The impact of global warming on Ontario’s icewine industry

Production of volatile compounds by yeast is known to be modulated by must nitrogen. Nevertheless, various parameter of must quality have an impact on yeast fermentation. In this study we propose to evaluate the impact of nitrogen / lipids balance on a Sauvignon Blanc grape juice (Val de Loire). Must was prepared from the same grapes at pilot scale. Three modalities were carried out: direct pressing, direct pressing with a pre-fermentation cold stabulation and pellicular maceration before pressing.

Managing grapevines according to the practices of Precision Agriculture (PA), may prove to be an asset in the hands of the modern grape growers.

Grape seeds account for around 5% of the weight of the whole grape berry, representing approximately 40%-50% of the solid by-products that the different wine industries generate during the winemaking process.

The French grapevine breeding program for durable resistance to downy and powdery mildew (INRAE-ResDur) was initiated more than 20 years ago to help reduce the heavy use of plant protection products and provide a durable mean to cope with a strong pathogen pressure. This program has now proved to be effective, with about ten new varieties already officially registered. However, there is still a lot to be done (1) to reduce the duration of each breeding cycle, (2) to diversify disease factors’ pyramiding and anticipate emerging diseases, (3) to work towards larger adoption of the new resistant varieties. New breeding schemes incorporating for example genomic prediction of breeding values are being evaluated to accelerate genetic gains, saving cost and time while handling complex traits.

Phenolic compounds are responsible for the most important red wine quality attributes. Anthocyanins and tannins play crucial roles in color and mouthfeel properties of red wines. Phenolic analysis in the winery is hindered by analytical constrains.