Landscapes of Vines and Wines Patrimony – Stakes – Valorisation

Water tolerance in plants is often associated with the accumulation of osmotic protectants, which are secondary metabolites that can help the plant to cope with water stress. One of the key osmotic protectants is a sugar called Raffinose, which is synthesized by a family of enzymes called Raffinose synthases. In this work, we focused on one of these enzymes, VviRAF2, which is a gene that shows different expression levels and genetic variants (SNPs) among different grapevine cultivars, ranging from tolerant to susceptible to water stress, and the transcription factors that may regulate the expression of this gene family.

The postharvest dehydration of grapes is a traditional practice to obtain wines with unique traits (e.g. sweet, dry/reinforced). The modern facilities (dehydrating rooms) used for this purpose are equipped with systems for artificially controlling the inside environment parameters, to obtain the desired dehydration kinetic and preserve the grapes from grey mold (Botrytis cinerea) infection, However, the conditioning systems are extremely energy-demanding and the identification and practical applications of solutions effective in controlling/reducing the postharvest decay would reduce the costs of the operation of the dehydration facilities. To this end, we explored the potential of ozone-based treatments on harvested grapes and preliminarily tested if the treatment could impact the normal behavior and metabolism of grapes during the traditionally slow dehydration practice.

Heatwave events, defined as 2 or more days reaching ≥ 38 °C, are an increasingly frequent phenomenon threatening grape production worldwide. Heat stress has been shown to have negative consequences on grapevine physiology, leading to increased evaporative demand and intensified water stress. Due to heatwaves overlapping with important stages of grapevine reproductive development, spanning from berry set to the ripening stage, severe heat can potentially compromise yield and grape quality. The physiological response of grapevine to heat stress suggests a potential use of irrigation to mitigate heatwaves, however there is limited information regarding the irrigation amounts and timings needed for this purpose. Following up on a pivotal trial conducted between 2019 and 2022, in this study irrigation treatments with varying intensity and timing of application were refined to determine their potential mitigation of heat-associated damage to yield and fruit composition.

The black box of taste is getting unlocked. The starting point is to distinguish taste from tasting. Consider taste as a product characteristic; tasting is a sensorial activity. Consequently, taste can be studied on a molecular level and therefore be assessed more objectively, whilst tasting is a human activity and by definition subjective.

In the context of increasingly hot and dry summers, the adoption of innovative irrigation technologies has become essential for maintaining grape production while minimizing water use.