Research on the origin and the side effects of chitosan stabilizing properties in wine

In 2019, we have planted the red variety Manseng Noir, as it has been shown that it is the only sister of the Tannat grape. Tannat was introduced to Uruguay in 1870 from the south-western regions of France.

Soil management through cover crops in the lines of the vineyards is a common practice in viticulture, since it improves the characteristics of the soil. It has been shown that the cover crops can influence the cycle of nutrients, promote infiltration, decrease erosion, and enhance the soil microbiota biodiversity improving the grapevines. However, the area under the vines tends to be left bare by applying herbicides or tillage to avoid competition with the crop in hot climates. The use of cover crops under the vines might be a plausible alternative to the use of herbicides or cultivation, improving grapevine quality and soil characteristics. The aim of this research was to study the implications of different management of the soil under the vines (herbicide, cultivation or cover crops) on grapevine growth, water and nutritional status and belowground microbial communities.

In order to study the impact of climate change on Bordeaux grape varieties and to assess the adaptation capacities of candidates to the grape varieties of this wine region to the new climatic conditions, an experimental block design composed of 52 grape varieties was set up in 2009 at the INRAE Bordeaux Aquitaine center. Among the many parameters studied, the three main phenological stages of the vine (budburst, flowering and veraison) have been closely monitored since 2012. Observations for each year, stage and variety were carried out on four independent replicates. Precocity indices have been calculated from the data obtained over the 2012-2021 period (Barbeau et al. 1998). This work allowed to group the phenological behaviour of the grapevine varieties, not only based on the timing of the subsequent developmental stages, but also on the overall precocity of the cycle and the total length of the cycle between budburst and veraison. Results regarding the variability observed among the different grape varieties for these phenological stages are presented as heat maps.

In recent years, the ageing bouquet of red Bordeaux wines has been partially unveiled by a chemical and sensory point of view1–3. Minty and fresh notes were found to play a key role in the definition of this complex concept, moreover the freshness dimension in fine aged red wines plays an important role in typicity judgement by wine professionals

Aging process is an essential stage in the improvement of wine quality. This process is usually performed by contact with oak wood whose compounds are released and transferred to wine, acquiring typical aging bouquet. Although the use of oak chips is a practice generally accepted as alternative to barrels to shorten aging process, the application of emerging technologies is being unfolded to accelerate this stage.