In search of the taste of terroir – a challenge for sensory science

The study of climate is relevant as an element conditioning the typicity of a product, its quality and sustainability over the years. The grapevine development and growth and the final grape and wine composition are closely related to temperature, while climate components vary at mesoscale according to topography and/or proximity to large bodies of water. The objective of this work is to assess the mesoclimate of the Atlantic region of Uruguay and to determine the effect of topography and the ocean on temperature and consequently on Tannat grapevine behavior.

Tempranillo Tinto (TT) is the third-most planted red wine variety in the world, and it is mostly grown in the Iberian Peninsula. Spontaneous somatic variation appearing during vegetative propagation can be exploited to improve elite varieties as Tempranillo Tinto, including the selection of new phenotypes enhancing berry quality. We described previously that a somatic variant of TT with darker fruit color, the clone VN21, exhibits increased extractability of polyphenols during the winemaking process. To unravel the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon, we performed whole-genome resequencing to compare VN21 to other TT clones, revealing a 10 Mb deletion in chromosome 11 that likely affected only the L1 meristem cell layer of VN21 and tissues derived from it, such as external cell layers of berry skin.

Tutte le cantine possono aprirsi al pubblico? Evidentemente si, nessuno può impedire ad un produttore di accogliere i turisti.
Tutte le cantine possono far parte delle Strade del vino? No, perché la Strada del vino mette in gioco la reputazione della denominazione di origine alla quale è legata e le possibilità di sviluppo economico di un intero territorio.

Volatile compounds play a significant role on the organoleptic properties defining wines quality. This particular role was exploited in several studies with the aim to differentiate wines from a more or less extensive production area, according to their sensory profile [1], as well as their chemical composition [2,3] (Di Paola-Naranjo et al., 2011; Kustos et al., 2020). Indeed, since aroma compounds development in grapes depends primarily on the environmental conditions of the vines and grapes (soil and climate), it is conceivable that these parameters craft the aromatic signature of the wine produced, in relation to its origin (Van Leeuwen et al., 2020). In this work, a general study on the aromatic and sensorial profile of wines produced in five sub-regions of the Corbières denomination, a renowned red grape varieties viticultural region in South France, was reported.

Aims: The aims of this study are to determine the influences of the local geology, mineralogy and geochemistry of surroundings, substrate and soil on the cultivation of vines, these as an additional factor of specificity and locality in the production of wine and definition of terroir, as well as for the discrimination of local variance of substrate and soil properties for the strategic management of cultivation plots and/or the evaluation of new cultivation regions, necessary within a scope of global climate change.