Can the use of rootstocks enhance terroir?

The Grenache observatory was created in 1995. The object of this 24 parcels network, covering main Rhone Valley soils, is to state the effect of pedo-climatic conditions on plant physiology and wine characteristics. The results concerning colour and tanins show a very important diversity in Grenache behaviour.

Aim: Grapevine has traditionally been widely cultivated in drylands. However, in recent decades, a significant part of the viticulture all over the word and specifically in Mediterranean basin, is being irrigated. In recent years, due to climate change, among other reasons, the available natural water resources have been reduced substantially compromising the sustainability of viticulture, especially in the most arid areas

The yeast ecosystem in grape musts is quite broad and depends on the region and the health of the grapes. Within this, there are yeasts that can generate fermentative deviations and/or cause defects in the wine. It is very important to address this issue because there are significant economic losses in the wine industry when the fermentation process and/or the organoleptic characteristics of the wine are negatively affected, even more today since climate change has a marked effect on the composition of this ecosystem. The aim of this work is to characterize the behavior regarding detrimental oenological features of potential spoilage yeasts isolated from viticultural environments.

Wine perception results from the interaction between the wine and its intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics and the experience [1], background and beliefs of the consumer [2,3]. Among all of the factors affecting wine perception, in this study we focused on culture and cognitive processes, working under the hypothesis that higher familiarity with wines would induce higher perceived quality. Furthermore, we hypothesised that culture would influence the verbalisation of wine properties associated with the different experiences of consumers from different cultures.

Besides the increase in global mean temperature the second main challenge of a changing climate is the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in relation to physiology and yield performance of grapevines. The benefits of increasing CO2 levels under greenhouse environment or open field studies have been well investigated for various annual crops. Research under free carbon dioxide enrichment on field-grown perennial plants such as grapevines is limited to a few studies. Further, chamber and greenhouse experiments have been conducted mostly on potted vines under eCO2 conditions.