Impact of grape maturity on esters content and sensory characters in wines fermented with yeast strains of different genetic backgrounds

Wine grapes have the ability to accumulate high amounts of hexoses (glucose and fructose), which is considered one of the main processes occurring during the ripening stage. Sugar accumulation dynamics respond to genetic, environmental and vineyard management factors, with a changing climate leading to advanced and faster sugar accumulation worldwide. Research on mitigation techniques to this phenomenon is ongoing, with the largest focus being vineyard techniques to delay sugar accumulation. Breeding represents another powerful tool to address the issue of high sugar concentration at harvest, since historical trends of selecting best sugar-accumulators may be inverted to breed varieties that accumulate diminished concentrations of hexoses while maintaining optimal acidity, color, mouthfeel and aroma compounds.

In the production of sparkling wines, during the second fermentation, mannoproteins are released by yeast autolysis, which affect the quality of the wines. The effect of mannoproteins has been extensively studied, and may affect aroma and foam quality. However, there are no studies on the effect of other polysaccharides such as those from grapes. Considering the large production of waste from the wine industry, it was proposed to obtain polysaccharide-rich extracts from some of these by-products[1].

The South African Table grape industry has to expand to new markets with high quality niche products, but limited water availability threatens sustainable production. To overcome this challenge and to obtain high-quality products for the new markets, require constant technological advancement. Currently, limited available scientific information about growth balances and physiology and especially grape quality parameters, hinders technological advancement and thus efficient regulatory management of the morphological, chemical, and pathological status of table grapes, especially in response to abiotic factors.

Multi-mineral wine profiling and artificial intelligence: implementing the signatures of each wine to train algorithms to meet the new challenges facing the wine industry. Although their quantity is minimal, minerals are essential elements in the composition of every wine. Their presence is the result of complex interactions between factors such as soil, vines, climate, topography, and viticultural practices, all influenced by the terroir. Each stage of the winemaking process also contributes to shaping the unique mineral and taste profile of each wine, giving each cuvée its distinctive characteristics.

In this video recording of the IVES science meeting 2023, Sara Bernardo (CITAB, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal) speaks about understanding vine response to Mediterranean summer stress for the development of adaptation strategies – in the kaolin case. This presentation is based on an original article accessible for free on OENO One.