A.O.C. taureau de Camargue

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is amongst the world’s most cultivated fruit crops, and of global and economic significance, producing a wide variety of grape-derived products, including wine, and table grapes. The genus Vitis, encompassing approximately 70 naturally occurring inter-fertile species, exhibits extensive genetic and phenotypic diversity, highlighted by the global cultivation of thousands of predominantly Vitis vinifera cultivars. Despite the importance of harnessing its naturally occurring genetic diversity to pursue traits of interest, especially considering the continued and growing demand for sustainable high-quality grape production, the systematic characterization of available functional genetic variants remains limited.

The presence of undesirable compounds in wines, such as OTA, biogenic amines and pesticides residues, affects wine quality and can cause health problems for the consumer. The main tool that a winemaker has to reduce their content in the wine is fining. However, some of the fining agents commonly used in the winery can cause allergies or even increase the protein content in the wine, increasing the turbidity. To avoid these problems, the use of plant fibers may be an alternative, such as those from grape pomace[1] or other plant origins.

More recently, studies have shown that polyphenols could also prevent or improve vision in patients with ocular diseases and especially age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which is an eye disease characterized by damage to the central part of the retina, the macula, and that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite therapeutic advances thanks to the use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), many resistance mechanisms have been found to accentuate the visual deficit.

Erysiphe necator Schwein is a fungus that causes grapevine powdery mildew. It is one of the most problematic pathogens attacking Vitis vinifera L. The pathogen infects all green parts of the plant and reduces grape yield and quality. The suppression on mildew-susceptible cultivars requires intensive use of fungicides against pathogen, which has negative impact on the environment and human health.

Context and purpose of the study ‐ Crop load management by cluster thinning can improve ripening and the concentration of key metabolites for grape and wine quality. However, little work has been done on testing the impact of crop load management on terpene content of white grapes. The goal of the study was to assess if by reducing crop load via cluster thinning growers can increase terpene concentration of grapes, as well as to test if the timing of thinning application affects terpene concentration.