Observation and modeling of climate at fine scales in wine-producing areas

This study is aimed to develop a complete tool for the winemaker with, complete and targeted “winemaking recipes” that can be adapted to criteria set by the winemaker, such as: grape variety, grape health status, degree of ripening, desired wine, redox status throughout the alcoholic fermentation.
To get such aim, specific sets of experiments using red grape juices from different varieties (Nebbiolo, Barbera, Pinot noir, etc.) collected at different technological and phenolic maturity points, will be held with “automatized 4.0 tanks” equipped with sensors for measuring: redox potential, dissolved oxygen, relative density, temperature, and color in order to collect a sufficient amount of data preparatory to the creation of operating models in the most widely winemaking situations in which the automatized 4.0 tanks “will be able to independently respond” with the right corrective actions (opening/closing aeration valve, execution/block pumping overs , etc.) if the key parameters exceed the limits of the recommended ranges set in the selected recipe.

Different heat tests are used to predict the dose of bentonite necessary to prevent wine haze after bottling. The most used tests are 60-120 min. at 80°C. Nevertheless, there is a lack of information about the relationship between these tests and the turbidities observed in the bottles after the storage/transport of the wines in realistic conditions, when temperatures reach 35-42°C during 3-12 days.

Depuis le millésime 2002, une étude est menée sur la diversité de la flore fongique de parcelles du cépage chenin, situées essentiellement sur les appellations de Vouvray et Montlouis ; deux appellations séparées par le fleuve nommé la Loire. Les parcelles se situent dans des conditions pédoclimatiques différentes, qui se retrouvent au travers des suivis de maturité et l’état sanitaire.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an effective and comprehensive method for evaluating the environmental impact of a product, considering its entire life cycle. In the context of wine production, although the use of lca is gaining ground in viticulture, its application is still limited to the fine assessment of winemaking processes.

Inorganic phosphonates are known to effectively support the control of grapevine downy mildew in vi- ticulture. Their application helps the plant to induce an earlier and more effective pathogen defense. However, inorganic phosphonates have been banned in organic viticulture due to their classification as plant protection products since October 2013. Despite the ban, phosphonate has been recently detected in organic wines.