Olfactometric and sensory study of red wines subjected to ultrasound or microwaves during their elaboration

Oxidation in wine is mostly related to the Michael addition of nucleophiles on two quinones formed from the oxidation of ortho-diphenols. In wine this mechanism is responsible for the increase of the yellow hue and aroma loss. Glutathione exerts its antioxidant activity throughout its competitive addition onto quinones, but many other compounds can have the same behavior: sulfanyl
compounds, amino acids, etc. Addition of yeast derivates during the winemaking process can increase the level of those nucleophilic compounds and then confer to the wine a higher resistance

More frequent and extreme temperatures and droughts pose challenges to the wine sector in Mediterranean Europe. Soil is crucial to sustain the equilibrium of ecosystems, economic growth and people’s prosperity worldwide. In viticulture, soils are a major component of the terroir and do influence vine’s growth, yield and berry composition. Soil temperature (ST) affects soil´s physical, chemical and biological processes and also crop growth. The impact of ST becomes even stronger when dealing with row crops such as grapevine, when considering the increased exposition to radiation. However, the impact of ST on crop performance remains poorly described, especially for extreme climatic conditions.

Although some wine production processes still rely on post-production evaluation and off-site laboratory analysis, the new winemaking industry is aware of a need for a better knowledge of the process to improve the properties of the final product. Thus, more and more wineries are interested in incorporating quality-by-design (QbD) strategies instead of postproduction testing because of the possibility to early detect deviations in fermentation or any other wine process. This would allow to detect unwanted situations and eventually to ‘readjust’ the process, thus minimizing rejects.

Late season dehydration, bunch stem necrosis, sugar accumulation disorder and sunburn are various types of berry shrivel occurring in vineyards. The incidence of these types of shrivel, and the degree to which it occur are influenced by various factors in the vineyard. These factors include the presence of pests and diseases in the vineyard, genetic traits expressed in certain cultivars, as
well as climatic and environmental factors. The occurrence of berry shrivel in the vineyard could negatively impact the quality and quantity of the fruit produced.

As an industry that thrives more on, but may also be more affected by, vintage variation and regionality than any other agricultural enterprise, grape and wine production is ever more being impacted challenged by climate change.