Great highlands wine growing terroir: conditions and expressions

Genomic selection (GS) has emerged as a transformative tool for accelerating breeding programs by predicting the genetic potential of individuals using genome-wide markers.

Forest fires in the vicinity of vineyards have significantly increased in the last decade and are a concern for grapegrowers and winemakers in many wine producing countries. The fires cause smoke drift throughout vineyards which cannot be avoided and may result in the production of wines described as ‘smoke tainted’. Such wines are characterized by undesirable sensory characters described as ‘smoky’, ‘burnt’, ‘ash’ aromas and flavours, and also may cause a lingering, unpleasant ashy aftertaste [1; 2].

The concept of terroir or sense of place is almost as old as the wine industry. It is generally used as an all-encompassing term to reflect the effects of the biophysical environment in which grapes and their resultant wines are produced on the character of those wines. Historically, terroir has generally been considered at the regional or property scale.

Grapes composition is a factor well known to affect wines composition and sensory expression. The goal of this study was to evaluate how grapes composition modifications linked to maturity level could affect wines aromatic expression and esters composition.

Aging on lees (AOL) has been used for wine aging for a long time, thanks to its ability to modify wine composition, improving sensory characteristics and stability. However, the prolonged contact with fermentation lees may increase the risk of developing sensory defects, due to the growth of unwanted microorganisms. Furthermore, AOL requires a large amount of work to manage bâtonnage and for topping up the barrels, significantly increasing production costs.