ABSTRACT. The wine sector is entering an unprecedented transformation. Climate change, emerging pests and diseases, labor shortages and a long-term structural decline in consumption are increasing the complexity of decision-making. Large volumes of data are generated across the value chain, from satellites and sensors to laboratories and market platforms.However, much of the data remains fragmented, difficult to access and insufficiently translated into actionable knowledge. Our contribution argues that the next paradigm for viticulture is the creation of a trusted data and knowledge infrastructure that enables meaningful human-AI collaboration. Building on recent work by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Global Initiative on AI for Food Systems, we propose the concept of an OIV Architecture for AI, Data and Knowledge Sharing: a global framework for interoperable, trustworthy and sector-specific data governance in viticulture and winemaking. The proposed architecture combines three elements. First, common semantic standards would enable the integration of heterogeneous datasets across vineyards, wineries, laboratories and public authorities while preserving data sovereignty and avoiding vendor lock-in. Second, AI systems would move beyond black-box predictions towards explainable and uncertainty-aware decision support, enabling users to understand and challenge recommendations. Third, a global evidence curation layer would transform dispersed evidence into guidance tailored to specific terroirs and production systems.. Such an OIV Wine Data Space would strengthen, not replace human expertise. Wine production is characterized by high levels of environmental variability, local knowledge and cultural specificity. Consequently, trustworthy AI must function as a collaborative partner that augments human judgement rather than as an autonomous decision-maker. We explore how the OIV could serve as a global steward of this emerging digital infrastructure. Building on its longstanding role in harmonisation and knowledge exchange, the OIV is well placed not to build such infrastructure itself, but to convene the actors who would and to articulate the questions that must be settled first. Several of these are specific to wine and have no clear equivalent in other agricultural sectors: reconciling semantic standards with rules for Geographical Indications (GIs), preserving data sovereignty while enabling cross-border authenticity verification, and determining the appropriate level of governance. A dedicated OIV expert group would be a realistic and proportionate first step. Further applications (e.g. climate adaptation networks, sustainability reporting, and carbon and biodiversity monitoring across wine regions) can build on the same foundations once the governance questions are resolved. The contribution concludes that the future competitiveness and resilience of the global wine sector will depend not only on technological innovation but also on institutional innovation. An OIV Architecture for AI, Data and Knowledge Sharing would provide a foundation for collective intelligence in viticulture, enabling producers, researchers and policymakers to transform fragmented data into shared knowledge and coordinated action. The immediate task is not to deploy this architecture but to define it but rather to agree on what trusted wine data governance must guarantee before any system is built. The next evolution of terroir is not its digitisation, but the creation of a global architecture through which terroir knowledge can be connected, interpreted and mobilised for a more resilient and sustainable future.

ABSTRACT. Technological advancements and the various applications of AI attract a wide range of stakeholders, from innovative entrepreneurs to passionate researchers, along with an increasingly curious public. This dynamic reflects a collective awareness of the challenges and potentialities that this technology can offer.

However, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence in the field of viticulture is not limited to the opportunities it presents. It also raises crucial ethical and regulatory issues that deserve careful examination. Among these, the transparency of algorithms and the differentiated impact on small producers compared to large companies require particular attention.

Algorithm Transparency: An Ethical Issue for Viticulture

The question of algorithm transparency lies at the heart of the ethical debate surrounding artificial intelligence. In the wine sector, decisions made by AI systems—whether related to cultural practices or market analyses—often rely on complex models that are difficult for users to grasp. This opacity can create inequalities, particularly for small producers who, due to limited resources, find themselves dependent on large companies developing these technologies.

Equity and Innovation in Viticulture

In the wine industry, large companies, with their considerable resources, can invest in advanced artificial intelligence technologies, allowing them to access significant amounts of data for profit. In contrast, small producers, often constrained by tight budgets, find themselves disadvantaged in this race for technological innovation.

Given this situation, it is legitimate to question how to preserve the diversity of actors within the wine sector. Highlighting the ethical issues and inequalities in access to technology is crucial for a balanced discussion about the future of viticulture. Addressing these concerns invites concrete solutions to ensure a diverse range of players in the industry.

To deepen this analysis, we will integrate concrete examples illustrating the impact of AI on small producers. These illustrations will shed light on the challenges they face as well as the opportunities available to them, helping to better understand the dynamics at play in the wine sector.

This study also aims to propose collective strategic actions in favor of small producers, thereby promoting their competitiveness while ensuring equitable access to technologies. By strengthening the capacities of small producers, we can not only preserve the diversity and authenticity of viticulture but also establish a sustainable and inclusive model that values local resources.

ABSTRACT. This article proposes an innovative methodological framework for the OIV integrating metaverse-based wine education, social media dissemination, and crowd-sourced sensory evaluation. Drawing from an empirical study of 128 master's students across three French universities who created metaverse projects using Spatial and Figma, the research addresses whether students perceive the metaverse as valuable and sustainable for teaching hospitality. Findings confirm that despite technical difficulties, students recognise the metaverse's benefits in engagement, creativity, collaboration, and professional skill development, while demonstrating growing consciousness of digital carbon footprints. Students spontaneously proposed mitigation strategies including reducing energy usage, sharing devices, and redesigning course schedules. Extending these pedagogical findings, this article introduces the "Food and Wine Court" – a live, conference-based sensory evaluation methodology grounded in crowdsourcing theory. Participants rate 72 flavour-profile-wine combinations (9 Chinese flavour profiles × 8 Ningxia wines) using a 9-point hedonic scale within a balanced incomplete block design that prevents palate fatigue while ensuring all combinations receive sufficient ratings. During the event, real-time results are displayed on a giant screen as a colour-coded heatmap, showing which wine performs well with which food sample. Each data point is accompanied by qualitative wine annotations drawn from traditional oenological lexicons – terms such as "full-bodied," "high acidity," "smooth tannins," and "lingering finish" – reinforcing professional sensory vocabulary. The methodology operationalises anchoring theory by providing consistent cognitive reference points during evaluation, reducing interpretive variability while preserving individual sensory responses. The Food and Wine Court transforms data collection into a shared educational spectacle where participants become active contributors to knowledge generation, aligning with experiential gastronomy and interactive conference design. Furthermore, the article demonstrates how social media platforms, particularly the Chinese platform Bilibili, can amplify such pairing research. A case study of the popular science video "Chinese Metaverse", which has accumulated over 1.5 million views, illustrates how immersive technologies are popularised among young Chinese audiences who are target consumers for wine education. Comment sections provide qualitative data on consumer perceptions, revealing concerns about electricity consumption and authenticity that mirror the digital sobriety reflections of French students. The article offers three contributions. First, it provides empirical evidence that the metaverse is perceived as valuable for wine marketing education when technical support and digital sobriety awareness are integrated. Second, it offers the OIV a ready-to-use experimental methodology for crowd-sourced sensory evaluation, complete with statistical analysis using linear mixed-effects modelling. Third, it shows how social media can serve as recruitment, dissemination, and qualitative data collection tools for wine research. Recommendations for the OIV include establishing a working group on Digital and Immersive Wine Education, piloting the Food and Wine Court at future congresses, developing digital sobriety metrics and low-carbon certification for sensory events, partnering with social media creators on platforms like Bilibili and TikTok, and encouraging international collaboration for cross-cultural pairing studies. As one French student reflected: "The metaverse will never replace holding a glass in a real cellar. But it can prepare us to tell that story better."

ABSTRACT. This paper addresses the problem of wine entity matching, or entity resolution, in the context of integrating data from heterogeneous sources, including international wine competition results, wine platforms such as Vivino, producer data, and marketplace stock-keeping units (SKUs). In developing a global aggregated wine rating system, namely the Global Wine Medal Rating (GWMR) and the Global Wine Rating (GWR), we identify the lack of a reliable method for determining whether records from different sources refer to the same wine as a key methodological limitation. The central challenge is therefore not score aggregation itself, but the prior problem of wine identification. The paper shows that, in real-world data, a wine name is a compositional string combining elements from different ontological levels: producer, brand, cuvée, geographical indication, style, technological characteristics, sensory attributes, and non-essential attributes such as bottle format or marketing designations. Heterogeneous formats, spelling errors, loss of diacritics, and differences in the logic used to describe wines across competitions, platforms, and retail systems make conventional string-matching methods methodologically insufficient. The article also analyzes existing attempts to address this problem through systems of unique wine and vintage identifiers, including platform-specific identifiers, the Liv-ex Wine Identification Number (LWIN), commercial barcodes, and industry initiatives discussed within the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). These approaches do not provide a universal solution, since they are either tied to particular platforms or markets, or are oriented toward commercial units rather than wine as an ontological entity. In response to these limitations, the paper proposes a specialized methodology for wine entity matching based on the ontological parsing of wine names, probabilistic record matching that accounts for the reliability of data attributes, and a conservative decision-making strategy designed to minimize the risk of false identification. The proposed approach was developed through the practical integration of data from hundreds of wine competitions and demonstrates robustness when applied to degraded and partially corrupted data. The results show that the quality of wine entity matching determines the reliability of aggregated ratings and analytical conclusions. The paper therefore contributes both to the applied economics of wine and to the broader class of problems involving the integration of cultural and agricultural data, where objects lack unified and stable identifiers.

ABSTRACT. Wine economics research is constrained by fragmented, nationally siloed data and by weak channels between academic findings and industry practice. We present a digital platform developed to address both constraints, and use one of its integrated datasets to demonstrate the analytical value of consolidating dispersed wine-sector information. The platform aggregates winery-level data across producing regions, combining geographic, reputational, and review information into a common structure. As a worked example, we analyse a dataset of approximately 5,000 wineries with standardised location data, public ratings, and review counts. We document how reputational indicators vary geographically and how review volume—an indicator of consumer engagement and online visibility—is distributed across regions and producer types. Even at a descriptive level, the integrated structure surfaces patterns that are difficult to observe in nationally fragmented sources, including systematic differences in digital visibility between established and emerging wine regions. Beyond the dataset, the platform supports "reverse seminars," where industry actors post applied challenges for researchers, and structured survey instruments for cross-country data collection. This architecture lowers the cost of comparative wine-economics research and creates a bidirectional channel for industry–academic co-creation, directly relevant to the congress theme of building resilient and collaborative models for a changing market. We discuss the methodological opportunities and limitations of platform-based data integration—including coverage bias, data standardisation, and the representativeness of public review data—and outline how such infrastructure can complement traditional administrative and survey datasets in wine economics.

ABSTRACT. The wine sector faces increasing challenges associated with climate change, digital transformation, labor shortages, sustainability demands, and changing market dynamics. In this context, innovation ecosystems have emerged as strategic mechanisms to strengthen collaboration, entrepreneurial capabilities, and knowledge exchange among wineries, startups, universities, public institutions, and territorial actors. This study analyzes the experience of HackaVitis and StartupLab as interconnected initiatives designed to foster entrepreneurial ecosystems and innovation-oriented collaboration within the Brazilian wine sector. Developed through the innovation environments of the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS), in partnership with companies, sectoral organizations, and the Department of Innovation, Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Sul, the initiatives seek to promote challenge-based innovation and strengthen interactions between the wine industry and innovation actors. HackaVitis is an entrepreneurship and innovation marathon focused on solving real challenges presented by wineries and organizations from the wine sector. StartupLab operates as an open innovation and startup connection program aimed at identifying technological demands, prospecting innovative solutions, and accelerating collaborative innovation processes. Both initiatives are articulated with other entrepreneurial support mechanisms, including pre-incubation and innovation hubs, contributing to the consolidation of a regional innovation ecosystem linked to vitiviniculture. The methodological approach is based on an exploratory and qualitative analysis of the initiatives developed between 2022 and 2026, considering institutional documents, project reports, participant engagement, partnerships established, and innovation challenges addressed throughout the programs. The study also examines the interaction dynamics among universities, startups, companies, students, and territorial actors involved in the ecosystem. The results indicate that the initiatives contributed to strengthening collaborative networks and entrepreneurial culture within the wine sector, while also expanding the participation of students, researchers, startups, and companies in innovation-oriented activities. The challenge-based approach facilitated the identification of real sectoral demands and stimulated the co-creation of solutions related to sustainability, digital transformation, wine tourism, process optimization, and territorial development. The initiatives also demonstrated the potential of entrepreneurial ecosystems to operate as mechanisms for knowledge circulation, capability development, and regional innovation articulation in wine regions. In addition to supporting innovation processes, the ecosystem contributed to entrepreneurial education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the approximation between scientific knowledge and practical sectoral challenges. The study argues that entrepreneurial ecosystems can play a strategic role in strengthening resilience, innovation capacity, and sustainability transitions within wine regions. In this sense, HackaVitis and StartupLab provide relevant insights into how collaborative and challenge-driven innovation environments can contribute to the transformation of the global wine sector.

