Soil chemistry as a measure of the distinctiveness of american viticultural areas of the Columbia basin, USA

Oxygen management is crucial in terms of wine quality. Even more for white and rosé wines, which are less protected against oxidation than reds due to the lower levels of antioxidant polyphenols. This need is due to the existence of equilibria between chemical forms depending on the redox potential.

The geology of a region is deemed to be an important component of terroir, as it influences the shape of the landscape and the climate of vineyard. The nature of rock and the geomorphological history of a terroir affect soil physical and chemical composition through a dynamic interplay with the changes of climate, vegetation and other living organisms, as well as with man activities.

In winemaking, the use of wood products alternative to barrels, has become a useful tool for the achievement of numerous oenological objectives, including the fast release of desirable volatile and polyphenolic compounds, colour stabilization, and important economic advantages if compared to the traditional barrel production. Among a huge array of variables, the wood format, the vinification protocol, especially the moment of the infusion of the woods and the exposed surface area of the alternative woods are of relevant significance, since they may influence the speed and intensity of the aroma transfer from the wood to the wine defining different sensory profiles.

Wine flavanols are extracted from grape skin and seeds along red winemaking. Potentially, eight flavan-3-ol subunits may be present as monomers or as tannins constituents, being these catechin, epicathechin, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin end the gallates of the mentioned units. In this work the flavanol profiles of grape skins and seeds before (grapes) and after (pomace) red winemaking were studied together with the one in the corresponding wines. The trials were made over two vintages in Vitis vinifera cv. Tannat, Syrah and Marselan from Uruguay.

s it is well known, myo and scyllo-inositol are two characteristic sugars of grape must and, for this reason, their quantification has been proposed to control the authenticity of the concentrated and rectificated grape must.