Ripening of Mencía grape cultivar in different edaphoclimatic situations (D.O. Ribeira Sacra, Spain)

Deficit irrigation is a viticultural practice often applied to improve the phenolic composition of red grapes and wines. However, the impact of this practice on grape terpenes – key aromatics for several grapes and wines – remains largely unknown. This study investigated the impact of deficit irrigation strategies on free and glycosylated terpenes in Gewürztraminer grapes. In a field study conducted in Oliver, BC, in 2016, 2017, and 2018, deficit irrigation regimes were applied to Gewürztraminer vines at different developmental stages (pre-veraison = Early Deficit, ED; post-veraison = Late Deficit, LD; throughout the season = Prolonged Deficit, PD). A well-irrigated control (CN) treatment was also established.

Cette recherche a eu pour but l’étude des effets d’un renforcement radiatif et thermique sur les zones inférieures de la canopée de la vigne (solarisation par des films ou des paillages réfléchissants installés sur le sol, sous les ceps), notamment l’étude de leurs conséquences sur la composition biochimique des moûts à la vendange et sur la qualité des vins.

In the last few decades, minor vine genotypes traditionally cultivated on the Mount Etna slopes, have attracted the interest of both researchers and vine growers, as they offer an interesting oenological profile.

Lately several works highlighted the capacity of grape cell-wall material (CWM) to interact with proanthocyanidins (PA), indicating its potential use as fining agent for red wines.1–4 However, those studies were performed by using purified PAs and very high doses of CWM (almost ten-fold higher than those used in wine industry for other commercial fining agents). The present study focuses on the applicability of CWM from Cabernet sauvignon pomace as fining agent for red wines under real winery conditions. Grapes of cultivar Cabernet sauvignon were harvested at three different maturity levels
(unripe, mature, and overripe) and used for red winemaking. The pomace of such vinifications were used as source of CWM, and applied into red wines at two different concentrations: 0.2 g/L and 2.5 g/L.

The blend of grapes used in the production of the four Valpolicella PDOs red wines, namely Valpolicella, Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Recioto della Valpolicella and Amarone della Valpolicella is quite unique, and includes two main varieties Corvina and Corvinone, and other minor varieties. To a very large extent all these grapes are only grown in the province of Verona. One of the main characteristics of Valpolicella is the use of grapes that are submitted to post-harvest withering. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the evolution of the free and glycosidically-bound volatile compounds in Corvina and Corvinone grapes under real production conditions.