ABSTRACT. Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 consolidates the European Union’s legal framework on geographical indications (GIs) into a unified and comprehensive system covering wine, spirits, and agricultural products whose qualities, characteristics, or reputation are linked to their geographical origin. While the regulation does not fundamentally alter the traditional legal foundation of geographical indications—namely, the protection of origin-linked quality—it significantly develops the operational and governance dimension of GI systems. Article 4 confirms that GI systems are collectively managed by producer groups, which are entrusted with the necessary powers and responsibilities to administer the indication. Importantly, these responsibilities now explicitly include responding to societal expectations, particularly in relation to animal health and welfare and the production of sustainably produced goods across environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The regulation also emphasizes the role of GIs in ensuring fair competition, generating added value along the supply chain, and securing equitable remuneration for producers, thereby enabling investment in quality, reputation, and sustainability. From this perspective, the regulation appears to introduce sustainability not as a substitute for origin-based quality, but as an additional dimension of production governance under GIs. A conceptual distinction can therefore be drawn between the substantive foundation of GIs (origin-linked quality) and the modalities of production (sustainable practices). Sustainability requirements may thus be understood as compliance-oriented obligations layered onto the GI system rather than elements redefining typicity itself. This reading is reinforced by Article 7, which allows producer groups to integrate sustainability practices into GI specifications when deemed mandatory. Sustainability, in this view, functions as an optional but potentially institutionalised set of production commitments aimed at strengthening the economic and reputational value of GIs without altering their core legal identity However, a more transformative interpretation may also be defended. Article 8, which introduces a sustainability report for GI products, suggests a deeper structural evolution. The report must describe implemented sustainable practices, explain how production methods affect environmental, social, economic, and animal welfare dimensions, and clarify the role of sustainability in shaping product development, performance, and market positioning. This reporting requirement reveals a conceptual proximity to the logic of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). Like the CSRD, which is grounded in the principle of double materiality, Article 8 introduces a dual analytical perspective: (i) an impact dimension, assessing how production methods affect sustainability outcomes; and (ii) a strategic dimension, examining how sustainability influences product value, competitiveness, and reputation. Such a framework may signal a gradual convergence between sustainability governance and origin-based quality systems. It suggests that sustainability is no longer merely an external constraint applied to GI production, but increasingly a structured element of how value, quality, and market positioning are defined and communicated.

ABSTRACT. En el IMIDA se está desarrollando un programa de mejora genética orientado a la adaptación de nuevas variedades de vid al actual escenario climático, caracterizado en regiones mediterráneas por altas temperaturas y escasez de precipitaciones. Entre las variedades obtenidas destacan tres variedades tintas: Myrtia, Calnegre y Gebas. Estudios previos evaluaron su potencial enológico mediante vinificaciones estándar con 15 días de maceración; sin embargo, es necesario analizar su comportamiento bajo distintas condiciones de elaboración. En este trabajo se realizaron fermentaciones con tiempos de maceración de 10 y 15 días con el objetivo de optimizar el proceso de vinificación. Tras la fermentación alcohólica, se analizaron parámetros enológicos básicos, composición fenólica y se llevó a cabo un análisis sensorial. Los resultados mostraron escasas diferencias en los parámetros enológicos entre los distintos tiempos de maceración. Sin embargo, la composición fenólica dependió de la variedad. Myrtia presentó mayor concentración de antocianos e intensidad de color en maceraciones más cortas, mientras que los taninos aumentaron con tiempos más largos. En Gebas, los antocianos y el color se incrementaron con la maceración, mientras que los taninos fueron más elevados en maceraciones más cortas. Finalmente, en Calnegre, los antocianos alcanzaron su máximo en maceraciones cortas, mientras que los taninos aumentaron progresivamente con el tiempo. Respecto al análisis sensorial, éste indicó que maceraciones de 10 días proporcionan un mejor equilibrio global del vino, mientras que maceraciones más prolongadas incrementan el cuerpo y determinados atributos aromáticos, aunque pueden intensificar la astringencia. En conjunto, los resultados evidencian patrones de extracción específicos para cada variedad, destacando la importancia de ajustar el tiempo de maceración según el estilo de vino deseado. No obstante, son necesarios estudios adicionales en futuras añadas para confirmar estos resultados.

ABSTRACT. Extended skin maceration in red wines is traditionally associated with increased phenolic extraction, enhanced structural complexity, and improved aging potential. However, prolonged post-fermentative maceration also presents technical challenges related to oxidative stability, microbiological control, and headspace management. In conventional winemaking, volume losses caused by fermentation, evaporation, or sampling generally require topping operations using external wine in order to reduce oxygen exposure, thereby altering the compositional integrity of the original lot.

The present work evaluates an alternative approach to extreme maceration based on preserving the complete original volume and composition of the wine throughout the entire aging process. The experiment consisted of a 365-day red wine skin maceration carried out in a closed ovoid stainless-steel vessel designed to maintain a protective atmosphere generated exclusively by endogenous carbon dioxide produced during alcoholic fermentation.

Unlike conventional systems, no topping operations were performed after fermentation. Instead, the vessel was equipped with a one-way CO₂ release valve allowing excess gas evacuation while simultaneously limiting oxygen ingress. This strategy enabled the maintenance of a naturally reductive atmosphere inside the vessel during the entire maceration period. Consequently, the wine remained in contact with skins and lees for 365 days without the incorporation of external wine, preserving 100% of the original identity and composition of the experimental batch.

The trial was also characterized by a minimal-intervention approach during both fermentation and prolonged maceration. Due to the ovoid geometry of the vessel, no pump-overs or mechanical cap-management operations were required. Unlike traditional tanks, the cap remained naturally submerged throughout the entire process, significantly reducing the physical manipulation of wine and solids.

At the end of the trial, grape skins and solids exhibited severe structural degradation as a consequence of the prolonged liquid-solid contact, suggesting specific extraction and transformation dynamics under extreme maceration conditions. The ovoid geometry may also have favored natural convection movements, lees suspension, and improved homogenization of phenolic compounds during aging.

Throughout the experiment, continuous monitoring of internal pressure was required during both alcoholic fermentation and the subsequent winter period. Particular attention was given to pressure variations associated with CO₂ production and the contraction of wine and gas volumes under low-temperature conditions. These controls were essential to maintain reductive protection and prevent unwanted oxygen ingress.

The wine was maintained under controlled cellar conditions to evaluate its physicochemical and sensory evolution under prolonged reductive conditions. Particular attention was given to wine stability and the absence of significant oxidative deviations despite the unconventional duration of skin contact.

This work proposes a technical alternative for prolonged maceration under low-intervention conditions while simultaneously preserving the authenticity of the original wine lot. Furthermore, the experiment opens new discussions regarding the relationship between vessel geometry, endogenous CO₂ management, and the evolution of wines subjected to extreme maceration periods.

ABSTRACT. In the context of the global transition toward sustainable development and circular economy principles, the wine industry faces increasing pressure to optimize resource efficiency and minimize agro-industrial waste. Grape pomace, the main by-product of winemaking, represents a significant environmental and economic challenge, as well as an untapped source of high-value bioactive compounds.

In Ukraine, the annual production of grape pomace exceeds 200,000 tons, creating environmental risks associated with soil and water contamination due to insufficient processing. At the same time, grape pomace accounts for 15–23% of the initial berry mass and is rich in bioactive components, including phenolic compounds (flavonoids, anthocyanins, catechins, resveratrol), vitamins, organic acids, and minerals. These compounds are mainly concentrated in grape skins and seeds, which together constitute over 85% of pomace composition.

This study focuses on the development and optimization of hydroalcoholic extraction of polyphenols from red grape pomace (Vitis labrusca L. cv. Isabella) grown in the Kyiv region. Extraction was performed using ethanol–water solutions under controlled conditions (20 ± 1 °C, 7-day maceration). The results show that hydroalcoholic systems ensure efficient recovery of bioactive compounds, achieving up to 75.9% anthocyanins and 66.4% total phenolics.

It was found that the physicochemical properties of the solvent significantly influence the aromatic profile and sensory quality of the resulting extracts. Alcohol concentrations above 32% enhance the formation of complex aromatic notes while maintaining a balanced sensory structure. Additionally, incorporation of grape pomace extracts into alcoholic beverages increases antioxidant activity; however, optimal sensory balance is achieved at an inclusion level of 18–20%.

Stabilization using combined fining agents (polyvinylpolypyrrolidone, bentonite, gum arabic, and cellulose) effectively reduces colloidal instability with minimal losses of phenolic compounds (10%) and color intensity (17%).

The study confirms that valorization of grape pomace through polyphenol extraction is a promising technological solution aligned with circular economy principles, offering opportunities for functional beverage development, environmental protection, and improved economic efficiency in the wine sector.

ABSTRACT. Climate change is severely impacting the vineyard ecosystem leading to increased disease pressure. In response, the interspecific hybrids have been developed to be resistant to major pest like downy mildew. These hybrids represent one of the promising solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change. This is the first study to characterize the polyphenolic content in wines produced from two such hybrids, H67.22 and H96.24. The aim of this study is to identify, characterize and compare the anthocyanins and polyphenolic compounds along with their antioxidant activities in red wines produced by these hybrids. To date, no previous data has been yet reported about the aforementioned varieties. For comparison, the results were analyzed against the widely planted Vitis vinifera variety Cabernet Sauvignon which is a major grape variety used for vinification in India. The LC-MS [UHPLC-Orbitrap-MS] method was employed to determine the main families of anthocyanins along with other polyphenolic compounds. H67.22 contained higher levels of anthocyanins along with other major polyphenolic compounds. Additionally, the total phenols and anthocyanin concentration in H67.22 were significantly higher than Cabernet Sauvignon. And both hybrids exhibited prominent antioxidant activities compared to Cabernet Sauvignon. This data provides valuable information for further development and acceptance of these new emerging wine varieties that holds potential to contribute towards sustainable viticulture and winemaking. Further studies will be essential for advancement of viticulture and enological practices and for exploring to understand the influence of the genetic variation on different wine components.

ABSTRACT. Green flavor in wine that are characteristic of methoxypyrazines (MPs), could directly affect the consumer acceptance and be considered as an off-flavor. Among them, 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine (IBMP) has the highest concentration in grape berries and wines with the most influence on wine sensory profile. Various viticultural and oenological strategies have been employed to reduce IBMP levels in grapes and wines. Tannins, as important phenolic compounds in wine, could interact with volatile compounds to affect their volatility. However, the mechanisms by which tannins modulate green flavor through both chemical interactions and neural perception, remain insufficiently understood.

In this study, aqueous oenological tannin solutions at 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 g/L were spiked with 16 ng/L IBMP. Meanwhile, the combined headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-QQQ) and density functional theory (DFT) were used to investigate chemical mechanisms, while quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) and electroencephalography (EEG) were applied to evaluate sensory and neural responses. The results showed that IBMP volatility decreased with increasing tannin concentration, as determined by GC-QQQ analysis. DFT calculations further revealed that this suppression was associated with intermolecular interactions between (+)-catechin and IBMP. Notably, beyond the commonly reported van der Waals interactions and π–π stacking, a strong O–H···N hydrogen bond with partial covalent character emerged as a distinctive feature of the (+)-catechin–IBMP interaction. QDA confirmed that tannin reduced the olfactive intensity of IBMP. EEG measurements indicated that IBMP perception was associated with widespread neural responses, primarily across the frontal and parietal brain regions. Frequency specific analysis further showed that delta and beta2 responses were consistent with the QDA results for IBMP intensity, whereas alpha1 suppression at 1 g/L tannin captured a distinct aspect of perception, indicating most comfortable olfactory feeling. To our knowledge, this study is the first to provide integrated chemical and neural evidence for the modulation of IBMP-related green flavor by oenological tannin.

ABSTRACT. This study examined the effect of viticultural and oenological interventions on the phenolic composition and sensory profile of the high-tannin grape variety Mandilaria. The impact of total leaf removal (TLR), no leaf removal (NLR), post-harvest dehydration, and selective seed extraction (SE) during vinification was evaluated through chemical and sensory analyses. Leaf removal and dehydration increased anthocyanin and total phenolic concentrations, but also intensified bitterness and astringency. In contrast, seed extraction reduced these sensory attributes, although wines showed a less structured profile. The combination of total leaf removal with reduced seed extraction produced the most balanced result, enhancing phenolic potential while improving mouthfeel by limiting harsh seed tannins. These findings indicate the importance of selected vineyard and winemaking practices for high-tannin indigenous cultivars in order to achieve greater sensory balance and consumer acceptability.

