Validation of phenological models for grapevine in the Veneto region

Wine fraud, encompassing counterfeiting and adulteration, poses a significant threat to the wine industry, resulting in annual losses totalling billions of dollars.

Context and purpose of the study. Climate change is affecting wine production and induces a large variability in wine composition between vintages.

The sensory characteristics of wine are a topic studied by several researchers over time, but it continues to be a current and challenging subject. These characteristics are fundamental for the consumer acceptability, which has increasingly aroused their interest to modulate them in line with current market trends and innovation demands. The wine physical-chemical and sensory properties depend on a wide set of factors: they begin to be designed in the vineyard and are later constructed during the various stages of winemaking. Afterwards, the wine is placed in bottles and stored or commercialized.

An alternative to improve grape quality is the application to the vineyard of elicitors. Although these compounds were first used to increase resistance of plants against pathogens, it has been found that they are also able to induce mechanisms involved in the synthesis of phenolic compounds and some amino acids. However, researches about the influence of elicitors on grape volatile composition are scarcely. Therefore, the aim of this work was to study the influence of methyl jasmonate (MeJ) foliar application on grape aroma composition over three consecutive vintages. MeJ was applied to Tempranillo grapevines at a concentration of 10 mM in 2013, 2014, and 2015 years. Control plants were sprayed with water.

Context and purpose of the study. The growing need for sustainable solutions in viticulture has led to increased interest in biostimulants that can enhance plant resilience to both abiotic and biotic stresses.