Typicality related to terroir: from conceptual to perceptual representation: study of the links with enological practices

Ozalj- vivodina region is small vine growing area (only about 100 hectares of vineyards), but with significant number of old, ancient vineyards planted between 50 and 100 years ago. Trend of abandoning or replanting ancient vineyards takes place for the last 30 years. This trend results in grapevine germplasm erosion because traditional varieties are replaced with well known international varieties.Few known traditional varieties are dominantly present in ancient vineyards together with many others of unknown identity. Historical data about prevalence and characteristic of varieties on this area are very poor.

The wine production is an important activity in many Ibero-American countries. The wine producer regions of these countries configure a large use of different climate types and viticultural climates.

Nowadays, the trend is to reduce the use of chemical inputs in the food sector, including in oenology. One of the inputs widely used in the wine making process are sulfites, for its several properties: antimicrobial and antioxidiant. This use isn’t without consequences on consumer’s health and environment, it can lead for example to allergic reactions and pollution. To limit the addition of chemical inputs, microbial alternatives are used. It consists to inoculate in grape must, a micro-organism able to inhibit the growth of the negative indigenous flora during the phase before the fermentation and to guarantee the sensory qualities of wines.

Kinetics of carbon allocation in the different plant sinks (root-shoot-fruit) competing in drought stressed and rehydrated grapevines have been investigated.

The Registered Appellation of Origin Mark (RAOM) « Jerez-Xérès-Sherry and Manzanilla Sanlucar de Barrameda » is one of the oldest and more important zone in wine history and production. «Albarizas» unit (white calcareous marls with sea-fossils) is the most representative geological material of the RAOM (75%) and even more in the central-NW area of the RAOM, known as «Jerez Superior» area (Superior Quality Sherry Area). « Albarizas » form undulated hillocks (3-10% slope) and hills (>10% slope), the litologic unit has E-W and S-W direction, and Regosols and Leptosols are the principal soils.