Impact of type of winemaking vessel on the chemical composition of Sauvignon blanc wines

Recently, the use of alternative vessels to oak barrels during winemaking has become increasingly popular (Rubio-Bretón et al., Nevares et al., Gil i Cortiella et al.), but little is known about their impact on the chemical composition of the final wines. To address this issue, a Sauvignon blanc wine was produced using cylindrical stainless-steel tanks, egg shape concrete vessels, egg shape polyethylene vessels and clay jars. The wines were fermented and aged on their lees for six months and chemically characterised as described hereafter.

Effect of pruning and mechanical fruit thinning on crop load and berry and wine composition of Tempranillo in Texas

Tempranillo is the second most planted variety in Texas. However, over-cropping can be an issue. Crop load can be managed by pruning and mechanical fruit thinning. Mechanizing fruit thinning provides three benefits: yield reduction, berry thinning to decrease cluster compactness and reduce fungal disease and lower production costs than fruit thinning by hand (Tardaguila et al., 2008). In this study, crop load was manipulated by pruning and mechanical fruit thinning and its effect was determined on berry and wine quality.

Sustainable viticulture: how to evaluate and record it on a wine estate

Sustainable viticulture is being developed to meet the challenges of current societal expectations. Numerous assessment tools have emerged in recent years. The IDEA method (Indicateurs de Durabilité des Exploitations Agricoles or Farm Sustainability Indicators) is one of these assessment tools. Using the 4th version of IDEA (IDEA4), this article assesses the overall performance (level of sustainability) of a wine estate in Bordeaux in partnership with the company Ekylibre.

Which routes for optimal yield sampling in viticulture?

Estimating vineyard crop yield is important for preparing harvesting operations and vatting. Estimations are generally carried out by sampling shortly before harvest and observations are made on a limited number of sampling sites. The sampling process has obvious practical constraints, such as the time allocated to the operation, which determines both the number of sites to be sampled and the route to reach them.

Auxin-type herbicide drift: effects on grapevine leaf functioning and reproductive performance

Auxin-type herbicides are widely used to control broad-leafed weeds in cereal crop fields and pastures. Vapour drift, however, can spread several kilometres and therefore reach nearby vineyards. When grapevines are exposed to these chemicals, the active constituents induce phytotoxic effects including injury to foliage and impairment of reproductive development. The aim of this article is to outline the key potential implications of auxin-type herbicide drift exposure on leaf functioning and grapevine reproductive performance.

La gestion de la surface foliaire affecte la teneur en azote des raisins

La teneur en azote du moût à la vendange joue un rôle déterminant dans la cinétique de fermentation alcoolique et dans la formation des arômes du vin, particulièrement dans le cas des vins blancs. Au cours des dernières décennies, les pratiques viticoles ont considérablement évolué vers moins d’herbicides et davantage d’enherbement. Dans ce contexte, des carences azotées du moût sont apparues de façon récurrente dans certains vignobles. Comment pouvons-nous adapter nos pratiques culturales à ce contexte de concurrence pour l’azote ?

A review of the techniques for mitigating the effects of smoke taint in wine production

Smoke taint has become a prominent issue for the global wine industry as climate change continues to impact the length and extremity of fire seasons around the world. When grapevines are exposed to smoke, their leaves and fruit can adsorb volatile smoke compounds (for example, volatile phenols such as guaiacol, 4-methylguaiacol, o-, m- and p-cresol, and syringol), which can initially be detected in free (aglycone) forms but are rapidly converted to glycoconjugate forms due to glycosylation. During the fermentation process, these glycoconjugates can be broken down, releasing volatile phenols that contribute undesirable sensory characteristics to the resultant wine (i.e. smokey and ashy attributes). Several methods have been evaluated, both viticultural measures and winemaking techniques, for mitigating and/or remediating the negative effects of grapevine smoke exposure. While there is currently no single method that universally solves the problem of smoke taint, this paper outlines the tools available that can help to minimize the negative impacts of smoke taint (Figure 1).

The unique and extreme vineyards of Santorini Island (Cyclades)

Own-rooted and phylloxera-free vines have been cultivated on the volcanic soil of Santorini for thousands of years. All this time, vines have been cultivated by using two traditional training systems, the ‘Κouloura’, and the ‘Κladeftiko’, which are well-adapted to the specific climatic conditions of the island. This first report aims to share the scarce existing knowledge on Santorini’s training and pruning systems, looking at some important quantitative and qualitative ripening parameters over four consecutive seasons (2017-2020) and revealing similarities regarding their adaptation to climate conditions on the island.

Rappels sur la vigne et le déficit hydrique. Quels leviers au vignoble à courts et moyens termes ?

Dans le cadre de l’évolution du climat, la majorité des régions viticoles subissent des périodes de contraintes hydriques voire de stress hydrique et des vagues de chaleurs. L’augmentation des températures moyennes est avérée, décalant les stades phénologiques de la vigne. Dans les régions méditerranéennes du sud de la France, les orages plus fréquents en automne et la plus faible pluviométrie en hiver réduisent le remplissage de la réserve utile des sols pré débourrement. Par ailleurs, la pluviométrie sur le cycle cultural diminue alors que l’évapotranspiration augmente. L’ensemble de ces évolutions climatiques (pluies x températures) a des effets sur le fonctionnement de la vigne, la composition des baies et le profil aromatique des vins. À ce titre, il nous semble intéressant de partager sous forme de « dot points » les conséquences possibles de l’augmentation du déficit hydrique et des pics de chaleur sur la physiologie de la vigne et de ses fruits et de rappeler quelques solutions potentielles à mettre en œuvre à court et moyen terme, notamment lors de la plantation de jeunes vignes.

The role of diaphragm as a natural resistance to the necrosis produced by pruning cuts

Long before the scientific method was created, vine pruning was established as an art as early as at the beginning of the Christian era. Pruning is a way of reducing the vegetative part of the vine in order to limit its natural growth, and thus improve yield and grape quality by controlling the number of latent buds that are left per vine. Today, Virgilio and Plineo instructions are still being followed for pruning, with the exception of some small empirical changes, which were introduced in the 19th century by Jules Guyot. This report aims to evaluate the effect of pruning cuts on wood necrosis behaviour, and to determine the effect of pruning on shoot development on different vine varieties.