All acids are equal, but some acids are more equal than others: (bio)acidification of wines

European regulations describe what elements must be given in the specifications of DPO determination ; mainly production conditions, links between quality and products characteristics and the physical traits of the production area. These elements are given in the “link to terroir” paragraph relating natural and human factors, detailed product characteristics linked to the geographical area and at last interactions between product originality and the geographical area.

Climate change poses significant challenges to the global wine sector, with cool-climate countries particularly vulnerable to its effects. The research employs a panel data analysis to investigate the impact of climate change on the wine industry in 66 countries, focusing on 11 cool-climate countries located north of the wine belt in the northern hemisphere. Utilizing data from OIV, FAO and climatic statistics from the climate change knowledge portal of the world bank spanning from 1961 to 2020, the research examines the relationship between temperature, precipitation, and wine production.

Climate change increasingly leads to altered growing conditions in viticulture, such as heat stress, drought or high infection pressure favoring pathogen infection.

The use of glutathione (GSH) in winemaking has been legitimated recently, according to OIV resolutions OENO 445-2015 and OENO 446-2015 a maximum dose of 20 mg/L is now allowed to use in must and wine. Several studies have proven the benefits of GSH, predominantly in Sauvignon blanc. Thus, oxidative coloration of must and wine is limited, aroma compounds such as volatile thiols are preserved, and the development of ageing flavors such as sotolon and 2-aminoacetophenone is impeded. The protective effect may be explained by the high affinity of GSH to bind o-quinones which are formed during phenolic oxidation and which are known to initiate browning and other oxidative changes. Some researchers have proposed the hydroxycinnamic acid to GSH ratio (HGR) as an indicator of oxidation susceptibility of must and could show that lower ratios yielded lighter musts.

The objective of the present work was to study the influence of the foliar application of seaweed (Laminaria japonica), on the bunch and on the must in the ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ grape. The experiment was carried out in the years 2021/2022, in a 21-year-old commercial vineyard, in the municipality of “Dom Pedrito” – “Rio Grande do Sul” (RS). A completely randomized experimental design was used, with 4 treatments and 4 replications (7 plants per replication). The treatments were: T1- control treatment; T2- Exal Powder 5 g L-1; T3- Hidro Exal 15 ml L-1; T4- Exal Powder 5 g L-1+ Hidro Exal 15 ml L-1.