of great importance for the wine. To that purpose, most of the commonly used chemical assays that are dedicated to estimate the antioxidant (or antiradical) capacity of a wine consist in measuring the capacity of the wine to reduce an oxidative compound or a stable radical.

Challenges associated with climate change, such as soil erosion and drought, have impacted viticulture across wine regions globally in recent decades. As winegrowers struggle to maintain yield and quality standards under these conditions, methods to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change have become more prevalent. One potential mitigation strategy is to enhance symbiotic interaction of grapevine roots with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF).

The reality of terroir is reflected by the typicality that it confers on the wine. The relationship between the origin of wine and its quality did already exist before the appearance of œnological science. Producers and merchants have always tried to improve wine quality in order to satisfy their clients.