How a microscopic yeast makes a big difference – how geographic limitations of yeast populations can determine the regional aroma of wine

Context and purpose of the study. Cover cropping in vineyards supports grape yield, quality, and soil health.

Trebbiano di Lugana (TdL) is a white variety of Vitis vinifera mainly cultivated in an Italian area located south near Garda lake (Verona, north of Italy). This grape cultivar, also known as “Turbiana,” is used for the production of TdL wine with recognized Protected Designation of Origin whose volatile profile was recently determined [1]. The presence of varietal thiols in TdL, namely 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol and its acetate form, conferring the tropical and citrus notes, has been documented. Winemaking strategies were also described with the purpose of protecting and maintain these desired aromas [2]. To the best of our knowledge, the varietal thiol precursors (VTPs) were not previously determined in TdL grape and must. This study aimed to quantify VTPs in both grape during the ripening and must during the pressing. Volatile C6 compounds were also measured in the must fractions.

Vine diseases have a strong impact on vineyards sustainability, which in turns leads to strong economic consequences. Among those diseases, Flavescence dorée spreads quickly and is incurable, which led in France to the setup of a mandatory pest control implying the systematic use of pesticides and the prospection and uprooting of every infected plants. Remote sensing could be a very powerful tool to optimize prospection as it allows to produce quickly accurate maps over large areas. Recent studies have shown that high spatial resolution (10cm/pixel) multispectral images acquired from UAVs allow to map Flavescence dorée in vineyards using leaves discolorations [e.g. Albetis et al., Remote Sensing, 2017].

The genetic material preservation is a priority issue in winemaking research. The recovery of minority grape varieties can control the genetic erosion, contributing also to preserve wine typical characteristics. In D.O.Ca. Rioja (Spain) the number of grown white varieties has been very limited, representing Viura the 91% of the cultivated white grape area in 2005, while the others, Garnacha Blanca and Malvasía riojana, hardly were grown. For this reason, a recovery and characterization study of plant material was carried out in this region. In 2008, the results obtained allowed the authorization of three minority white varieties: Tempranillo Blanco, Maturana Blanca and Turruntés.

El archipiélago Canario, conocido en el pasado como las Islas del Vino, fue una gran potencia en la elaboración y comercialización del vino, sobre todo de caldos elaborados con la variedad Malvasía.