The Douro region: wine and tourism

This study aims at exploiting an undervalued winemaking by-product, wine yeast lees, by developing efficient and food-grade methods for the extraction of yeast glycoproteins. These extracts were then supplemented to wine and their impact on wine properties assessed.

The overall quality of aged wines is in part due to the development of complex aromas over a long period (1.) The apparition of this aromatic complexity depends on multiple chemical reactions that include the liberation of odorous compounds from non-odorous precursors. One example of this phenomenon is found in dimethyl sulphide (DMS) which, with its characteristic odor truffle, is a known contributor to the bouquet of premium aged wine bouquet (1). DMS supposedly accumulates during the ten first years of ageing thanks to the hydrolysis of its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSp.) DMSp is a possible secondary by-product from the degradation of S-methylmethionine (SMM), an amino acid iden- tified in grapes (2), which can be metabolized by yeast during alcoholic fermentation.

Most oxidation reactions in wine require iron as a catalyst. The iron content of wine has decreased greatly in recent decades due to the use of low or no release cellar materials; however, in some cases it is still necessary to adopt winemaking practices to remove excess iron from wine, prevent its oxidation, and be able to reduce the addition of sulfur dioxide and other antioxidants.

In this video recording of the IVES science meeting 2024, Luca Brillante (California State University, Fresno, USA) speaks about vineyard management, advanced sensing and data analytics. This presentation is based on an original article accessible for free on OENO One.

Cyprus is one of the very few phyloxera-free areas worldwide where the vast majority of vines are own-rooted and non-irrigated. ‘Xynisteri’ is a predominant indigenous cultivar, particularly amenable to extreme conditions such as drought and hot climate, thus rendering it appropriate for marginal soils and adverse climatic conditions. In the current work, a comparative study between irrigated (irrigation initiated at BBCH 71) and non-irrigated vines was conducted.