ABSTRACT. Orange wine has drawn increasing interest for its distinctive flavour and ageing potential, with pre-fermentation maceration practices playing a decisive role in shaping its typical style and overall sensory profile. While previous research has largely examined whole-pomace maceration, skin-only maceration in the absence of seeds remains unreported in orange wine production. As bitterness derived from seeds can detract from quality, the elaboration of a sweet wine style offers a promising strategy to mitigate this harshness. This study therefore compared clear juice fermentation (control), skin maceration, and skin–seed maceration using late-harvest Petit Manseng grapes from the Eastern Foothills of Helan Mountain. Wines were bottle-aged for 12 months and sampled at 0, 4, 8, and 12 months for physicochemical, colour, volatile aroma, phenolic, and sensory analyses. At bottling, both maceration treatments exhibited higher pH, volatile acidity, and residual sugar than the control. The skin–seed maceration wine displayed the deepest yellow hue and highest saturation, whereas the control was lightest with a pale yellow-green colour. Esters dominated the control aroma; skin maceration enhanced ethyl hexanoate, ethyl octanoate, and higher alcohols; and skin–seed maceration yielded the highest concentrations of alcohols, acids, and carbonyl compounds. Total phenols, tannins, phenolic acids, and flavanols decreased in the order skin–seed > skin > control, whereas stilbenes were richest in the control. During 4–12 months of ageing, total acid, sulfur dioxide, and residual sugar declined gradually, colour deepened, and aroma compounds initially decreased before rebounding or stabilising, while most phenolics trended downward. Sensory evaluation confirmed that skin–seed maceration produced a full-bodied, complex orange wine with ripe fruit, red fruit, oak, and roasted notes. These findings provide a theoretical basis and technical guidance for crafting high-quality orange-style late-harvest sweet Petit Manseng wine in the Helan Mountain region.

ABSTRACT. Astringency is a core mouthfeel quality of red wine that directly affects the consumer's drinking experience and acceptance. Serving temperature can alter the intensity and duration of wine astringency by modulating the interaction between tannins and salivary proteins. Current temperature-related wine research shows a clear bias: most studies focus on how fermentation temperature regulates must fermentation, tannin structure, and flavor compounds, whereas investigations into the mechanism by which serving temperature influences astringency at the drinking stage remain scarce. The limited existing temperature-related studies only go as far as analyzing astringency mechanisms at ambient temperature or offering qualitative descriptions of sensory differences, and no systematic quantitative analysis has yet been conducted on the thermodynamic and structural characteristics of tannin–salivary protein binding under different serving temperatures. Consequently, the molecular mechanism by which temperature governs wine astringency remains unclear. However, investigating molecular interactions between the two across a multi-gradient range of serving temperatures can effectively fill this research gap and holds significant value for the fine-tuned regulation of wine mouthfeel.

This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism through which serving temperature modulates red wine astringency. With the initial substrate concentrations kept constant, four temperature gradients commonly used for wine storage and serving — 10 °C, 16 °C, 22 °C, and 30 °C — were established. The study employed M2378 porcine stomach type II mucin and basic proline-rich protein (BPRP) to simulate the human salivary system, using catechin as the core substrate. A combination of turbidity analysis, fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) techniques, together with molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, was used, and sensory evaluation was carried out in parallel. The temperature-response patterns of molecular interaction parameters and astringency scores were correlated and analyzed. The results showed that an increase in temperature significantly enhanced the binding affinity between tannins and salivary proteins, optimized the hydrogen-bonding and hydrophobic interaction networks, promoted cross-linking aggregation, and consequently intensified the wine's astringency. Moreover, changes in the binding constant could accurately predict differences in astringency. This study clarifies the molecular mechanism by which serving temperature regulates red wine astringency, addressing the current shortcoming of overemphasizing winemaking while neglecting the serving phase, and provides a scientific basis for optimizing wine serving temperatures and achieving precise mouthfeel control.

ABSTRACT. Chardonnay is a widely cultivated white grape variety renowned for its stylistic diversity. Conventional winemaking practices, including oak barrel fermentation, lees aging, and extended bottle maturation, are commonly used to enhance wine complexity; however, these approaches are time-consuming and may mask varietal characteristics. In contrast, pre-fermentation skin contact, a technique traditionally associated with red winemaking, can promote the extraction of aroma precursors and phenolic compounds from grape skins, thereby contributing to the diversification of white wine flavor. However, the effects of different skin contact durations on volatile compounds, phenolic composition, and the sensory profiles of Chardonnay dry white wines remain insufficiently understood.

This study employed headspace solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry(HS-SPME-GC-MS), ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS), and sorting sensory analysis to investigate the flavor diversification of Chardonnay dry white wines subjected to three pre-fermentation skin contact treatments: 0 h, 8 h, and 16 h. Wine samples were collected at five stages throughout the winemaking process. Chemical data were compared with sensory classification results to reveal the duration-dependent modulation of volatile and phenolic profiles.The results showed that, despite using the same grape source and winemaking conditions, the three pre-fermentation skin contact treatments produced distinct flavor profiles in terms of volatile aroma composition, phenolic composition, and sensory perception. Specifically, the 16 h treatment promoted the accumulation of terpenes, aldehydes, and monomeric phenols, contributing to complex tropical and toasted aromas, together with a richer and slightly astringent mouthfeel. The 8 h treatment retained higher levels of alcohols and volatile acids after bottle aging, resulting in a balanced, full-bodied palate with transitional fruit notes. In contrast, the 0 h treatment preserved fresh citrus aromas and a crisp, high-acidity character typical of dry white wines. These findings demonstrate that pre-fermentation skin contact effectively diversified Chardonnay wine flavor in a duration-dependent manner, providing a targeted strategy for modulating Chardonnay wine style from fresh and crisp to complex and structured.

ABSTRACT. Soil salinization poses a major threat to both the global environment and the sustainability of viticulture. This study proposes a synergistic remediation strategy using desulfurized gypsum combined with organic amendments—biochar and lignite. Through integrated incubation, pot, and two-year field experiments, we clarify the underlying process mechanisms, focusing on two aspects: enhancing the efficiency of calcium‑sodium ion exchange and achieving sustained regulation of soil fertility. The results show that the organic amendments significantly improved the replacement efficiency of sodium ions by calcium ions from the gypsum. They also enhanced soil biochemical activity by promoting organic matter mineralization (e.g., the peak CO2 emission increased by 79.13% compared to the control). In the presence of grapevines, the stability of the calcium sodium exchange and soil fertility was maintained through rhizosphere microenvironment regulation and carbon input. Improvements in plant physiological indicators further confirm the systemic optimization of the soil environment. The two year field experiment further confirms the long term stability of this strategy. It consistently reduced the soil sodium adsorption ratio (by 48.54% compared to the control) and salt content (e.g., water soluble Na+ decreased by 26.81%), with no significant secondary salt accumulation observed. Concurrently, the physiological indicators of the grapevines showed lasting improvement. This study demonstrates that the synergistic effect of desulfurized gypsum and organic amendments effectively optimizes the soil ionic composition through calcium sodium exchange, while the input of organic materials and micro ecological regulation continuously improve soil fertility. Thus, it provides a comprehensive, mechanism explicit, and operationally feasible solution for the sustainable management of salinized vineyard soils.

ABSTRACT. Traditional fertilization often leads to vineyard soil degradation and low nutrient use efficiency. This study investigates the effects of biochar-based fertilizers on the growth, rhizosphere micro-ecology, soil carbon sequestration, and fruit quality of 'Cabernet Sauvignon' grapevines, aiming to elucidate the underlying micro-ecological regulatory mechanisms. Combining pot and field experiments, the study established a control group alongside treatments with varying ratios of grape pomace biochar-based fertilizers. Plant growth, photosynthesis, soil physicochemical properties, and enzyme activities were measured. Non-targeted metabolomics and high-throughput sequencing were employed to analyze rhizosphere exudates and microbial communities, followed by an evaluation of fruit quality at maturity.

The results show that grape pomace biochar significantly improved soil physicochemical properties, enhanced carbon-fixing enzyme activities, and promoted soil carbon sequestration. Particularly regarding total nitrogen, significant variations were observed across different soil depths and treatment ratios, indicating that different treatment groups exerted a strong regulatory effect on nitrogen dynamics. At the plant level, the treatment groups enhanced root vigor and seedling stress resistance, while significantly boosting photosynthetic capacity during critical phenological stages in the field. Furthermore, the biochar-based fertilizer reshaped the root exudate profiles and drove the succession of rhizosphere microbial communities, significantly enriching beneficial functional groups such as plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). In terms of fruit quality, the treatments significantly increased fruit sugar content, anthocyanins, and total phenolic content. Notably, the BP3+BF3 treatment exhibited the optimum performance in phenolic accumulation, increasing skin anthocyanin concentration by approximately 9.7% and skin tannin content by approximately 24.4% compared to the control.

An integrated analysis confirmed the causal network of "biochar-fertilizer input – soil improvement – exudate reshaping – microbial enrichment – physiological optimization – quality enhancement." Overall, the biochar-based fertilizer synergistically achieved soil carbon sequestration, fertility enhancement, and grapevine quality improvement, providing both a theoretical and practical foundation for reducing fertilizer inputs, increasing efficiency, and implementing ecologically sustainable management in vineyards.

ABSTRACT. Until recently, regular and intensive year-round tillage was the dominant and almost exclusive vineyard floor management practice in the Croatian Istria wine-growing subregion. This approach was mainly driven by the anecdotal belief that tillage enhances vineyard productivity, whereas the use of cover crops would negatively affect soil water availability and consequently reduce yield. Over the past decade, however, the adoption of cover crops has gradually increased. Although growers have introduced various cover-crop management strategies, many uncertainties remain regarding their effects on grape yield and berry composition. To address these knowledge gaps, we conducted a study in a high-vigour, non-irrigated Istrian Malvasia vineyard planted on deep (>2 m) terra rossa soil, in a Mediterranean climate with a dry summer. Three vineyard floor-management treatments were compared: (i) conventional tillage (TILL), (ii) a perennial clover–grass mixture in one interrow combined with tillage in the adjacent interrow (COMB), and (iii) a perennial clover–grass mixture in one interrow combined with an autumn-sown mixture of rye, common vetch, crimson clover and triticale terminated by rolling in May (CC). Treatments were applied to vines grafted on two rootstocks, 420A and K5BB, with three replications per rootstock. No significant treatment effects on soil water potential were observed during the growing season. Both cover-crop treatments reduced vine vigour, with a stronger reduction by CC compared to COMB. Interestingly, on the more vigorous K5BB rootstock, TILL was associated with poorer fruit set, likely as a consequence of excessive vine vigour, resulting in lower yield per vine compared with both cover crop treatments. In contrast, no significant yield effects of vineyard floor management were detected on 420A. Both cover-crop treatments improved grape ripening, resulting in higher soluble solids, particularly in CC. No differences in titratable acidity or pH were observed at any ripening stage. These results demonstrate that the use of cover crops in high vigour vineyards on deep soils in a Mediterranean climate can be a viable strategy to regulate vine growth and enhance grape ripening without compromising soil water status or yield.

ABSTRACT. Climate change has intensified the search for resilient viticultural strategies capable of maintaining grape quality under non-traditional climatic conditions. In southeastern Brazil, double pruning management has enabled winter grape production by shifting ripening to the dry and mild winter season, representing an innovative adaptation strategy for subtropical viticulture. This study evaluated the technological ripening dynamics of six Vitis vinifera L. cultivars cultivated under double pruning management in a new wine-producing terroir located in Mineiros do Tietê, São Paulo State, Brazil. The experiment was conducted during the 2025 season using Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Tannat, Pinot Noir, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines grafted onto Paulsen 1103 rootstock. Vines were planted in 2020, trained in a vertical shoot positioning system and spaced at 2.8 × 1.0 m. Double pruning consisted of a formation pruning at the end of winter (August/September), followed by a production pruning in January/February, allowing grape maturation and harvest during the winter months (July/August). Technological maturation was monitored weekly from véraison to harvest through analyses of soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), pH and maturation index (SS/TA). Distinct ripening patterns were observed among cultivars under subtropical winter conditions. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir showed earlier technological maturation, while Cabernet Sauvignon presented a later ripening profile. Merlot exhibited the highest mean maturation index (25.86), followed by Malbec (20.89) and Tannat (20.87). Tannat maintained the highest acidity levels throughout maturation, with mean titratable acidity of 1.53 g tartaric acid 100 mL−1, indicating greater technological stability under winter conditions. Maximum soluble solids values reached 29.0 °Brix for Tannat, 24.6 °Brix for Malbec and 24.5 °Brix for Merlot. Pinot Noir showed the highest pH values during ripening, reaching 3.86, while Tannat maintained lower pH values, with a mean of 2.75. The winter production cycle promoted favorable maturation conditions associated with low rainfall, greater thermal amplitude and reduced disease pressure, contributing to sugar accumulation and balanced acidity maintenance. The results provide unprecedented information regarding the agronomic and technological behavior of wine grape cultivars cultivated under double pruning management in a medium-altitude terroir in São Paulo State. Furthermore, the study reinforces double pruning as a sustainable climate adaptation strategy for winter wine production in southeastern Brazil and contributes to the characterization of a new subtropical wine terroir in Brazil.

