A study on the oenological potentiality of the territory of a cooperative winery in Valpolicella (Italy)

The global non-alcoholic wine market is projected to grow from USD 2.7 billion in 2024 to USD 6.97 billion by 2034, driven by health awareness, lifestyle shifts, and religious factors [1-3]. Consequently, the removal of alcohol can significantly alter the key quality parameters of wine.

The quantity and distribution of polyphenols in musts play a fundamental role in the white winemaking. This is because these substances are exposed to oxidation reactions, which are catalysed by the polyphenol oxidase (PPO), leading to a decrease in the quality of the wines produced. PPO is inactivated by SO2, but currently, due to the restrictions of the legislation, other methodologies are being investigated. Ultra-High Pressure Homogenization (UHPH) is a non-thermal physic technology that exerts an ultrahigh pressure pumping (>200 MPa) of a fluid through a valve in a continuous system.

The Valpolicella appellation, mainly known for Amarone and Ripasso, is experiencing growing interest in Valpolicella Superiore (VS), a lighter red wine aligning with consumer demand. However, anecdotal evidence suggests different stylistic interpretations of VS, potentially causing consumer confusion.

The dynamic sequence of physiological events along the three-months of berry development from anthesis to ripe stage has been thoroughly investigated. Most studies were performed on average samples, taking care to crush enough fruits to fairly represent the overall trend of the future harvest. However, phenological stages like 30% caps off (EL25) highlights the asynchronous nature of this population. Consequently, softening, onset of sugar accumulation and coloration were melted by asynchrony in a developmental mumbo jumbo, until their respective timing could be clarified by single berries approaches.

Wines differ from each other based on seven different factors: the type of grape; the bedrock geology and resulting soils; the climate; the soil hydrology; physiography of the site; the winemaker and the vineyard management techniques. The first five of these factors make up what the French call terroir, “the taste of the place”.