The international Internet site of the geoviticulture MCC system

The plasticity of grapevines in response to diverse growing conditions is influenced, among other factors, by the extent to which the roots explore the soil and the ability to accumulate and retrieve water and nutrients.
Newly planted grapevines, in particular, face challenges due to limited resources. The young plant’s ability for a fast and intensive penetration of the soil is vital in periods of water scarcity. The selection of an appropriate, site-specific rootstock significantly impacts both, the quality of the fruit produced and the economic success of the wine estate.

The sporadic oxidation of white wines remains an open question, making wine shelf life a subjective debate. Through a multidisciplinary synoptic approach performed as a remarkable case study on aged bottles of white wine, this work unraveled a yet unexplored route for uncontrolled oxidation.

In winemaking grapes, it is known that most aroma compounds are present as non-volatile precursors, such as glycosidic precursors. In fact, there is strong evidence supporting the connection between the content of aroma precursors and the aromatic quality of wine [1]. Acid hydrolysis is preferred to reveal the aroma potential of winemaking grapes, as it predicts more accurately the chemical rearrangements occurring during fermentation in acidic environments [2]. In this study, a method involving a fast fermentation followed by acid hydrolysis at 75ºC was used to evaluate the accumulation of aroma compounds over time in fractions obtained from six different varieties of winemaking grapes.

Water deficits limit yields and this is one of the negative aspects of climate change. However, this applies particularly when emphasis is on biomass production (e.g. for crops like maize, wheat, etc.)

Volatile phenols from wildfire smoke are absorbed by wine grapes, resulting in undesirable smoky and ashy sensory attributes in the affected wine.[1] Unfortunately the severity of wildfires is increasing, particularly when grapes are ripening on the vine. The unwanted flavors of the wine prompted a need for solutions to prevent the uptake of smoke compounds into wine grapes. Films using cellulose nanofibers as the coating forming matrix were developed as an innovative means to prevent smoke phenols from entering Pinot noir grapes. Different film formulations were tested by incorporating low methoxy pectin or chitosan.