Influence of climatic conditions on grape composition of Tempranillo in La Mancha DO (Spain)

Yield estimation is very important for the wine industry since provides useful information for vineyard and winery management. The early yield estimation of the grapevine provides information to winegrowers in making management decisions to achieve a better quantity and quality of grapes. In general, yield forecasts are based on destructive sampling of bunches and manual counting of berries per bunch and bunches per vine.

Major and trace elements are essential for the development of grapes used for the wine. They are primarily originating from the soil. Some elements are also seldomly added during the wine making process. Therefore, the largest spectrum of major, trace and ultra-trace elements in the final wine product is a good signature of its geographical origin. In the frame of the European tracewindu, we have developed a very original multi-isotopic dilution method using triple quadrupole icp/ms.

Aims: The aims of this study were to i) characterize the impact of geographical origin and viticulture treatments on Chilean Cabernet-Sauvignon, and ii) develop machine learning models to predict its quality. 

Acidity adjustments are key to microbial control, sensory quality and wine longevity. Acidification with cation exchange resins -in acid cycle- offers the possibility to reduce the pH by exchanging wine cations, such as potassium (K+), for hydrogen ions (H+). During the exchange process, the removal of potassium and calcium ions contributes to limiting the formation of tartrate salts, thus offering an alternative solution to conventional methods for tartrate stability. Moreover, the reduction of wine pH and the removal of metals catalyzers (e.g. iron) could positively impact the wine’s oxidative stability. Therefore, the aims of this work were (a) to optimize the ion exchange process by testing different volumes and concentrations of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) during the acid cycle, (b) evaluate the effects of the ion exchange process on the formation of tartrate salts, and (c) analyze the oxidative stability of the treated wines.

Using electromagnetic conductivity mapping and GIS technology, we identified two unique soil zones within a 0.8-hectare Cabernet Franc block in central Virginia, USA.