VITOUR – The European World Heritage Vineyards

The pinking is a phenomenon that can occur in white wine produced with white grape causing the color change from yellow to red-salmon hue. Even if its appearance is highly variable and dependent to the vintage, the wines from certain grape varieties, such as Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Trebbiano di Lugana, have been identified to be more susceptible to the pinking.

Context and purpose of the study. Conventional viticulture relies heavily on synthetic inputs (fertilizers, pesticides), as well as mechanization to manage pests, weeds, and diseases and maximize yields.

Grapevine vegetative multiplication allows the accumulation of spontaneous mutations and increase intra-cultivar genetic diversity that can be exploited to maintain grape wine quality

The marked climate change impact on vine and grape development (phenology, sugar content, acidity …) is one of the manifestations of Genotype X Environment X Management interactions importance in viticulture. Some practices, such as irrigation, can mitigate the effect of water deficit on grape development, but warming is much more difficult to challenge. High temperatures tend to alter the acid balance of the fruit with a parallel increase in sugar concentration. In the long term, genetic improvement to select varieties better coping with temperature elevation appear as a good option to support sustainable viticulture. Nevertheless, the existing phenotypic diversity for grape quality components that are influenced by temperature is poorly understood, which jeopardizes breeding strategies.

g-Nonalactone has been identified as a significant contributor to the aroma profile of a range of wines and is associated with stonefruit and coconut descriptors.