The role of vine trunk height in delaying grape ripening: insights for viticultural adaptation strategies

There is evidence in the literature that non-volatile wine matrix can modify the release and therefore the perception of the compounds involved in wine aroma [1-3].

The aromatic quality of wines after a long aging period in bottle is one of key points for oenologists. The objective of this work is to determine the main representative aromatic compounds found in long aged wines from D.O.Ca. Rioja. This study was made by 32 wines from 1971 to 2010 vintages. Sotolon, acetaldehyde, phenylacetaldehyde, 1,1,6-trimethyl-1,2-dihydronaptalene (TDN), β-damascenone, Y-decalactone and Y-dodecalactone were determined as the most important oxidation markers by GC-MS analysis. Moreover, sensory analysis using triangular tests were performed from wines with and without the addition of the mentioned compounds. Four different concentrations of each odorant were added, as individual compounds and as mixtures. The additions were ranged from values close to the reference odour thresholds up to high level concentrations. The most identified aroma was sotolon, which is commonly associated to curry and coffee liqueur aromatic notes. Other oxidative compounds were easily detected by panellists, such as Y-decalactone (peach compote), Y-dodecalactone (ripe fruit). The mixtures of the odorants were most easily detected than the individual compounds. It should be noted that acetaldehyde and phenylacetaldehyde were rarely perceived and distinguished.

Aromatic composition contributes mainly to the quality aroma of white wine. A natural and gradual evolution of the aroma in the bottle occurs over storage with a very low oxygen content.

The synthetic herbicide glyphosate has been used extensively in viticulture over many decades to combat weeds. Despite this, the possible influence of residual glyphosate on both the alcoholic fermentation of grape juice and the subsequent metabolite profile of wines has not been investigated. In this study, Pinot noir juice supplemented with different concentrations of glyphosate (0 µg L-1, 10 µg L-1 and 1000 µg L-1) was fermented with commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strains. Using a combination of analytical methods, 80 metabolites were quantified in the resulting wines.

The soil plays a pivotal role in the agroecological transition processes, due to its numerous implications in production support, water regulation, air and nutrient supply, and its function of reservoir for the major part of planet biodiversity. Therefore, soil quality and adequate soil management are key levers for an ecologically and economically sustainable viticulture. Gascogn’Innov (2017-2022) is an Operational Group funded by the European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture. As such, it gathered winegrowers from the south-west of France (Gascony), scientists, advisors and technicians, around a project focused on the biological functioning of viticultural soil and the design of better-adapted technical paths for soil protection.