Sustainablity of vineyards in the Priorat region (NE Spain)

Sixty five % of the agricultural area of the Basque Country located in the DO Ca Rioja corresponds to vineyards. More than 40% of it has an average slope greater than 10%, which makes it sensitive to erosive processes. Furthermore, it is foreseeable that extreme weather events (storms, hail, extreme heat and cold, etc.) will be favored due to climate change. Cover cropping can mitigate this risk, and therefore the objective of this work is to evaluate the impact that a vegetable cover has on the agronomic behavior of the vineyard, the quality of the grape and soil erosion. For this, a trial has been carried out with a Graciano variety vineyard with a slope between 10% -20% during the years 2020 and 2021. Conventional tillage management in the area has been compared (4-6 passes per year of tillage machinery) versus spontaneous vegetation cover management in the vineyard. This implies not tilling and allowing the grass of the land to colonize the range between the lines of vines, controlling their height through 1-3 mowing passes per year, always trying to affect the surface of the land as little as possible. The vegetative growth, yield and quality of the grape and wine was measured. Furthermore, erosion has been measured using Gerlasch boxes. The yield was lower in the second year of the trial in the cover crop treatment, but erosion was significantly reduced.

The light exposure of white wine is responsible for several reactions leading to changes on colour, flavours and, consequently, affecting the sensory profile.

Polyphenols are very important compounds of red wines, serving as essential bioactive components and playing an important role in sensory properties. The determination of individual phenolic compounds in red wine is commonly performed by HPLC analysis, while the total polyphenols are quantified by spectrophotometric methods, usually by the method of absorbance at 280 nm (index of ribéreau-gayon) or the method of index of folin-ciocalteu. In this work, we pioneeringly proposed a new and fast method for simultaneous determination of individual and total polyphenols in red wines by direct-injection HPLC without sample preparation.

PR proteins can cause haze in wines, and the risk is to keep the wine unsold. Generally, in winemaking bentonite solves this problem by removing proteins, but it is not a renewable resource, has poor settling, which means difficulty in filtering after use and a considerable loss of wine, it is not a specific adsorbent and may reduce aromas and flavor compounds

This study explores and analyzes the socio-environmental implications associated with the cultivation of the “brs-vitoria” table grape variety. Focusing on its adoption by farmers in the vale do submédio São Francisco region in Brazil, this study delves into the diverse impacts and changes brought about since its introduction, encompassing both the social and environmental dimensions of agricultural practices in the area. Embrapa, brazil’s federal agricultural research institution, encompasses a network of 43 thematic research centers spread across the nation.