“Q & A” of the european commission for labeling and desalcoholization for wines: european wine “soft-law”?

Of biocontrol products and resistant grape varieties, synthetic pesticides are still widely used to control fungal diseases and protect vines from potential damage caused by pests. The use of pesticides is strictly regulated, and their use can sometimes lead to transfer from the grapes to the must and then into the wine. The study of pesticide residues in grapes and wines is commonly carried out by wine producers in order, among other things, to optimize treatment routes, check that products comply with regulations, and ultimately guarantee the food safety of the wine.

Climate change and environmental degradation are existential threats to europe and the world. One of the most important objectives is to reduce by 2030 the use and the risk of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, reducing nutrient losses and increasing organic farming. Grapevine (vitis spp.) is one of the major and most economically important fruit crops worldwide. It is characterised by high levels of genetic diversity, as result of natural genetic mutations, which are common in grapevines and further assisted by ongoing vegetative propagation.

to maintain viticulture under global warming conditions, it is important to carefully select the appropriate genotypes for each vine-growing region and develop cultivars that are drought resistant. this ability is highly dependent on hydraulic traits, which are dynamic and vary according to the vine’s developmental stage and climatic conditions. this framework steadily enhances our understanding of the differences in drought resistance among vitis genotypes. however, there is still a need to comprehensively grasp the intra-specific variability, particularly between oenological and table grape cultivars.

In recent years, “no-low” products seem to become a new worldwide trend. It appears to be a possible answer to the well-known context of climate change, the decline in wine consumption, and the wellness/health trend (“free from” claims, vegan, and so on…) That consumers are looking for. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the “no-low” products sold in the french market (but not only french products), focusing on the labelling, packaging, and sales presentation of these products.

Today in the wine industry, a lot of alternatives are available for reducing phytosanitary inputs. Among these, prophylaxis, the use of biocontrol products and the deployment of pathogen-resistant vines are the most promising. eugenol (2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)-phenol), a molecule with recognised antifungal properties, can contribute to the last two alternatives. This molecule has been identified as an endogenous compound in the baco blanc hybrid variety used in armagnac pdo, which is at least tolerant to botrytis cinerea.