Le aree viticole storiche nel mondo: i loro vitigni, la loro protezione e la tipicità dei vini in esse ottenuti

Winemaking generates significant amounts of by-products, such as grape pomace and wine lees, which are primarily used for distillation and composting.

A consequence of climate change is the modification of grape harvest quality and physico-chemical parameters of the obtained wine: increase in alcoholic degree, decrease in pH, and modification of the extractability of macromolecules, which leads to problems of microbiological, tartaric, colour and colloidal stability. In order to respond to these problems, the winemaking processes must be anticipated and adapted with a better knowledge of macromolecule extractability in grapes and their evolution, according to the grape variety, vintage and winemaking process. The purpose of this study was to understand 1) how the harvest date can influence the extractability of macromolecules, polysaccharides and phenolic compounds, which are responsible for wine stability 2) how to adapt the winemaking process to the harvest date in order to optimise wine quality.

The acquisition of wine expertise is a multi-faceted and multisensory process with implications for sensory perception, attention, memory, and language production. With the prevalence of the predictive model of brain functioning, one area of burgeoning research interest involves wine mental imagery, since the brain relies on imagined experiences to build predictions for the future. Recent evidence has shown that, for instance, those with higher imagery vividness are more susceptible to wine advertising. However, little is known about the association between mental imagery and other associated cognitive processes, such as the ability to produce words that describe such imagery. 

Ultrafiltration is a process that fractionates mixtures using semipermeable membranes, primarily on the basis of molecular weight. Depending on the nominal molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) specifications of the membrane, smaller molecules pass through the membrane into the ‘permeate’, while larger molecules are retained and concentrated in the ‘retentate’. This study investigated applications of ultrafiltration technology for enhanced wine quality and profitability. The key objective was to establish to what extent ultrafiltration could be used to manage phenolic compounds (associated with astringency or bitterness) and proteins (associated with haze formation) in white wine.

A large population of vines of the Mandón minority red variety (synonymous with Garró) has been located in old vineyards of the D.O. Arribes (Zamora and Salamanca) to conserve and recover this minority variety. The wines made with this variety are characterized by their good structure and color, interesting harmony, an excellently low pH, with high acidity, as well as complex aromas of blue fruits and a marked and expressive minerality.