Plastid genomics of Vitis vinifera L. for understanding the molecular basis of  grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) domestication

At a time when the world’s winegrowing industry is having to adapt to a number of challenges, winegrowers are wondering about the consequent changes they will have to make (grape varieties, changes in vineyard and cellar techniques). For winegrowers and consumers alike, there is also the question of how these changes will affect the taste of their wines. This research, based on the study of numerous sources and archives from the 20th century, some of which have never been published before, aims to show that, in the recent past, the winegrowing world has shown incredible resilience in the face of crises, and that the taste and perception of fine wines has changed considerably in 100 years.

Non-saccharomyces yeasts gained an increased interest in winemaking during the last decades, due to their ability to produce relevant amounts of polysaccharides. Moreover, a significant release of glutathione into the wine during fermentation was also observed with these strains, as well as an improvement of color stability and wine aroma profile. Valuable results have been obtained by hanseniaspora spp. concerning the release of polysaccharides and the production of acetic esters, mainly during fermentation.

The development of interspecific hybrid varieties (ihvs) resistant to diseases such as powdery mildew and downy mildew allows for a decrease in the use of inputs in vineyards. In this pers-pective, ihvs represent a response to societal demand for reducing environmental impact and are increasingly used in viticulture. At the same time, wines resulting from so-called sponta-neous fermentations, based on indigenous flora, have recently gained popularity.

The market of non-alcoholic wine has notably increased in recent years, driven by growing health awareness and regulatory trends aimed at reducing alcohol consumption.

Traditional agricultural and agro-pastoral systems (prior to industrial revolution) often have the characteristic of being multiple systems, in which multiple crops are hosted simultaneously on the same plot. currently research suggests to study more in depth the potential of multiple agricultural systems in order to detect those characteristics of multiple agrarian systems that could allow modern viticulture to adapt to the challenges posed by climate change: rising temperatures with impacts on the phenological cycle of the vine, resurgence of plant deseases, extreme soil washout phenomena and hail storms, among others.