ABSTRACT. Cover crops are increasingly adopted in vineyards to enhance soil health, yet their short-term effects on soil nutrient cycling and microbial communities remain poorly understood, especially in specific cultivars such as Marselan. Here, we evaluated the impacts of five cover crop treatments—natural grass, Centaurea cyanus, Poa pratensis, Lolium perenne, and Medicago sativa—on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and microbial diversity compared to clean tillage in a vineyard in Ningxia, China. After one growing season, cover crops reduced the topsoil pH by 1.03%-3.67% compared to clean tillage, and decreased available phosphorus content by 43.34%-56.14%. Changes in soil organic matter and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen varied among treatments. The Lolium perenne treatment showed a significantly higher organic matter content of 15.10 g/kg compared to clean tillage, while all other treatments significantly reduced organic matter content, with natural grass treatment having the lowest value of 11.74 g/kg. In the Medicago sativa treatment, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen content (0-20 cm: 75.83 mg/kg; 20-40 cm: 46.33 mg/kg) was significantly higher than that in clean tillage, whereas all other treatments significantly reduced alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen content. Although cover crops reduced the availability of some nutrients, they enhanced the soil’s nutrient transformation capacity. Enzyme activities responded differentially: urease, alkaline phosphatase, and cellulase were stimulated, whereas catalase and sucrase were suppressed. Cover crops also increased the alpha diversity of both bacterial and fungal communities, with the Lolium perenne treatment showing the highest values. In the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm soil layers, the alpha diversity under Lolium perenne was 10.16% and 3.96% higher for bacteria, and 17.75% and 13.86% higher for fungi, respectively, compared to clean tillage. Additionally, cover crops altered the composition of microbial communities, with functional predictions indicating a promotion of heterotrophic metabolism and a reduction in plant-pathogenic fungal guilds. Mantel tests and partial least squares path modeling revealed that cover crops influenced microbial communities indirectly through changes in soil properties and enzyme activities rather than via direct effects. The results indicate that even short-term cover crop cultivation can reshape the soil microbiome and its functions. Lolium perenne demonstrated the best overall performance in enhancing soil organic matter and promoting microbial diversity, while Medicago sativa showed a significant advantage in rapidly improving nitrogen availability. These findings provide mechanistic insights into soil–microbe interactions and offer practical strategies for sustainable vineyard management in semi-arid regions.

ABSTRACT. This study focuses on the wine grape vineyard located in the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia. By implementing three conservation tillage practices, namely natural tillage (NT), crop tillage (CTS), and natural tillage combined with crop tillage (NTS), and comparing them with traditional clear tillage (CK) as a control, soil samples from the 0-20 cm soil layer of each treatment area were collected during the grape flowering period (May), fruit expansion period (July), and fruit ripening period (September) in 2023 and 2024 for the determination and analysis of physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and microbial communities. The aim is to investigate the impact of conservation tillage practices on soil physicochemical properties, enzyme activities, and microbial communities.The research results show that conservation tillage measures in vineyards increase soil moisture content and improve soil porosity after a sustained period of time, but the impact on soil bulk density does not exhibit significant patterns or changes. Conservation tillage measures in vineyards reduce soil pH, but the effect is not obvious in the early stages of the experiment. At the same time, conservation tillage measures increase the content of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium in the soil, as well as the content of soil organic matter. Conservation tillage measures can enhance soil enzyme activity. By altering the soil microenvironment, conservation tillage measures selectively screen bacterial groups with different ecological functions, thereby affecting the material cycle and energy flow of the soil ecosystem.

ABSTRACT. Sustainability has become a strategic challenge for wine production systems, which are increasingly pressured to respond to climate change, market transformation, regulatory demands, and evolving societal expectations. Although numerous sustainability assessment frameworks have been developed for the wine sector, many approaches remain limited in their ability to support continuous improvement and strategic decision-making processes within organizations and territories. In this context, maturity models emerge as a promising alternative by enabling a progressive understanding of sustainability development pathways. This study presents the BaccuS 2.0 framework as a sustainability maturity model designed to support strategic capabilities and decision-making in wine production systems. Originally conceived as an indicator-based sustainability assessment framework grounded in international benchmarking and empirical research in Brazilian wine regions, BaccuS was restructured into a maturity-oriented model to better capture the evolutionary nature of sustainability practices. The framework integrates five sustainability dimensions — environmental, economic, social, political-institutional, and territorial — organized into progressive maturity levels that allow wineries and wine territories to identify strengths, weaknesses, and improvement priorities. The methodological approach combines principles of Design Science Research (DSR), international benchmarking, and iterative development processes. In addition, an exploratory study was conducted through the application of the BaccuS 2.0 protocol in 12 wineries, aiming to analyze the framework’s applicability and its potential contributions to sustainability-oriented decision-making. Preliminary results demonstrated significant heterogeneity among wineries regarding sustainability maturity levels and the integration of sustainability into management practices. Across the sample, the environmental dimension consistently presented the highest maturity scores and lower variability, emerging as the most developed domain even among wineries with overall lower maturity levels. The observed pattern indicates that increases in overall sustainability maturity are accompanied by advances in other dimensions, particularly within the political-institutional dimension, suggesting that more mature wineries tend to develop stronger governance structures, stakeholder articulation, and long-term strategic planning capabilities. The maturity-based approach expanded the analytical potential of conventional sustainability assessments by promoting a dynamic perspective focused on organizational learning, strategic adaptation, and continuous improvement. Furthermore, the framework demonstrated potential to support benchmarking processes, prioritization of strategic actions, sustainability governance, and the strengthening of collective capabilities within wine regions and geographical indication systems. Sustainability maturity can be interpreted as a dynamic strategic capability through which wine production systems strengthen adaptive, organizational, and territorial capacities to address environmental, social, economic, and institutional challenges over time. In this sense, the BaccuS 2.0 framework contributes to the development of resilience, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability transitions in the global wine sector.

ABSTRACT. The global wine industry is profoundly shaped by climate change, sustainability-oriented trade rules, ESG requirements, and changing consumer preferences. Sustainability standards progressively function not only as environmental benchmarks, but also as governance tools shaping market access, industry upgrading, and international recognition. These standards operate across the wine value chain, linking vineyard and winery practices with market governance mechanisms. While established wine regions such as Europe, Chile, and South Africa, among others, have developed mature sustainability standards systems, many emerging wine regions still lack internationally recognized frameworks that integrate ecological management with market governance.

As one of China’s most dynamic wine-producing areas, the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia have gained growing international visibility for their wine quality and ecological suitability. However, sustainability practices related to water management, ecological restoration, carbon reduction, and vineyard management remain fragmented and insufficiently integrated into a unified sustainability standards system, reflecting a common challenge faced by many emerging wine regions.

The study examines how the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia, China, a typical emerging wine region, can develop effective sustainability standards systems to support both ecological sustainability and wine industry development, and how these frameworks can strengthen governance and resilience under rapid industrialization towards the global green transition. The study employs field visits and interviews with winery owners and industry practitioners in the Helan Mountains region. It also conducts literature review and analyses of regulations and sustainability standards in major international wine regions, China’s green policy frameworks, and regional governance mechanisms.

The analysis identifies fragmented governance structures, limited coordination among existing sustainability-related practices, and weak integration of ecological management into market-oriented certification systems as key institutional constraints in emerging wine regions. Drawing on international experiences, the ecological characteristics of arid and semi-arid viticulture regions, the study proposes a regional sustainability standard framework encompassing environmental, economic, and social dimensions and indicators, along with a policy package to support implementation, including the digital monitoring and traceability mechanisms, third-party certification systems, phased implementation pathways, and enabling policy and financial instruments.

The global wine industry is entering a new phase in which sustainability governance plays an increasingly central role in shaping industry development. Sustainability standards are becoming a strategic instrument for enhancing regional development, fostering international cooperation, and enabling emerging wine regions to align with global green transition. For emerging wine regions such as the eastern foothills of Helan Mountains, the establishment of internationally compatible sustainability governance systems is critical for long-term resilience and economic upgrading. The experience of Ningxia offers a model and provides insights for other emerging wine regions seeking sustainable development pathways under global green transformation.

ABSTRACT. Geographical indications legal system has been created in France at the beginning of the 20th century in the wine sector. It was a difficult time : Phyloxera destroyed French vineyard, wine was lacking although consumption was high, which opened the road towards fake famous wines. The Gis system was then imagined to face this situation and protect wine producers against copies. Since then, this system has proved its ability to protect gastronomic heritage but also to create value among agricultural national and international commodity chains, through differenciation and adaptation. It is now an european legal system and has also been integraded into international legal laws under the scope of the international intellectual property office (Geneva Act). More than 40 000 Gis exist today in the world. The goal of this paper is then first to explain how and why this system was created and developed nationaly and internationaly facing news challenges, the added value it generated into the farms, the commodity chains and the territories and why it is still today an interesting tool to face current economic and climatic challenges in the wine sector. Moreover, the presentation will explain how France put in place a very original organisation to manage the 1200 current French Gis (523 in the wine sector), distributed in one farm over threee in France, allowing global coherence of the system and make it evolve to face challenges which have appeared along its history : protection against fake, quality improvement, « terroir » recognition, creation of added value through segmentation. And how this process still continues today in response to new challenges : market demand evolution, climate change or response towards new social attempts. Indeed, in France, after some unfruitful tentative by the government of steering the system alone in between 1905 and 1935, a very original organisation has been put in place through a public Institute managed by the Gis professionnals themselves under State supervision : the national institute of quality and origin (INAO), which on a day to day basis dialogues with local groups (called defense and management organisations – ODG) at the field level gathering the different stakeholders producing Gis or willing to produce some. More than 250 professionnal representative make it work, alongside roughly 240 civil servants. This institute is responsible for producing technical specifications of each GI on the basis of local proposals, control system, legal protection and promotion. It has worked for more than 90 years now. It allows a co-construction in between private and public bodies and a pair to pair Gis management, inducing global policy coherence and success of this policy.

ABSTRACT. Branding represents a strategic component of the winery value chain, enabling wineries to communicate their identity, heritage, sustainability orientation, and production philosophy. Within the context of rural wine tourism, branding extends beyond the individual firm, becoming a mechanism through which territories communicate collective identity, cultural value, and place-based reputation. Although previous literature has explored concepts such as Territorial Brands, Collective Brands, and Shared Brands, the boundaries among these constructs remain blurred, with definitions frequently overlapping. Wine regions often involve common territorial identities, multiple producers, and forms of collective value creation; however, not all territorial systems operate as collective or shared brands, generating conceptual ambiguity within both academic and policy debates. Some territorial systems are driven by regulatory frameworks (GIs). This paper aims to clarify and distinguish the concepts of Territorial Brands, Collective Brands, and Shared Brands within the wine industry. The literature review is performed adopting a TCCM framework (Theory, Context, Characteristics, and Methodology), the study systematically reviews approximately 300 publications (consulting two of the main scientific online libraries WOS and Scopus) published between 2000 and 2026 on territorial branding, collective branding, shared branding, and geographical indications in the wine sector. The paper pursues two main objectives. First, it provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving relationship between territory and branding in wine research. Second, it develops clearer conceptual definitions of Territorial Brands, Collective Brands, and Shared Brands in the wine sector, while integrating the institutional and policy dimensions associated with geographical indications. The findings contribute to the branding, wine business, and wine tourism literature by reducing conceptual fragmentation and proposing a more coherent interpretative framework. From a managerial and policy perspective, the study offers useful guidance for practitioners, destination managers, and policymakers involved in wine tourism and territorial development. At the same time, it provides researchers with clearer conceptual foundations for future studies on wine branding, territorial governance, and collective value creation.

