The terroir of Carnuntum: investigation of the physiogeographic characteristics and interdisciplinary study of viticultural functions of the Carnuntum wine district, Austria

Climate is one of the main conditioning factors of winemaking. In this context, bioclimatic indices are a useful zoning tool, allowing the description of the suitability of a particular region

A part, at least, of the fruity aroma of red wines is the consequence of perceptive interactions between various aromatic compounds, particularly ethyl esters and acetates, which may contribute to the perception of fruity aromas, specifically thanks to synergistic effects.1,2 The question of the indirect impact of non-fruity compounds on this particular aromatic expression has not yet been widely investigated. Among these compounds higher alcohols (HA) represent the main group, from a quantitative standpoint, of volatiles in many alcoholic beverages. Moreover, some bibliographic data suggested their contribution to the aromatic complexity by either increasing or masking flavors of wine, depending of their concentrations.

Wine fraud, encompassing counterfeiting and adulteration, poses a significant threat to the wine industry, resulting in annual losses totalling billions of dollars.

The Priorat AOC, which is situated behind the coastal mountain range of Tarragona, is characterised by a Mediterranean climate that tends towards continentality and has very little precipitation during the vegetation cycle

There is a high demand in the wine industry for analytical methods able to provide useful information to support the decision-making process in the vineyard and in the winery. Ideally these methods should be rapid (e.g.