The role of vine trunk height in delaying grape ripening: insights for viticultural adaptation strategies

Massif and the first sedimentary formations of the western aureole of the Paris Basin. If it is found all over the world (California, Israel, South Africa), it is in this region that it best asserts its identity. It is one of the most interesting grape varieties due to the variety and complexity of the wines it can produce. It can give very dry or very sweet, still or sparkling wines, fresh when young and sublime when ageing, expressing the characteristics of each vintage as much as those of the terroir. The Chenin is a faithful witness of its geographical, geological, pedological and climatic environment; he is the foil of the land. It has strong aptitudes for the production of sweet wines conditioned by overripe grapes often botrytised in the AOC Coteaux du Layon.Massif and the first sedimentary formations of the western aureole of the Paris Basin. If it is found all over the world (California, Israel, South Africa), it is in this region that it best asserts its identity. It is one of the most interesting grape varieties due to the variety and complexity of the wines it can produce. It can give very dry or very sweet, still or sparkling wines, fresh when young and sublime when ageing, expressing the characteristics of each vintage as much as those of the terroir. The Chenin is a faithful witness of its geographical, geological, pedological and climatic environment; he is the foil of the land. It has strong aptitudes for the production of sweet wines conditioned by overripe grapes often botrytised in the AOC Coteaux du Layon.

Aim: Terroir is a French concept relating the qualities and quality of agricultural products to their physical and socio-cultural place of origin. It is increasingly used by business and policymakers as a marketing technique to provide economic benefits (e.g. Lenglet, 2014; Wine Australia, 2015), and to potentially preserve cultural heritage (e.g. Bauer, 2009) and the environment (e.g. Bowen, 2010)

In the Cognac region in France, Ugni blanc is the most planted grape variety (98% of the 80 500 ha). This vine region is in expansion due to the success of the associated well-known brandy and the need of high grape yield to guarrantee the production of base wine for distillation. About 2 to 3000 ha are newly planted each year and rootstocks are one powerfull tool for vineyard adaptation to soil or climate change. As rootstocks ensure water and mineral nutrient supplies to the scion, it is important to better understand their effect on berry compostionnal parameters such as sugars and nitrogen compounds, which are the main precursors for fermentary aroma metabolites, the latter being quality markers for Cognac after distillation.

Brettanomyces bruxellensis, commonly referred to as “Brett,” is one of the most notorious microorganisms implicated in wine spoilage. This yeast species has developed a noteworthy resistance to sulfur dioxide, a widely used preservative in winemaking, prompting the wine industry to seek new antimicrobial agents.

Wine aroma is shaped by the wine’s chemical compositions, in which both grape constituents and microbes play crucial roles. Although wine quality is influenced by the microbial communities, less is known about their population interactions.