Using open source software in viticultural research

Polysaccharides (PS) are one of the main compounds found in wines, and they come mainly from the grape cell walls or from the yeasts, and they play an important role in the technological and sensory characteristics of wines. Polysaccharides obtained from yeasts have been more studied, especially mannoproteins, since there are commercial products.

The actual demand by consumers for safer and healthier food and beverage is pushing the wine sector to find alternative methods to avoid the use of sulphur dioxide in winemaking. Ozone is already used in the wine industry to produce sulphur dioxide-free wines through the patented method Purovino®.

Viticulture needs for spatial and temporal information are increasing to improve vineyard management, especially concerning water efficiency. Remote sensing, particularly from satellites, can be a powerful tool to assess vineyard characteristics such as vigor or water status in space-time. In this study, we use Landsat 8, an American Earth observation satellite with six bands from the visible (VIS) to the Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) domains with 30m spatial resolution and two thermal bands with 100m spatial resolution.

Un projet multidisciplinaire sur l’effet du sol et du climat sur la qualité du vin a débuté en Afrique du Sud il y a 5 ans. Des mesures sont effectuées sous culture sèche dans des vignes de Sauvignon Blanc dans six localités différentes, cinq dans le district de Stellenbosch et une à Durbanville.

When someone watches a hilly landscape, the image beauty creates emotions and frames of mind not easily forgettable, but sometimes man’s intervention by means of soil movement and reduction of the natural biodiversity can significantly modify the landscape and consequently the above-mentioned emotions. One speculates if sensory appreciation of a wine may be strongly affected by psychological factor: landscape beauty.