The influence of site aspect and pruning types on Pinot Noir phenology and shoot growth

The increase in air temperature that is occurring in many important wine-growing areas around the world is resulting in the decoupling between the phenolic and the technological maturity of grapevine berries. This new ripening pattern leads to the production of light-bodied high alcoholic wines, but this is in countertendency with the increasing consumers’ demand for wines with low-to-mid alcohol concentrations. The oenological techniques proposed to reduce wine alcohol content are often very expensive and lead to detrimental effects on wine quality. Many viticultural practices have been proposed to slow down sugar accumulation the berry. One possible strategy that was previously found to be suitable for Aglianico grapevine is post-veraison shoot trimming. The aim of this work was to assess the carry over effects on the following year of shoot trimming and vine water status on yield and total soluble solids because the expected reduction in vine fertility could lead to a reduction in the effectiveness of shoot trimming.

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is a challenging plant species to transform and regenerate due to its complex genome and biological characteristics. This limits the development of cisgenic and gene-edited varieties. One hurdle is selecting the best starting tissue for the transformation process, much like isolating suitable tissue for protoplasts. One promising method involves delivering CRISPR/Cas components to protoplasts isolated from embryogenic calli, which are then induced to regenerate. However, this process is inefficient, time-consuming, and only applicable to a few genotypes. To enhance grapevine regeneration efficiency, the expression of developmental and plant growth regulators shows promise in escaping the recalcitrance encountered in traditional tissue culture methods.

With 0.3 to 0.7 kg CO2eq per 0.75 L wine, the glass bottle is the main contributor to the carbon footprint of a bottle of wine.

The presence of grape-derived heat unstable proteins can lead to haze formation in white wines [1], an instability prevented by removing these proteins by adding bentonite, a hydrated aluminum silicate that interacts electrostatically with wine proteins leading to their flocculation. Despite effective, using bentonite has several drawbacks as the costs associated with its use, the potential negative effects on wine quality, and its environmental impact, so that alternative solutions are needed.

Can we cultivate grapevine without pesticides? This is a huge challenge for this emblematic crop, which is one of the largest users of plant protection products. Pesticides are mainly used to protect the vine against leaf diseases (powdery mildew, mildew, black-rot), even in organic farming, which uses copper in particular. What are the research avenues that can help eliminate pesticides today?