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

In greenhouse, emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by grapevine leaves has already been reported in response to the defence elicitor sulfated laminarin (PS3) [1]. In order to check that this response was not specific to PS3, experiments were conducted on Vitis cv Marselan plantlets with several other elicitors of different chemical structures: i.e. Bastid® (COS-OGA),

Bacterial malolactic fermentation (MLF) has a considerable impact on wine quality. The yeast strain used for primary fermentation can consistently stimulate (MLF+ phenotype) or inhibit (MLF- phenotype) malolactic bacteria and the MLF process as a function of numerous winemaking practices, but the molecular evidence behind still remains a mystery. In this study, such evidence was elucidated by the direct comparison of extracellular metabolic profiles of MLF+ and MLF- yeast phenotypes. Untargeted metabolomics combining ultrahigh-resolution FT-ICR-MS analysis, powerful machine learning methods and a comprehensive wine metabolite database, discovered around 800 putative biomarkers and 2500 unknown masses involved in phenotypic distinction.

Astringency is one of the leading quality factors in red wines.

The ability of grapevine cultivars and rootstocks to cope with and adapt to recurring water constraints is the focus of this study. The contribution of intrinsic (epigenetic) and extrinsic (rootzone microbial community) factors to water stress resilience will be discussed. The study was conducted in a validated model vineyard where three scion cultivars (Pinotage, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon) on two rootstocks (Richter 110 and USVIT8-7) grow under recurring seasonal water constraint (and control) scenarios since planting (in 2020). Comprehensive profiling of the site, soil, atmospheric conditions, plants, and their physiological responses provide contextual data for the analyses conducted.

It is important nowadays for wine producers to create a product that is an expression of their terroir, a concept including the interaction between a place (topography, climate, soil), the people (tradition, winemaking and viticultural practices) and the resulting product (grape varieties, wines) [1]. Nonetheless, wine’s typicity linked to those terroirs must be easily recognizable by consumers thanks to distinctive sensory characters and composition [2]. Among the compounds of interest, aromatic compounds and polyphenols play an important role in the quality of red wines, by impacting on the odour, color and astringency. To explore the influence of terroir factors, including climate, soil and human practices, on the chemical and sensory profile of wines, red wines from five terroirs of the Corbières appellation were subjected to a general study approach.