Il turismo del vino: dalla logica individuale a quella di distretto

Drought is one of the main challenges for viticulture in the context of global change. The choice of rootstock could be leveraged for vineyard adaptation to drought as we can improve plant performance without modifying the scion variety. However, most of the existing rootstocks, selected over a century ago, have a narrow genetic background which could compromise their adaptive potential.

Knowledge has been accumulated on the impact of microclimate, in particular berry temperature and irradiation, for a wide range of red varieties. However, little research has been dedicated on the effects of the same factors on the quality of white grape varieties.

In the current viticultural context, global warming leads to advanced and possibly accelerated ripening which can alter the balance among desirable grape quality traits sought for winemaking. Evaluation of genetic material that displays delayed and/or slower ripening could uncover a potential “slow ripening” trait for incorporation into commercial varieties through breeding. In this study, we evaluated a white-fruited selection discovered in the Grape Breeding and Genetics program at E. & J. Gallo Winery that displayed an unusual ripening pattern compared to standard varieties. Vines of the slow-ripening selection did not differ in their visual appearance, water status or gas exchange characteristics compared to vines of its normal-ripening sibling.

Elemental composition, measured as the concentrations of different elements present in a given tissue at a given time point, is a key indicator of vine health and development. While elemental composition and other high-throughput phenotyping approaches yield tremendous insight into the growth, physiology, and health of vines, costs and labor associated with repeated measures over time can be cost-prohibitive. Recent advances in handheld sensors that measure hyperspectral reflectance patterns of leaf tissue may serve as an affordable proxy for other types of phenotypic data, including elemental composition. Here, we ask if reflectance patterns of dried Chambourcin leaf tissue from an experimental grafting vineyard can predict the known elemental composition of those leaves.

The purpose of this research study is to consider new solutions for distillate ageing, in alternative to conventional oak chips or barrels in particular sliced wood and peeled wood were compared to oak cubes, normally employed during both wine and distillate ageing.