Application of organic carbon status indicators on vineyard soils: the case study of DOC Piave (Veneto region, Italy)

Grappa is the most important italian spirit and its production includes elements of history, tradition, and culture of the transalpine country. In accordance with EU laws, grappa is obtained from the fermentation and distillation of the pomace, eventually added with fermentation lees and water. Grappa is one of the richest fruit distillates in volatile compounds that confer to the product its characteristic flagrance. The aroma is largely due to the volatile compounds present in the raw materials, in particular alcohols, esters and carbonyl compounds formed during the alcoholic fermentation, but also to grape aromas such as terpenols and norisoprenoids, that confers grappa the distinctive floral scents.

The conventional wisdom of vintners is that alkalinity, and thus less sour and more rounded taste, are enhanced in wine and grapes challenged by low-nutrient soils.

Using grapevine genetic diversity is one of the strategies to adapt viticulture to climate change. In this sense, assessing the plasticity of cultivars in their responses to environmental conditions is essential. For this purpose, the drought tolerance of Grenache, Tempranillo and Semillon cultivars grafted onto SO4 was evaluated at two experimental vineyards, one located in Valencia (Spain) and the other in Bordeaux (France). This was done by assessing gas exchange parameters, water relations and leaf hydraulic traits at the end of the season.

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].

Approaching the notion of terroir wines at the level of consumption poses a problem due to the absence of a regulatory definition of the term terroir, which is not taken up either at Community level or at national level (the Consumer Code in particular does not define not the land). However, whatever definition is adopted for the terroir, we can retain at the consumer level an identification of the terroir through the different geographical mentions appearing on the labels or on the shelves of the wine shelf.