VitExpress, an open interactive transcriptomic platform for grapevine

Downy mildew, caused by Plasmopara viticola, is the most economically impactful disease affecting grapevines. This polycyclic pathogen triggers both primary and secondary infection cycles, resulting in significant yield losses when effective disease control measures are lacking. Over the winter, the pathogen survives by forming resting structures, the oospores, derived from sexual reproduction, which produce the inoculum for primary infections. To optimize grapevine downy mildew control and obtain the desired levels of production while minimizing chemical inputs, it is crucial to optimize the timeframe for fungicide application. Disease forecasting models are useful to identify the infection risk.

Viticulture is exposed to a range of new stressors, that are challenging its sustainability and disrupting famous and well-established production regions. Steady increase of average temperature, recurring heat waves, altered rainfall seasonal distribution, drought spells, increased pathogens pressure, they all mix up with increased frequency, making every growing season a special challenge and calling for new approaches to cope with worrying scenarios.

Aims: To investigate the intraregional variation of varietal thiol precursors and free thiols in Sauvignon blanc grape juices and experimental wines arising from the Adelaide Hills Geographical Indication (GI) in South Australia.

Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is a volatile sulfur compound with a complex role in wine aroma, contributing both desirable and undesirable sensory characteristics depending on its concentration (1).

No other agricultural product has a stronger relationship with the soil than wine. This study aimed to characterize the sensory profile of red wines from the Douro Demarcated Region (RDD) certified as DOC Douro, through the application of Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA®) and Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS) sensory methods. QDA® provides a complete word description for all a product’s sensory properties. The TDS, which is relatively recent in the sensory field [1], allows to evaluation and description of the evolution of the dominant sensory perceptions during the tasting of a food product.Eighteen commercial wines from different producers were evaluated, six different samples representing each of the three sub-regions of the RDD.