ABSTRACT. Owing to its distinctive terroir, sustained industry efforts, and local policy support, the Eastern Foothills of Helan Mountain wine region in Ningxia has expanded rapidly under the “small wineries, large appellation” concept, becoming China’s fastest-growing and most promising wine region. Like many New World regions, its early flexible planting and winemaking practices injected new dynamism into the global wine market. However, as the region develops, serious homogenization has emerged: a large number of wines bearing only the single label “Eastern Foothills of Helan Mountain Wine Region” circulate, leaving consumers unable to make informed choices. In the context of building property rights, brand value, and facing global competition, the lack of a stable legal framework is evident. In contrast, Old World legal appellation systems provide producers with reputational safeguards and risk buffers amid deglobalization and economic cycles. This article analyzes the feasibility of establishing a legal appellation system in this region. Through field research on the Administrative Committee and local wineries, as well as normative studies of major countries’ appellation systems, it proposes four fundamental issues and recommendations. The region possesses conditions to become China’s first legal wine appellation. First, the Ningxia government has promulgated regulations including the Protection Regulation and Classified Château Management Measures; moreover, the National Comprehensive Pilot Zone for Open Development of the Grape and Wine Industry provides institutional foundation. Second, China has joined the OIV and signed the EU–China Geographical Indications Agreement, creating treaty conditions for origin protection standards. Third, Chinese consumers already understand refined agricultural origins. For example, in the Wuyi Mountain oolong tea region, subappellation names like Niulankeng and Matouyan are widely recognized; smaller plots (“keng”, “jian”, “cong”) function similarly to Burgundy’s “Climats”. Thus, introducing a legal appellation system here has solid institutional, treaty, and market bases, with no insurmountable obstacles. The fundamental issues are as follows. First, choosing an appropriate legislative model. The legal hierarchy must be determined under China’s Legislation Law, and existing winerelated norms systematically integrated. Second, the legal transformation of terroir characteristics. How can soil, climate, and grape variety data be converted into legally protected feature descriptions? How to delimit subappellation boundaries with legal certainty and enforceability? This requires oenological experts to conduct terroirbased detailed cultivation and tasting, combined with comparative research on Old World models. Third, allocation of geographical indication rights and enforcement. Should the appellation name be owned by the Administrative Committee, industry association, or government? Should a specialized appellation commission be established, analogous to France? How to coordinate institutions? Fourth, international mutual recognition and crossborder protection. Under the EU–China GI Agreement and OIV rules, how to achieve GI mutual recognition with the EU and other countries? How to establish an early warning and dispute resolution mechanism to prevent misuse overseas? These issues are key. Through normative analysis and empirical research, this article offers recommendations.

ABSTRACT. China's wine industry is at a critical juncture of transitioning from scale expansion to high-quality development. However, structural problems have become increasingly prominent, including severe product homogenization, weak risk resilience of operating entities, extensive exploitation of terroir resources, and ineffective value transmission mechanisms. The existing winery-centered valuing system, although drawing on mature Western experience, is ill-suited to China's industrial development stage due to the short lifespan of domestic operating entities and uneven capital strength, resulting in insufficient stability of the value system. Employing the grounded theory paradigm, this study systematically constructs a terroir value empowerment theoretical framework from the perspective of administrative village units, based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 30 multi-stakeholder participants (government officials, industry practitioners, consumers, and academic researchers) across China's core wine regions, combined with a comparative physical-product situational method. Through open coding, 172 initial concepts and 44 initial categories were extracted. Axial and selective coding ultimately distilled five core value dimensions of village-level terroir: (1) Quality Endowment Value—the village scale serves as the authentic carrier of terroir differentiation, precisely capturing micro-topographic, edaphic, and climatic variations to form an irreplicable innate quality foundation; (2) Market Perception Value—refined terroir labeling effectively enhances consumer trust and willingness to pay premiums, addressing the failure of value transmission caused by product homogenization; (3) Operational Risk Hedging Value—land terroir is independent of enterprise survival and does not depreciate with operational fluctuations, providing a stable value base that compensates for the critical shortcoming of Western Winery-centered ratings; (4) Ecological Conservation Value—village-level terroir rights confirmation incentivizes proactive soil stewardship, forming a positive cycle of "rights confirmation → stewardship → endowment preservation → value continuation"; (5) Regional Governance Value—village-unit-based governance enables precision regional management and rural revitalization linkage, promoting balanced industrial development. The study further reveals that the village-level terroir value system and winery brand value are not substitutive but form a complementary symbiotic structure of "upper-layer operational value and lower-layer resource value." China's wine industry need not dismantle the existing winery rating system but should supplement it with a village-level terroir system to establish a dual-track complementary long-term value order. This research fills the theoretical gap in domestic terroir studies regarding systematic value system construction from the village-level micro-unit perspective, providing theoretical support and practical pathways for establishing a classification system with both international normative standards and local adaptability.

ABSTRACT. Major and trace elements contained in wine originate primarily from the soil and then secondarily, from the wine process. Some elements reflect the origin of the soil, some reflect the physiological development of the plant and others, to a much lesser extent, extend the wine making process. All this information is stored in the wine bottles and is stable over time during aging. There is also a growing need to maximize the information available to the customer. This request is very much urged by the EU and in other parts of the world. We have recently developed a novel, high throughput analytical method using multi-isotopic dilution techniques to determine the concentration of 23 elements (major and trace) in wine with extremely high precision combined with a cost-effective price. These multiple inorganic signatures allow not only to trace with very high resolution the precise geographical origin of the wine, but also to monitor changes in the quality of wine production, useful also to the ongoing climate change conditions. These data are also paramount to fighting against counterfeiting. Regulations and customers always require more information to develop a fair and trustworthy trade. Smart labels are now increasingly being adopted across many food sectors. They have gained important developments recently allowing us to embark now together the geographical origin of wine as well as advanced procedures integrating all information (digital passport) on the wine production, including the blockchain, that now all allows precise and unrivaled tracking from the wine production to the bottle. These integrated new sets of data and information in novel smart labels will improve and further open up the fair trade of wine and improved information’s both to the producers as well as the final customer. We will present and illustrate these new developments in the wine industry using a series of samples collected on a worldwide basis (mainly Europe, including France) for quality assessment and improved traceability We will compare the global average European wine signatures with those originating from different regions of China.

ABSTRACT. This paper aims to analyze the legal framework governing Uruguayan wine geographical indications within the context of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Mercosur, particularly in light of the provisions set forth in Chapter 13 concerning Intellectual Property. The research is based on the premise that geographical indications constitute a strategic legal instrument for the protection of differentiated agri-food products, especially wine, whose quality, reputation, and characteristics are closely linked to their territory of origin and to the concept of terroir as an expression of productive and cultural identity. From a methodological perspective, the study adopts a dogmatic-legal and analytical approach, grounded in the systematic examination of national, regional, and international legal norms applicable to the subject matter. In this regard, the paper analyzes the provisions of the European Union–Mercosur Agreement, the Uruguayan intellectual property regime, national and MERCOSUR wine regulations, as well as the specific regulatory framework administered by the National Institute of Vitiviniculture. In addition, specialized doctrinal scholarship in Agrarian Law is examined in order to identify the legal nature, functions, and scope of geographical indications within the contemporary agri-food system. The study demonstrates that geographical indications go beyond the traditional logic of individual distinctive signs, constituting collective rights aimed at protecting the link between product and territory, preserving local production practices, and guaranteeing consumers the authenticity and traceability of products. In the case of the wine sector, it is shown that the Uruguayan legal system has developed a particular framework for the registration, control, and supervision of geographical indications through INAVI, an institution entrusted with regulatory, technical, and certification functions across the entire wine production chain. This framework enables the consolidation of mechanisms for origin and quality control consistent with international standards and with the requirements arising from regional economic integration processes. As a principal finding, the research shows that the European Union–Mercosur Agreement represents a turning point for Uruguayan vitiviniculture by strengthening the legal protection of geographical indications and projecting them as instruments of competitive differentiation in international trade. Furthermore, it concludes that the proper protection of these legal institutions not only safeguards economic interests related to wine production and commercialization, but also contributes to the preservation of the cultural, productive, and territorial heritage associated with wine-growing regions. Finally, it is argued that geographical indications constitute a relevant tool for sustainable agrarian development and for the economic valorization of quality agri-food products, in line with emerging trends in international trade and the demands of contemporary consumers.

ABSTRACT. While Europeans emphasize their terroir and long winemaking history, the New World wine industry has focused on asserting the importance of grape varieties as the foundation of their products' identity. The Canary Islands likely originated as the first grapevine to arrive in the Americas. One of the Canary Island varieties is Listán Prieto, and its seeds are believed to be the ancestors of the many ecotypes found in the Americas, including Mission (California), Negra Criolla (Peru), Misionera (Bolivia), País (Chile), and Criolla Chica (Argentina). The introduction of Spanish Criolla varieties began in the 16th century in the Viceroyalty of Peru, when Spanish colonizers brought grapevines to the country's southern coast. The region's climate is characterized by arid and dry conditions, typical of desert regions. One of the towns founded in Peruvian territory was Santa María in the Pisco Valley, established in 1572 by Álvaro de Ponce, in accordance with the decrees of Toledo. Over the years, it came to be called Pisco, which in Quechua means bird. The climate classification is BWh, with an average annual temperature of 21.3°C and rainfall of 104 mm. The region has sandy, permeable soils with dune formation in desert areas. In the valleys, soils with a higher clay content and greater fertility can be found. Located in the Pisco Valley, Bodega Murga has been cultivating pisco grapes of the Albilla, Italia, Negra Criolla, Quebranta, Mollar, and Moscatel varieties since 2014. The grapes, grown on 30.25 hectares, are used not only to produce pisco but also to produce low-intervention fine wine. Part of the grapes (2.25ha) are grown in the dunes, in a desert region, with drip irrigation technology and fertigation management, which favor phenolic ripening in the red varieties. Another 28 hectares are cultivated in the valley region, using flood irrigation techniques, in areas of greater fertility and higher yield. The winery aims to recover and maintain ancestral methods of grape cultivation and production, while also adapting management practices that improve viticultural and oenological productivity and quality. All vineyard management includes pruning adapted to the region's soil and climate conditions, respecting the growth and fruiting habits of the ancestral varieties. Bodega Murga seeks to utilize plant biostimulation through plant extracts, as well as the use of biological inputs and management practices to effectively control pests and diseases. By applying technological and sustainable management, a 35.7% increase in production was observed between the 2023 and 2025 harvests, and a 55.7% increase compared to 2025, with total production in 2026 remaining unchanged in grape quality. This approach is based on management practices recommended in regenerative and sustainable viticulture. To achieve this, the winery seeks knowledge and invests in technologies that improve wine production and winemaking processes. The winery employs low-intervention vinification, prioritizing acidity and vibrancy, through long skin macerations of up to 251 days, and the use of materials such as terracotta clay amphorae, French oak and acacia barrels, concrete eggs, and stainless steel tanks. They always strive for the full expression of the grape varieties in single-varietal wines or co-fermentations. In Peru, for many years the quality and typicity of wines made with heritage varieties were rejected and overshadowed by Pisco. However, minimal-intervention wines made with these grapes are increasingly gaining ground in the global market and are being featured in the world's best restaurants, making Peruvian wine tourism another driver of local economic growth.

ABSTRACT. Oxygen management is a critical aspect of white winemaking, as dissolved oxygen strongly influences wine composition, stability, and sensory quality. Excessive oxygen uptake promotes undesirable oxidative reactions that negatively affect wine aroma, color, and overall quality. White wines are particularly susceptible to oxidative degradation, resulting in the loss of floral and fruity aromas, the development of oxidative off-flavors, and increased yellow and brown coloration. During wine handling operations, particularly bulk transportation, oxygen dissolution may significantly increase the risk of oxidation damage. Although the detrimental effect of oxygen exposure during wine transportation are widely recognized by the wine industry, limited information is available regarding the extent of oxygen uptake during bulk transport and the effectiveness of preventive strategies such as wine deoxygenation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of bulk transportation on dissolved oxygen levels in white wines and to assess the effectiveness of nitrogen deoxygenation in mitigating oxygen-related quality losses during storage. Two white wines were monitored over nine months of storage to investigate the effects of transportation and deoxygenation on dissolved oxygen concentration, SO2 consumption, phenolic composition, and color evolution. Transportation significantly increased dissolved oxygen concentrations by 117% and 181%, respectively accelerating the depletion of free SO₂. In contrast, nitrogen deoxygenation effectively reduced dissolved oxygen levels and slowed SO₂ decrease. The kinetics of SO2 depletion confirmed the protective effect of deoxygenation. Before transportation, second-order rate constants for SO2 loss were 0.00353 ± 0.00014 and 0.00081 ± 0.00011 for the Loureiro monovarietal and Blend wine, respectively. Following transportation, SO₂ depletion increased, whereas deoxygenation reduced the rate constants to 0.00218 ± 0.00010 and 0.000510 ± 0.00012, respectively. Wine color evolution during storage was strongly influenced by oxygen exposure. Transportation promoted an increase in wine yellowness, measured by the CIELab parameter b*, whereas deoxygenation significantly reduced yellow color development. The lower rate of color change in deoxygenated wines was associated with the higher levels of free SO₂ preserved throughout storage. The pseudo-zero-order rate constants for the increase in b* after transportation were 0.253 ± 0.030 and 0.616 ± 0.068 for the Loureiro monovarietal and Blend wine, respectively, while deoxygenation reduced these values to 0.0122 ± 0.0278 and 0.256 ± 0.058. Phenolic composition also played an important role in chromatic evolution. The wine with higher total phenolic concentrations exhibited greater increases in b* values after nine months of storage, indicating that phenolic compounds contribute significantly to yellowing during oxidative aging. Overall, the results demonstrate that bulk transportation can negatively affect white wine quality by increasing dissolved oxygen uptake and accelerating oxidative reactions. However, nitrogen deoxygenation showed to be an effective technological strategy for reducing oxygen levels, preserving free SO₂, and improving chromatic stability during storage. These findings highlight the importance of oxygen management during white wine transportation and storage to preserve their quality and shelf life. Further studies are needed to evaluate the impact of deoxygenation on sensory properties, particularly on aroma quality.

