La place du terroir dans le processus de patrimonialisation : l’exemple des paysages culturels viticoles du patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco

Recurring heat and drought episodes during the growing season can produce adverse impacts on grape production in many wine regions around the world.

Consumer preference favors flint-glass wine bottles over the traditional dark-colored, but it is documented that light exposure can cause white wines to produce off-aromas and change in color, and consequently da[1]mage their quality. Aim of the study was to study the white wine shelf life under the typical supermarket conditions, by recording the light and temperature exposure, the colorimetric changes, and the light-strike fault. METHODS: One pilot experiment based on two white wines and eight-time points and one kinetic experiment based on four white wines and seven-time points were designed and realized using a typical supermarket shelf for 32 and 50 days, correspondently. By installing prototype sensors at 32 points of the shelf, the temperature, UV, IR, and Visible light exposure were registered every 10 min. Approximately 600 commercial wines, bottled in flint and colored glass, were used. The colorimetric changes of the wines were registered and the light-strike fault was evaluated.

Estimation of vineyard leaf area index (LAI) is an important aspect for the winegrowers. However, tracking and monitoring are difficult tasks due to time constraints. Satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imaging have become a practical monitoring method for LAI. Nevertheless, for a proper LAI determination, the image’s spatial resolution is a key factor, since low-resolution images are incapable of distinguishing between adjacent vines due to the large area covered in each pixel, this leads to misinterpretation or generalisation of vineyard information.

Smoke impact in wines is caused by a wide range of volatile phenols found in wildfire smoke. These compounds are absorbed and accumulate in berries, where they may also become glycosylated. Both volatile and glycosylated forms eventually end up in wine where they can cause off-flavors, described as “smoky”, “bacon”, “campfire” and “ashtray”, often long-lasting and lingering on the palate. In cases of large wildfire events, economic losses for all wine industry actors can be devastating.

The challenges of the century for viticulture relate to coping with climate change and the loss of biodiversity in a downturning socio-economic context. Now more than ever, the vine and wine industry needs to be resilient to maintain and ensure a future for its heritage. An innovation of capital importance, in line with recently published research, deals with developing new methods of training our inherited and newly planted vineyards to better withstand environmental variations such as drought and heatwaves but also unevenly distributed rains and temperatures.