The use of viticultural and oenological performance of grapevines to identify terroirs: the example of Sauvignon blanc in Stellenbosch

Drought is one of the main challenges for viticulture in the context of climate change. Selecting drought-tolerant plant material can be an effective strategy for a sustainable viticulture.

In a highly competitive worldwide market, a current challenge for the beverage sector is to diversify the range of products and to offer wines and spirits with typicity and character.

During alcoholic fermentation, wine yeasts generate a large variety of volatile metabolites, including acetate esters, ethyl fatty acid esters, higher alcohols, volatile fatty acids and volatile sulfur compounds that contribute to the aroma profile of wine. These molecules, refered as fermentative aromas, are the most abundant volatile compounds synthetized by yeasts and the metabolic pathways involved in their formation have been well characterized. Furthermore, other molecules with a major organoleptic impact may be produced during wine fermentation including terpene derivatives. However, little information is available on the contribution of yeasts to the formation of these molecules, in particular on their ability to synthethise de novo the terpens derivatives or to produce hydrolytic enzymes involved in the release of varietal precursors.

Fast, accurate, and non-destructive analytical techniques based on hyperspectral imaging (hsi) represent effective tools for food quality evaluation. A visible change in the appearance of a fresh product often negatively impacts the perceived quality from a consumer’s point of view.

All about “Australian grapevine stories”

Double cropping is a novel technique, driven by the extension of the growing season caused by global warming.