This research was funded by Fundação para a Ciência Tecnologia (FCT-Portugal) to CQ-VR Chemistry Research Centre—Vila Real (UID/00616/2025 https://doi.org/10.54499/UID/PRR2/00616/2025)

ABSTRACT. Pectolytic enzymes are widely used during red winemaking to enhance extraction efficiency and processing performance; however, their influence on bitterness, astringency, and the molecular mechanisms governing these sensory properties remains insufficiently understood. This study investigated the effects of pectolytic enzyme maceration on red wine composition and sensory perception in Cabernet Sauvignon wines, with emphasis on interactions among polysaccharides, polyphenols, and astringency. A multi-analytical approach incorporating glycan microarrays, affinity and gel permeation chromatography, immunochemical analyses, quantitative proton nuclear magnetic resonance (qHNMR), electrophoresis, polyphenol profiling, and sensory evaluation was used to characterize wine polysaccharides and determine their contribution to wine mouthfeel. Sensory evaluation showed that enzyme treatment had no significant effect on bitterness but increased astringency intensity. Enzyme-treated wines were characterized as hard, chalky, grippy, grainy, and dry, whereas wines produced without enzyme treatment exhibited softer attributes such as soft, fine, and velvety. Increased astringency in enzyme-treated wines was associated with elevated concentrations of polyphenols with greater polymerization and galloylation, suggesting that enzyme application significantly alters phenolic extraction and composition. The results further indicated that pectolytic enzymes exert a greater influence on grape cell wall structure and extraction dynamics than berry ripeness at harvest.The role of polysaccharides in astringency modulation was further investigated using saliva protein–tannin interaction models. Polysaccharide addition reduced salivary protein concentrations in tannin–protein mixtures, indicating competitive interactions between polysaccharides and tannins for salivary protein binding. qHNMR analyses showed increased soluble tannin concentrations following polysaccharide addition, supporting the formation of protein–polysaccharide complexes that reduce tannin-induced protein precipitation. Sensory threshold analysis demonstrated that polysaccharides from non-enzyme-treated wines had a threshold concentration of 121 mg/mL compared with 86 mg/mL for enzyme-treated wine polysaccharides. These findings indicate that pectolytic enzyme maceration significantly alters wine polysaccharide composition, polyphenol structure, and saliva protein–tannin interactions, ultimately shaping astringency perception and wine mouthfeel.

ABSTRACT. In wines, in certain situations, it is necessary to remove unwanted components of the wine that negatively affect its safety, such as the reduction of the presence of undesirable substances in the wine such as biogenic amines, ochratoxin A and excess pesticide residues. There is no good product for this. The compounds traditionally most used for this task has been bentonite, and someties animal-based proteins some of them being involved in food allergies, such as caseinate (milk) and ovalbumin (egg). Nor should we forget the rejection of wines treated with gelatin by the vegan population. One option that has been studied in recent years is the use of vegetable fibers. Among them, those extracted from grape pomace (a very abundant by-product of wineries) have attracted great interest, it is a cheap non allergenic product. Previous results, at laboratory scale, have shown very promising results, showing a reduction in the content of undesirable compounds (pesticides, ochratoxin A and histamine). This study here present the development of a design to scaled up the application of these fibers in a real winery scale. The design consisted of a semi-industrial vertical plate filter, with six plates containing the tested fiber. 100 L of wine was passed through these plates at a flow rate of 12.5 L/min. In general, in this vertical plate filter system, the treatment hardly affected the chromatic parameters of the wines. The effect on pesticide reduction was quite significant, while the reduction of OTA and histamine by fiber showed acceptable performance when pomace-derived fiber was mixed with cellulose. The wines thus treated received very good marks in the sensory analysis.

The results indicate that to allow the large-scale application of these fibers, this plate filter design is a good option; Still, it is necessary to optimize the operating flow rate and evaluate the use of plates with smaller surfaces to increase the specific contact height and improve process efficiency.

ABSTRACT. Biological aging under a flor velum is a traditional and defining process in the winemaking of southern Spain, characterized by the spontaneous development of a biofilm of yeasts of the genus Saccharomyces at the air-liquid interface of the wine. During this prolonged aging period, the latent presence of unwanted lactic and acetic acid bacteria can cause severe organoleptic alterations. Consequently, the wine industry routinely relies on the addition of sulfur dioxide to ensure microbiological stability. However, growing consumer demand for products with fewer additives and restrictive international regulations drive the search for effective and healthy alternatives. In this context, this research evaluates for the first time the application of supercritical carbon dioxide as a non-thermal physical stabilization technology in finished white wines, analyzing its efficacy compared to traditional sulfite use and its specific impact on the subsequent development of the flor velum. To this end, a base white wine was subjected to different operational conditions of treatment, varying the pressure (100, 250, and 400 bar), exposure time (40, 80, and 120 minutes), and CO2 concentration (25%, 50%, and 75%). The reduction of the spoilage microbiota was monitored through plate counts on selective culture media. For comparative purposes, control samples (without additives) and batches treated with the most commonly used conventional antimicrobials in the industry were prepared: sulfur dioxide (SO2 at 50, 100, and 150 mg/L) and chitosan (at 20, 35, and 50 mg/L). Subsequently, all experimental variants were inoculated with selected flor yeasts, monitoring biofilm development over 20 days by quantifying viable cell biomass and determining cell surface hydrophobicity (associated with the expression of the FLO11 gene). Finally, a complete physicochemical characterization and a descriptive sensory analysis by a panel of trained tasters were carried out. The results demonstrated that supercritical CO2 treatment effectively inactivates unwanted microbiota, positioning itself as an ideal substitute for sulfur dioxide against bacterial contamination. Crucially, supercritical processing did not prevent or delay the subsequent development of the flor velum; on the contrary, optimized conditions (250 bar, 80 min, and 50% CO2) led to an implantation speed, cell biomass levels, and hydrophobicity significantly higher than those of batches treated with commercial doses of SO2 or chitosan, which exerted a marked repressive effect on the yeasts. Furthermore, the treatment respected the integrity of the wine matrix without inducing alterations in its basic physicochemical parameters. In the organoleptic evaluation, wines treated with $scCO_2$ obtained the highest scores in descriptors typical of biological aging (notes of yeast, bakery, and nuts) and an excellent general acceptability. It is concluded that supercritical CO2 consolidates as a clean and viable ecotechnology for the stabilization of dry white wines, allowing the elimination of sulfites without compromising the typicity or quality of the final product.

ABSTRACT. Within the framework of a circular economy, the valorization of winemaking by-products offers a powerful pathway to transform sector challenges into sustainable innovations. Grape marc, the primary solid residue of vinification, represents a valuable reservoir of macromolecular compounds, particularly polysaccharides, which are crucial for wine quality and colloidal stability. However, extracting target macromolecules from complex biomass matrices remains challenging due to the co-extraction of interfering substances. To address this limitation, a cascading biorefinery approach based on the sequential removal of different compound classes can dramatically improve the selectivity and purity of each fraction. Within this green chemistry strategy, subcritical water (SCW) extraction stands out as a highly effective, eco-friendly technology for recovering polysaccharides, offering significantly higher yields than conventional methods. Nevertheless, the technological potential of these specific green-extracted polysaccharides as stabilizing agents in winemaking remains largely unexplored. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of grape marc polysaccharides extracted via SCW on the overall quality and physical-chemical stability of a white wine. Polysaccharides were isolated from white grape marc following a strict cascading biorefinery sequence: lipids were first removed by supercritical CO₂ extraction; polyphenols were sequentially extracted using a pressurized hydroalcoholic mixture; finally, polysaccharides were recovered using SCW (120°C, 10.3 MPa), both alone (SCW) and with the addition of 10% (w/v) of three organic acids (tartaric – HT, citric – HC, and malic – HM). The four resulting extracts were added to a white wine at three concentrations (10, 20, and 40 g/hL). Their impact on residual sugars, color, total polyphenols, oxidative stability (POM test), protein stability (heat test), tartaric stability (conductimetric mini-contact test), and volatile profile was comprehensively assessed after one month of contact time. The results demonstrated that polysaccharide addition did not increase residual sugars, ruling out depolymerization phenomena during wine aging. Intriguingly, SCW and SCW+HT extracts significantly decreased residual sugars, suggesting chemical interactions with native wine sugars. Wine color and total polyphenol content remained unaffected across all treatments. Notably, a remarkable improvement in protein stability was achieved, showing up to a 35% reduction in protein instability at the highest dosage (40 g/hL), likely driven by interactions between the added macromolecules and unstable proteins. Tartaric stability was also markedly enhanced, yielding an average 50% reduction in tartaric instability regardless of polysaccharide type and dosage, which points to an effective inhibition of potassium bitartrate crystal growth. Conversely, dosages exceeding 20 g/hL induced a significant increase in oxidative instability, indicating that application rates must be carefully optimized. Crucially, the volatile profile of the wine was not compromised by any of the treatments. These findings demonstrate that grape marc polysaccharides recovered via SCW represent a promising, sustainable, and innovative tool to enhance the protein and tartaric stability of white wines without compromising their aromatic identity. By successfully integrating a clean-label technological application with raw material upcycling, this approach offers a tangible paradigm shift for the enological sector, anchoring wine quality to the principles of a circular biorefinery

ABSTRACT. Wine production amounts to roughly 260 million hectolitres per year. Wine lees accounts for 2 to 6% of this volume, corresponding to approximately 0.9 to 2.7 million tonnes annually. Despite their rich content of glutathione, mannoproteins, β-glucans, yeast-derived peptides, and polyphenols, white wine lees remain underutilized. They are most often discarded or distilled [1]. This underuse is particularly significant as regulatory and consumer pressure on SO₂ continues to grow. Health concerns for sensitive populations, mandatory allergen labeling, and increasingly strict limits across OIV member states are driving the search for sustainable, wine-derived alternatives [2]. White wine lees are a structurally compelling candidate: their antioxidant activity is driven primarily by yeast-derived thiols rather than polyphenols, providing mechanistic complementarity to SO₂ rather than simple redundancy. Our previous work established LC-HRMS quantification of glutathione and GSSG in white wine lees and yeast derivatives, revealing high inter-strain and inter-variety variability with direct implications for targeted valorization [3]. The present study extends this foundation into a complete integrated pipeline, from safety-qualified raw material selection through green extraction to dual functional oenological application. White wine lees from multiple origins (wineries, distilleries, grape varieties, winemaking protocols) were compositionally characterized by LC-HRMS for glutathione, GSSG [3], and polyphenolic species. Pesticide residue screening was also conducted as a prerequisite for food-grade reintegration. Lees extraction was carried out using subcritical water extraction (SWE; 240 °C, 15 min, 550 rpm) [4]. The process conditions were optimized using a Doehlert response surface design. Antioxidant activity of SWE extracts was compared against non-extracted dried lees using a Mechanistic Antioxidant Fingerprint (MAF) panel designed to decompose the total antioxidant response into relative contributions of hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT), single-electron transfer (SET), metal chelation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging. MAF combined DPPH• kinetic profiling (v₀, T₅₀, AUC₆₀, ARP, TEAC) for HAT; FRAP and CUPRAC for SET; a ferrozine-based Fe²⁺ competition assay for chelation; and OCR in sulfite-free model wine for ROS scavenging, all normalized to a common Trolox-equivalent scale enabling cross-mechanism percentage decomposition within a single sample [5]. SWE extracts demonstrated substantially superior antioxidant activity across all MAF dimensions relative to non-extracted lees, with OCR confirming effective oxygen scavenging in model wine at oenologically relevant concentrations. MAF decomposition revealed that SWE selectively amplified ROS scavenging and SET contributions relative to the non-extracted starting material, while HAT and chelation fractions varied by lees type and strain, establishing a mechanistically resolved basis for strain-specific valorization and SO₂ complementarity assessment. Pesticide screening confirmed the safety basis for food-grade use across all selected batches. These results demonstrate that properly qualified and extracted white wine lees constitute a safe, traceable, and mechanistically characterized circular input for the wine industry. The MAF framework provides a rational, wine-specific tool for SO₂ substitution guidance that moves beyond total antioxidant capacity comparisons and offers a replicable model for the regulatory consideration of lees-derived preparations as novel oenological inputs across OIV member states. [1] Balmaseda, A. et al (2026). [2] OIV (2021). SO₂ and wine: a review. [3] Winstel, D. et al (2024). [4] Poulain, B. et al (2024). [5] Pons-Mercadé, P. et al (2021).

