Sardinia terroir and Cannonau: a zoning approach to discover an ancient tradition

Grapes from warm(ing) climates often contain excessive sugars but lack acidity. This can lead to highly alcoholic wines with compromised stability and balance. The yeast Lachancea thermotolerans can ameliorate such wines due to its metabolic peculiarity – partial fermentation of sugars to lactic acid. This study aimed to elucidate the population-wide diversity in L. thermotolerans, whilst selecting superior strains for wine sector. An extensive collection of isolates (~200) sourced from different habitats worldwide was first genotyped on 14 microsatellite loci. This revealed differentiation of L. thermotolerans genetic groups based on the isolation substrate and geography. The 94 genotyped strains were then characterised in Vitis vinifera cv. Chardonnay fermentations.

The presence of arsenic in food and beverages creates concern because of the toxicity of this element, classified as carcinogenic in humans. The arsenic concentration in soil, vine leaves and berries

The presence of grape-derived heat unstable proteins can lead to haze formation in white wines [1], an instability prevented by removing these proteins by adding bentonite, a hydrated aluminum silicate that interacts electrostatically with wine proteins leading to their flocculation. Despite effective, using bentonite has several drawbacks as the costs associated with its use, the potential negative effects on wine quality, and its environmental impact, so that alternative solutions are needed.

Over the last years, the potential use of non-Saccharomyces yeasts to modulate the production of target metabolites of oenological interest has been well recognized. Among non-Saccharomyces yeasts, Starmerella bacillaris (synonym Candida zemplinina) is considered one of the most promising species to satisfy modern market and consumers preferences due to its peculiar characteristic (enhance glycerol and total acidity contents and reduce ethanol production). Mixed fermentations using Starm. bacillaris and Saccharomyces cerevisiae starter cultures represent a way to modulate metabolites of enological interest, taking advantage of the phenotypic specificities of the former and the ability of the latter to complete the alcoholic fermentation. However, the consumption of nutrients by these species and their produced metabolites may inhibit or stimulate the growth (and malolactic activity) of lactic acid bacteria (LAB).

An agroclimatic description of Aeolian archipelago viticulture area (Me), Italy is presented. Aeolian archipelago is located off the northeastern coast of Sicily and it includes the islands of Alicudi, Filicudi, Salina, Panarea, Lipari, Stromboli and Vulcano.