Terroir 2008 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Influence of organic plant treatment on the terroir of microorganisms

Influence of organic plant treatment on the terroir of microorganisms

Abstract

Several factors like vineyard site, climate, grape variety, ripeness, physical health of the grapes and pest management influence the populations of indigenous yeasts on grapes and later on in spontaneous fermentations. During spontaneous fermentations, so called “wild yeasts” could significantly influence the wine aroma. Some authors certify more complexity and an increase of wine quality to these fermentations. A widespread opinion is that spontaneous fermentation can help to emphasize the characteristics of a specific geographical area or even of one vineyard site.
This was checked in a three years experimental period testing different pest management strategies to replace or reduce copper and sulphur and comparing integrated, organic and biodynamic strategies. Alternatives to copper or sulphur treatments could however have an impact on the aroma profiles, as they alter the composition of natural yeast populations in the vineyard or lead to changes in yeast metabolism. This was tested with several alternative strategies compared to organic-standard and integrated variants. Effects on spontaneous flora, fermentation course and aroma profiles were analysed.
Yeast populations on grapes and at different stages of grape and must processing were isolated and determined using RFLP analysis of the ITS-region.
Hanseniaspora uvarum and Metschnikowia pulcherrima were the dominating species on the grapes in all variants. There was no correlation between the population dynamics of yeast during the processing and fermentation and the different pest management strategies.
In this survey the processing and the ecosystem winery seem to have a more important influence on yeast diversity than the microflora composition on grapes.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: December 8, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2008

Type : Article

Authors

STÖLBEN T (1,2), RÜCK C (1,2), HERRBRUCK T (1,2), KAUER R (1), VON WALLBRUNN C (2)

(1) Fachbereich Geisenheim, Fachhochschule Wiesbaden, Von-Lade-Str. 1, 65366 Geisenheim
(2) Fachgebiet Mikrobiologie u. Biochemie, Forschungsanstalt Geisenheim, Von-Lade-Str. 1, 65366 Geisenheim

Contact the author

Keywords

 yeast, spontaneous fermentation, organic pest management, RFLP, sensory analysis

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2008

Citation

Related articles…

Irrigation frequency: variation and agronomic and qualitative effects on cv. Tempranillo in the D. O. Ribera del Duero

The application of irrigation in vineyard cultivation continues to be a highly debated aspect in terms of the quantity and distribution of water throughout the vegetative growth period.

Read More

Pioneering dynamic AgriVoltaics in viticulture: enhancing grapevine productivity, wine quality and climate protection through agronomical steering in a large-scale field study

Context and purpose of the study. Climate change threatens traditional winegrowing regions, with about 90% of areas like southern France at risk by the end of the century due to heatwaves and droughts.

Read More

Correspondence between physiological plant variables and carbon isotope composition in different climate winegrape regions

The climate is the environmental factor that contributes with greater weight in the variability of the yield and the composition of the grape, therefore, it is key in the determination of the typicity of the product. Of the environmental factors, the evolution of water availability conditions, among other things, the biochemical evolution of the compounds of the grape and the type of wine to be elaborated. An integrating parameter of the hydric state of the plant is the carbon isotopic composition (δ13C). This indicator is a useful parameter to characterize the water status during the maturation period and estimate the transpiration efficiency or water use efficiency (EUA) in the vine.

Read More

Effect of two contrasting soils on grape and wine sensory characteristics in Shiraz

Aims: Berry composition and wine sensory characteristics reflect the origin of grape production and seasonal climatic conditions. The aim of this study was to compare berry and wine sensory characteristics from two contrasting soil types where the vineyard climate, geography, topography, vine and management factors were not different.

Read More

Advancement of grape maturity – comparison between contrasting varieties and regions

Grapevine phenology has advanced across many regions, nationally and internationally, in recent decades under the influence of increasing temperatures, resulting in earlier
vintages (Jones and Davis, 2000, Petrie and Sadras, 2008, Tomasi et al., 2011, Webb et al., 2011. Earlier vintages have several ramifications for the wine industry. There are direct implications on quality, due to the fruit ripening during the hotter conditions of summer and early autumn, which then impacts grape composition and wine style (Sadras et al., 2013, Buttrose et al., 1971, Mira de Ordũna, 2010). There are also indirect implications where the fruit is perceived to ripen at a faster rate and the crop reach optimum maturity over a shorter period (Coulter et al., 2016).

Read More