Evaluation of the sensory profile of doc douro red wines through sensory traditional single-point techniques and temporal dominance methods

Aging wine on lees benefits different wine sensory and technological properties including an enhanced resistance to oxidation. Several molecules released by yeast, such as membrane sterols and glutathione, have been previously proposed as key factors for this activity [1].

One of the consequences of global warming is the quick berry development giving rise to a disconnection between sugar accumulation and the formation of important quality minor compounds such as phenolics and volatile compounds being a huge challenge for the oenologist [1]. Thus, this phenomenon is forcing the search on strategies for maintaining the quality of wines despite this situation. One possibility is to make an early harvest with a low sugar concentration (18ºbrix) and advanced harvest for sparkling wine (20-21ºbrix) and afterwards to combine base wines properly and carry out the second fermentation trying to compensate the lack of secondary metabolites due to the quick berry development and higher alcohol degree of the second one, not adequate itself for sparkling wine. The aim of this study was to assess the chemical and physical characteristics, mainly volatile profile, and foaming properties of sparkling wines from grapes of Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc.

AIM: Malolactic fermentation is a process of decarboxylation of L-malic acid into L-lactic acid and carbon dioxide that leads to deacidification, modification of odors and flavors of wines [1]

AIM: Many research studies have analyzed the effect of polysaccharides in the aromatic composition of white wines.

One of the main consequences of global warming is the rise of the mean temperature. Thus, the heat summation by the plants begins sooner in the early spring, and by cumulating growing degree-days, phenological development tends to happen earlier. However, spring frost is still a recurrent phenomenon causing serious damages to buds and therefore, threatening the harvests of the winegrowers. The wind machine is a solution to protect fruit crops against spring frost that is increasingly used. It is composed of a 10-m mast with a blowing fan at its peak. By tapping into the strength of the nocturnal thermal inversion, it sweeps the crop by propelling warm air above to the ground. Thus, stratification is momentarily suppressed. Furthermore, the continuous action of the machine, alone or in synergy, or the addition of a heater allow the bud to be bathed in a warmer environment. Also, the punctual action of the tower’s warm gust reaches the bud directly at each rotation period. All these actions allow the bud to continuously warm up, but with different intensities and over a different period. Although there is evidence of the effectiveness of the wind machines, the thermal transfers involved in those mechanisms raise questions about their true nature. Field measurements based on ultrasonic anemometers and fast responding thermocouples complemented by laboratory measurements on a reduced scale model allow to characterize both the airflow produced by the wind machine and the local temperature in its vicinity. Those experiments were realized in the vineyard of Quincy, in the framework of the SICTAG project. In the future paper, we will detail the aeraulic characterization of the wind machine and the thermal effects resulting from it and we will focus on how the wind machine warms up the local atmosphere and enables to reduce the freezing risk.