ABSTRACT. The replacement of animal-derived wine fining agents by sustainable protein alternatives is an increasing priority for the wine sector due to growing environmental, technological, regulatory, and consumer- concerns. Fining is a fundamental enological practice used to improve wine clarity, stability, and sensory quality, particularly through the reduction of astringency and bitterness, attributes largely associated with proanthocyanidins (PAs). In this context, microalgae have emerged as highly promising alternative protein sources due to their high protein content, rapid biomass productivity, low land use requirements, and reduced environmental footprint. Among them, Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) is particularly attractive because of its high protein concentration and strong potential for sustainable production. Nevertheless, the extraction of functional proteins from microalgal biomass and the effectiveness of these proteins in removing proanthocyanidins from wine remain insufficiently explored. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of Spirulina proteins as innovative wine fining agent through the optimisation of a scalable extraction process, comprehensive physicochemical characterisation, and evaluation of their proanthocyanidin removal capacity in wine model systems. A bead milling extraction strategy combined with ethanol precipitation was optimised using a 3² factorial design evaluating pH and NaCl concentration. Optimal extraction conditions (pH 7.0 and 1 M NaCl) yielded a protein-rich isolate (63% protein content, 25% yield), with reduced non-protein impurities, as demonstrated by amino acid profiling, FTIR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The fining performance of Spirulina proteins at 50 g/hL was compared with that of conventional commercial protein fining agents, including gelatin, casein, egg albumin, patatin, and pea protein, in both white and red wine model systems. In the white wine model, Spirulina proteins showed PA removal efficiency comparable to plant proteins and egg albumin (approximately 88–92%), although lower than gelatin and casein (98–99%). In contrast, in the red wine model, Spirulina proteins exhibited the highest PA removal efficiency among all tested proteins under identical experimental conditions, with removals approximately 5–10 times higher than those obtained with commercial fining agents. Multivariate OPLS models (R²Y up to 0.98; Q² up to 0.93) revealed that PA removal mechanisms were strongly matrix-dependent. Under white wine conditions, protein fining efficiency was associated with proline-rich composition, random coil structures, and greater conformational flexibility, whereas in red wine systems, stronger negative surface charge, hydrogen-bond acceptor capacity, and more negative zeta potential were the main drivers of these interactions. These findings demonstrate that Spirulina protein extracts are promising sustainable next-generation protien fining agents capable of matching or surpassing conventional animal- and plant-based proteins fining agents for PA management in wine.

This research was funded by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation, Ministry of Science and Education (FCT/MEC), through national and European funds under the projects UID/00616/2025 (CQ VR; https://doi.org/10.54499/UID/PRR2/00616/2025), and as a Ph.D. grant to E. Costa (SFRH/BD/144107/2019).

ABSTRACT. The characterisation of wine sensory evolution provides a framework to understand stylistic stability and variability across vintages. This study examined long-term sensory evolution of white, red and Port wines from the Douro PDO using 11,747 sensory evaluations by specialist tasters between 2007 and 2024. The dataset spans different periods by category (Port: 2007–2024; red: 2008–2024; white: 2015–2024), enabling comparison of sensory dynamics across temporal horizons and wine types. Rather than isolated vintage effects, the analysis characterised the structure of sensory variation and its relation to perceived quality. Across methods, a consistent pattern emerged: differentiation is mainly driven by structural attributes, while aromatic descriptors contribute more to within-category variability than to quality discrimination. Quality perception in Douro wines is thus anchored in mouthfeel rather than aroma alone. Correlation analyses confirmed balance, persistence, body and structural complexity as the most stable predictors of quality. These relationships are strongest in red and Port wines, where structure dominates, while white wines show a more balanced interaction between structure and freshness, with acidity playing a modulatory role. The multivariate structure reveals a continuous sensory space with two main dimensions: a structural axis (body, persistence, balance) and a freshness–aromatic axis (acidity, aromatic expression). Partial separation between wine types exists, but overlap indicates gradual rather than discrete differences. Unsupervised classification identified groupings aligned with wine type and period. Red wines occupy a compact, structurally stable region, indicating resilience to vintage variation. White wines show broader dispersion, reflecting higher sensitivity and stylistic variability. Port wines are most constrained, with stability driven by persistence, body and balance, closely linked to quality. Temporal analysis shows non-linear evolution with structured shifts across vintages. White wines show increased structural integration in recent vintages, especially body and balance. Red wines show changes in aromatic intensity, fruit expression and bitterness, alongside gradual refinement of structure. Port wines remain comparatively stable, with quality consistently linked to structural persistence. Inferential testing confirms statistically significant differences across vintages and categories for key quality drivers. Higher-quality wines consistently show stronger structural definition, reinforcing the role of mouthfeel in sensory excellence. Overall, Douro wines evolve within a constrained but dynamic framework where vintage effects modulate expression without altering structural identity. Sensory profiles are best seen as continuous distributions rather than discrete classes. In line with the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, results should be interpreted descriptively and contextually, recognising variability as intrinsic to oenological systems. Long-term sensory monitoring supports understanding of typicity, quality construction and temporal stability in PDO wines. These findings also underline the importance of long-term sensory datasets for capturing vintage-driven variability that may not be observable in short-term studies. By integrating multiple statistical perspectives, the approach strengthens the robustness of interpretation and reduces reliance on single-method conclusions. This is particularly relevant for PDO systems such as Douro, where climatic variability, technological practices and stylistic decisions interact over time. The results may therefore support more nuanced quality monitoring strategies and contribute to a better understanding of how typicity emerges from the interaction between structure, aroma and temporal change within regulated wine origins.

ABSTRACT. Wine classification has become an important research area in food science, agriculture, and quality control due to the increasing demand for authenticity verification, quality assessment, and fraud prevention in the wine industry. Traditional analytical methods for wine classification often rely on Oenologist / Enologist, physicochemical measurements, sensory evaluation, and chromatographic techniques, which can be time-consuming, expensive, and dependent on expert interpretation. Recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning (DL) have introduced powerful computational approaches that improve accuracy, automation, and scalability in wine analysis. This review explores the application of AI and deep learning techniques for wine classification, focusing on their role in identifying wine varieties, geographical origins, quality grades, vintage years, and authenticity. Machine learning algorithms such as Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forest (RF), Decision Trees (DT), K-Nearest Neighbours (KNN), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) have demonstrated strong predictive performance when applied to chemical, spectral, sensor, and image-based datasets. Furthermore, deep learning models, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), and hybrid architectures, have shown promising results in handling complex, high-dimensional wine data by automatically extracting meaningful features without extensive manual preprocessing. The review also highlights the integration of AI with modern sensing technologies, such as electronic noses (devices that mimic the human sense of smell using sensors and AI), electronic tongues, spectroscopy, and computer vision systems, which enable rapid, non-destructive wine classification. Comparative analysis of existing studies reveals that AI-driven methods often outperform conventional statistical approaches in terms of classification accuracy, robustness, and adaptability. However, several challenges remain, including limited dataset availability, model interpretability, data heterogeneity, and computational complexity. Future research directions include the development of explainable AI frameworks, multimodal data fusion strategies, and real-time intelligent systems for industrial wine monitoring and decision support. Overall, AI and deep learning technologies represent transformative tools for advancing wine classification, offering enhanced precision, efficiency, and reliability across production, authentication, and quality assurance processes in the wine industry.

ABSTRACT. Accurate estimation of wine grape yield is of great importance for wine growers and winemakers because it determines the rational allocation of production resources. Traditional manual yield estimation is inefficient and destructive, and poor in terms of representativeness. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been successfully applied in monitoring vine vegetative growth enabling an indirect estimation of the grape yield but the method is not precise enough. In this study, a new yield estimation method based on UAV oblique photography is developed. Compared to vertical photography by UAV, oblique photography directly captures images of grape clusters making it possible to estimate yield in a direct way. Over 500 images were collected in two different vineyards with different red varieties. Target detection annotation of single category was performed on all the images using Labelimg (an annotation tool based on Python) and a data set of grape clusters was constructed. The trained annotators draw rectangular frames on each bunch of grapes, using the edge points in four directions. If there are leaves or other fruit clusters blocking the view, the edges of the grape clusters will be annotated based on expert knowledge. The data set was trained for 50 epochs based on the YOLOv5s model. The results showed that the optimal mAP@0.5 of the model reached 0.616, with a precision of 0.662 and a recall of 0.579. Finally, a detailed manual statistical analysis was conducted on each case of missed detection and false detection in the validation set, and it was found that the main reasons for these errors were the shading effects of leaves (58% of the cases) and the low contrast in color between clusters and leaves (25%), along with the extremely small size of cluster (12%). The results indicate that this technical route can achieve non-contact, rapid and large-scale counting of grape clusters and yield assessment in vineyards. In comparison with traditional digital image processing techniques, this method reduces reliance on severe leaf removal and multispectral photography. In the future, by expanding the data set and establishing the regression relationship between the area of the rectangular frame for annotation and the cluster weight, it is expected to further enhance the model's performance, especially in those vineyards where leaf removal at fruit zone is a common cultural practice.

ABSTRACT. Conventional visual and morphological assessment of grapevine planting material and grafting components is inherently subjective and insufficiently accurate. More precise laboratory methods, although comparatively reliable, are invasive, dependent on costly reagents and qualified personnel, and require extended processing time. As a result, nursery rooting rates commonly do not exceed 33–40%, while vineyard establishment success rates often remain below 80%. The absence of rapid and objective physiological screening tools also delays detection of stress factors and latent pathologies, since growers usually identify problems only after visual symptoms become apparent and economic losses are already unavoidable. These limitations create an urgent need for express diagnostic approaches applicable both to dormant planting material and actively vegetating vines. Such methods are especially valuable during plant dormancy, when photosynthesis- and transpiration-based measurements are non-functional and optical drone monitoring has limited diagnostic value, despite the continuation of active metabolic and vital processes within plant tissues. In this physiological context, bioelectrical plant signals, as integral indicators of cellular and tissue activity, represent a scientifically grounded pathway toward objective physiological assessment through direct instrumental interaction with the plant. This paper presents the validation and production-scale field testing results of a bioelectrical express method for physiological diagnostics of grapevine planting material and grafting components developed under Georgian conditions across multiple years and grapevine varieties. The method was validated at the Scientific-Research Center of Agriculture of Georgia, the Georgian Agrarian University, and five commercial farming enterprises. It measures bioelectrical potential amplitudes as objective and reproducible indicators of tissue viability. A compact patented portable instrument — the PhytoTester — was purpose-built for this application, enabling non-destructive screening of a single cutting or grafted unit within 5–10 seconds without reagents, laboratory infrastructure, or specialized personnel. Field and production trials involving thousands of rootings and grafted vines demonstrated that viable and non-viable material can be differentiated with classification accuracy exceeding 95%. Applied to established perennial vineyards, the same method enables assessment of root system condition during dormancy, allowing reconstruction and remediation measures to be planned before the onset of vegetation, thereby substantially increasing their effectiveness. Implementation of this approach has the potential to significantly improve nursery rooting efficiency and first-year vineyard establishment success while reducing production losses and unnecessary resource inputs. The method’s principal advantages — simplicity, low operational cost, non-invasiveness, portability, and applicability under both controlled and field conditions — position it as a practical and scalable alternative to existing certification procedures, directly supporting resilient and sustainable grape production systems. Of particular significance is the method’s high informativeness during plant dormancy, when photosynthesis and water exchange are arrested and other diagnostic approaches become non-functional. During this critical period, bioelectrical express diagnostics remains an effective tool for yield forecasting and phytosanitary assessment.

