Adaptation to soil and climate through the choice of plant material

Controlling the speed of alcoholic (AF) and malolactic (MLF) fermentations in wine can be an important challenge for the production of certain short rotation wines for entry-level market segments. Immobilization techniques for Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Œnococcus œni, the microorganisms responsible for these fermentations, are widely studied for industrial applications. Indeed, these processes allow to accumulate biomass and thus to increase cell densities inducing high fermentation velocities. Recent works have shown the performance of MLF carried out with biofilms of O. œni, immobilized on various supports in a rich medium (MRSm: modified MRS broth with malic acid and fructose).

Vine water status is a crucial determinant of vine growth, productivity, fruit composition and terroir or wine style; therefore, regulating water stress is of great importance. Since vine water status depends on both soil moisture and aerial environment and is very temporally dynamic, direct measurement of vine water potential is highly preferable. Current methods only provide limited data. To regulate vine water status it is critical to monitor vine water status to be able to: (1) measure vine water status to predict the effect of water stress on the overall vineyard performance and fruit quality and optimize harvest management and wine-making (2) properly regulate the water status to impose for a desired fruit quality or style (3) determine if water management has reached the desired stress level.

Climate projections for the future suggest favourable conditions for some wine producing regions, but challenging conditions for others. For instance, temperature increases are likely to shift grapevine phenology, ripening and harvest dates, and potentially affect grape quality and yield.

Aim: The aim of this work is educating people about soil variability and terroir. Soil monoliths are used to educate the wine industry about how to describe a soil profile, interpret the soil formation processes operating in a particular soil profile and consequently the impact of soil properties on vine growth, fruit quality and wine production. Soil monoliths are a permanent artistic tool for educating, research and management of soil variability.  

Disease resistant grapevine varieties (PIWI) are increasingly important for sustainable wine production, yet the impact of different yeasts on their wine profiles remains poorly studied. In this study, nine white interspecies varieties (i.e., caladris blanc, fleurtai, hibernal, johanniter, muscaris, sauvignon kretos, soreli, souvignier gris, and voltis) grown at the faculty of agriculture, university of Zagreb (Croatia) were vinified with three different saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts (control strain, zymaflore x5, and zymaflore xarom).