The importance of the physicochemical composition of wine on the score awarded in an official contest

The main challenge faced by viticulture is to improve the quality of the wines, adapting them to the new consumer demands that demand wines with lower alcohol content and greater freshness. In the last 30 years, a clear modification has been observed in the composition of the grape due to climate change

As a result of climate change consequences, there is a gap between the times at which the grapes reach the phenolic and the technology maturities.

Nitrogen (N) uptake by grapevine roots in forms like nitrate, ammonium, urea, or amino acids influences vegetative and generative growth, impacting grape quality and wine sensory profile. The study examined nitrogen’s influence on phenolic compounds in leaves, berries, and wine across different scales — hydroponics, soil culture, and vineyard trials. Nitrogen forms altered metabolite patterns in leaves and wine significantly, affecting aroma and flavor. Key nitrogen assimilation enzymes (NR, NiR, GS) in grapevine rootstocks responded to nitrogen forms and timing. Hydroponically grown rootstocks fertilized with various forms showed differences in enzyme expression and activity, suggesting rootstocks can assimilate amino acid glutamine (Gln).

Maturation of wine on lees (often referred as sur lie) is a common practice applied by many winemakers around the world. In the past this method was applied mainly on white and/or sparkling wine production but recently also to red wine production. In our experiment, we matured red wine on wine lees of two origins: a) Light wine lees, collected after the completion of the alcoholic fermentation, b) Heavy lees, collected after the completion of the malolactic fermentation. The lees were free of off-odors and were added in the red wine in percentage 3% and 8%, simulating common winemaking addition. The maturation lasted in total six months and samples were collected for analysis after one, three and six months. During storage the lees were stirred.

Wine is one of the most representative components of Mediterranean diet. Moderate wine intake together with food, has been positively correlated with reduced risk of many chronic diseases. This beneficial effect seems to be ascribed to elevated polyphenolic content of wine [1]. Traditional approaches for the identification of wine biomarkers consumption include targeted metabolomics that focuses on the quantification of well-defined metabolites, losing a valuable information about a massive number of compounds. On the other hand, untargeted metabolomics can disclose a large quantity of signals corresponding to potential biomarkers in a single analysis with high sensitivity and resolution.