ABSTRACT. In the last years, viticulture precision tools have been made available for farmers for different crops. The feeling that these tools are mandatory on an agriculture of the future have been disseminated by commercial entities but also from policy makers. However, the amount of data and the difficulty by farmers to understand it, lead to avoidable expenses and frustration. Maybe driven by past video games, it's expected that in the future all practices, decisions and operations will be done by machines and farmers will only be watch. It's true that these data could help analysing the plot and, in some case, could provide help on achieving better results, but most of the farmers don't understand this information and the lack of extension services just brings more difficulty on the establishment of these tools. In addition, some of the models don't consider different susceptibilities to grapevine varieties, soil type, training method or historical data. In all tools and models, a field validation should always be done to correct and set a better decision support system. AVIPE is involved in AGRARIAN EU project where precision viticulture tools are tested for irrigation and yield estimation and where validation is crucial on achieving good results. Results have a showed a problem on the model to understand grapevine varieties. Moreover, it was a clear a difficulty on relating satellite images and water status data collected by pressure chamber.

ABSTRACT. To address the accuracy degradation in the intelligent recognition and monitoring of grape pests caused by complex field illumination scenarios, this study focused on Spodoptera litura and Lobesia botrana in table grapes, as well as Erythroneura apicalis and Brevipalpus lewisi in wine grapes. We developed illumination-specific visual models tailored for insect object detection (based on YOLOv8n) and damage symptom semantic segmentation (based on U-Net), respectively, under two core scenarios—strong light and weak light, triggered by diurnal changes and sunny/cloudy weather—and compared them with generalized models trained on mixed illumination datasets. For the object detection task, the strong light-specific model integrated the Simple Attention Module (SimAM) and the Fast Spatial Pyramid Pooling (SPPFCSPC) module to suppress overexposure noise characteristic of strong-light images; the weak light model employed a parallel combination of the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) and the Efficient Multi-Scale Attention (EMA) mechanism to resolve identification difficulties caused by low contrast. For the semantic segmentation task, independent and concrete structural improvements were implemented for the two damage symptom models. For the E. apicalis chlorotic spot segmentation model, the strong-light variant introduced an Edge Enhancement Module (EEM) and a Coordinate Attention (CA) mechanism to stabilize lesion localization, while the weak-light variant integrated an Edge-Guided Attention (EGA) mechanism and a Spatial Attention (SA) module to broaden gray gradients and reduce regional adhesion. For the B. lewisi pedicel browning scar segmentation model, the strong-light variant embedded Inception Deep Separable Convolution (IDC) coupled with an Efficient Multi-Scale Attention (EMA) mechanism to prevent scars from being obscured by dense pedicel textures, while the weak-light variant employed a Feature Enhancement Module (FEM) to clarify blurred boundaries under low contrast.The results demonstrate that the illumination-specific models comprehensively outperform the generalized models trained on mixed data in all accuracy metrics. In the object detection tasks, for S. litura recognition, the mean average precision (mAP@0.5) of the strong and weak light-specific models surpassed the 93% and 97% marks respectively, achieving maximum performance gains of nearly 9.3% compared to the generalized model. Similarly, for L. botrana, the mAP@0.5 of both specific models consistently ranged between 88% and 92%, significantly outperforming the generalized baseline. In the semantic segmentation tasks, for E. apicalis chlorotic spots, the mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) of both light-specific models was maintained above the 87% level, yielding improvements of up to 4.2%. For B. lewisi browning scars, the mIoU of the specific models crossed the 87% and 86% thresholds respectively, delivering notable enhancements ranging from 4.2% to 5.7% against the generalized baseline. Furthermore, cross-applying the illumination-specific models to non-exclusive scenarios for inference results in a significant decline in both insect recognition and damage segmentation accuracy. Similarly, cross-validating the specific structural improvement architectures across different illumination conditions induces a noticeable degradation in multiple verification metrics, further confirming the strict scenario-specificity and non-interchangeability of the proposed optimization strategies. This study confirms that splitting datasets based on illumination conditions and constructing specialized models can effectively break through the precision bottleneck of generalized models in complex field environments, demonstrating that this strategy possesses robust cross-species and cross-task applicability.

ABSTRACT. La adaptación de la viticultura a escenarios de clima cálido y creciente variabilidad ambiental requiere ampliar el conocimiento sobre los recursos fitogenéticos disponibles en cada región. En este contexto, la recuperación y evaluación de variedades locales de vid se plantea como una estrategia de interés para aumentar la diversidad del viñedo, reducir la dependencia de un número limitado de cultivares y explorar materiales potencialmente mejor adaptados a las condiciones actuales y futuras de cultivo. Esta cuestión resulta especialmente relevante en regiones vitivinícolas históricas, donde la diversidad varietal tradicional se encuentra actualmente reducida. Un ejemplo representativo es la región del Marco de Jerez (Andalucía, España). Aunque históricamente contó con una elevada diversidad de variedades blancas, la viticultura actual se encuentra fuertemente asociada al cultivo de Palomino Fino, variedad mayoritaria y de referencia en la producción de vinos de Jerez. Sin embargo, el interés creciente por la recuperación de variedades locales, junto con la necesidad de adaptar el viñedo a condiciones de mayor estrés biótico y abiótico, hace necesario estudiar no solo su identidad y potencial enológico, sino también su comportamiento agronómico y fisiológico bajo las mismas condiciones de cultivo. Por ello, en este trabajo se presenta la evaluación de seis variedades blancas locales de Andalucía: Beba, Castellano, Vigiriega, Mantúo de Pilas, Cañocazo y Perruno, utilizando Palomino Fino como variedad de referencia. El estudio se desarrolló durante las campañas 2024 y 2025 en un viñedo comercial del Marco de Jerez. Se realizó un seguimiento fenológico del ciclo vegetativo y reproductivo mediante los estados de Baggiolini. Para evaluar la respuesta fisiológica, se empleó un intercambiador de gases LI-6800 Portable Photosynthesis System. Se realizaron medidas de tasa fotosintética (AN) y conductancia estomática (gs). Tras la vendimia, se caracterizó la composición básica de los mostos mediante la determinación de ºBé, pH y acidez total, como indicadores de la maduración tecnológica. Las variedades mostraron diferencias claras en la evolución fenológica, la maduración y el comportamiento fisiológico. Castellano presentó un ciclo más temprano, mientras que Mantúo de Pilas mostró una evolución más tardía. También se observaron diferencias en la composición de los mostos, con distintos patrones de acumulación de azúcares, evolución del pH y mantenimiento de la acidez. En cuanto al intercambio gaseoso, Mantúo de Pilas y Vigiriega tendieron a mostrar una menor actividad fotosintética, coincidiendo con un desarrollo fenológico más tardío. Perruno y Palomino Fino destacaron por mantener una mayor eficiencia fotosintética y regulación estomática incluso en estados fenológicos avanzados. Las diferencias observadas en ciclo fenológico, maduración y respuesta fisiológica ponen de manifiesto la necesidad de evaluar las variedades locales desde una perspectiva integrada, que permita conocer con mayor profundidad su potencial. Además, estos resultados proporcionan información actualizada sobre el comportamiento de variedades locales del Marco de Jerez y pueden ser de especial interés para los viticultores a la hora de valorar su incorporación en futuras plantaciones. Asimismo, el estudio de este material vegetal puede contribuir a la diversificación del viñedo y al desarrollo de nuevas tipologías de vinos en diferentes regiones de clima cálido.

ABSTRACT. Organic mulching improves the physicochemical properties of grape berries and increases the contents of several trace elements and phenolic compounds. The NTS treatment significantly elevated the contents of soluble solids and reducing sugars in grapes, as well as total phenols and total flavonoids in grape skins, with respective increases of 3.68%, 2.63%, 9.00% and 8.64%. All organic mulching treatments markedly increased the residual sugar and phenolic compound contents of wine and reduced wine pH significantly. Meanwhile, NTS treatment notably decreased the total acid content of wine. Organic mulching raised the concentrations of Zn, Fe, Mn and Mg in grape berries. It exerted a certain effect on epiphytic microorganisms of grape berry skins, yet the effect was not statistically significant. No significant differences were observed in the richness and diversity of skin bacteria and fungi, nor in the spatial distribution of bacterial and fungal community structures under organic mulching treatments. Although organic mulching showed no significant impact on grape skin microorganisms, it exerts positive effects on the quality of grapes and wine. As an effective soil management practice, its influences on grape skin microorganisms remain a long-term research topic.

ABSTRACT. Organoleptic evaluation is the most important aspect of wine assessment and is directly linked to the price a wine can reach; aroma, in particular, plays a fundamental role in this evaluation. A wine’s aroma is formed by volatile compounds that can be detected by the sense of smell; among these, the C13-norisoprenoids play a significant role. These compounds are formed in the grape through the breakdown of carotenoids, and their profile and concentration are strongly influenced by the grapes’ exposure to sunlight during ripening. Wines made from the Tannat variety are known for their acidity, intense color, and high concentration of polyphenols. However, from an aromatic standpoint, it is a neutral variety because most of the varietal aromas come from the release of glycosidic precursors present in the grape. Increasing the concentration and diversity of these compounds is the key for improving the aroma of aged Tannat wines. A widespread management practice aimed at increasing airflow around the clusters to prevent gray mold (Botrytis cinerea) is the leaf removal in the clusters zone between flowering and veraison. This practice also increases light exposure and temperature in the berries, which may affect the concentration of carotenoids and glycosylated aromatic precursors (particularly norisoprenoids) at harvest, which is the objective of this study. This study evaluated the effect of leaf removal by applying treatments at two stages of ripening (pea-sized and veraison) and at two different levels (light and intense). Classic physicochemical parameters, glycosidic aromatic compounds, and carotenoids were analyzed in two consecutive harvests. During the 2023 (dry and hot) and 2024 (wet and cold) harvests, the following immediate harvest parameters were analyzed: sugar, pH, total acidity, amino acid nitrogen, ammonium, tartaric acid, and malic acid; polyphenolic indices in grapes; carotenoid profiles by HPLC-DAD; and glycosidic precursors by GC-MS. The results of this study identified 35 glycosidic precursors with diverse chemical structures (norisoprenoids, terpenes, phenols, and C6 alcohols). It was observed that leaf removal had no effect on the classic ripening parameters (sugar, pH, acidity, and FAN) but did decrease the concentration of total anthocyanins. The concentration of carotenoids increased as leaf removal was performed more intensely and earlier, but this increase was not reflected in the concentration of glycosylated norisoprenoids at harvest. This study aims to provide recommendations to viticulturists and vineyard managers to help them to understand the effects of traditional vineyard management practices on the metabolites responsible for varietal aromas in grapes, thereby equipping them with additional tools when deciding whether or not to carry out specific vineyard management tasks. Work is currently underway to analyze three additional vintages in order to verify the trends observed so far.

ABSTRACT. In traditional vine growth cycle, Brazilian tropical regions experience high precipitation, high temperatures and low thermal amplitudes during the maturation process in the summer months, which favors the occurrence of fungal diseases, increases the incidence of rot and delays the synthesis and concentration of phenolic compounds essential for color and structure, negatively affecting wine quality. In this way, some studies have demonstrated an improvement in grape quality by changing the harvest period from a humid and hot summer to a dry and mild autumn-winter through double pruning technique. There is a lack of studies and information on the double pruning effects on vines in the long term, especially on the nutritional reserves of perennial tissues. The vines growing condition will directly affect the grapes composition, which is of crucial importance to produce premium wines. To obtain the most accurate information about the nutrients available in plants, Horiba's LAQUAtwin sensors were used to analyze the cellular extract of the petioles, measuring the nutrients contained in the raw sap of the vine. These sensors were used to measure nitrogen (NO3-), potassium, calcium and electrical conductivity, through selective ion electrodes. These compact and convenient meters are the fastest and most economical way to measure a plant's nutrients in the laboratory or in the field. The newest Brazilian terroir destined to produce grapes and fine wines is found in the Federal District and surrounding areas (DF-IDRE). Double pruning is the main recommended management, and its main objective is to shift the moment of grape harvest. The aim of the work is to evaluate the nutritional condition of the vineyards, correlating them with the productivity and quality of the ‘Syrah’. The experiment was conducted in the 2023 and 2024 harvests, in ten vineyards (P). The experimental design used was completely randomized, with four replications. Each experimental plot had one hundred plants, spaced 2.5m x 1m, trained on a bilateral spurred cord supported on four-year-old plants. During the veraison and harvest stages, nutritional analyses were performed on the leaf petioles for calcium, nitrate and potassium, and electrical conductivity, using LaquaTwin®, Horiba® sensor technology. In addition, qualitative and productive parameters, such as total acidity, YAN, ºBrix, pH, K+, EEA, TPI, clusters, average productivity, average cluster mass, quantity of berries and Average berry mass were measured. Regarding the results, the positive effects of Ca++ at veraison (higher than 20 mg.L-1) on grape productivity and the reduction of electrical conductivity must be highlighted. Also the impact of high K+ content (higher than 2200 mg.L-1) on the increase in grape pH. High YAN was obtained from plants with high NO3- concentration (greater than 2000 mg.L-1). Higher electrical conductivity values reduced vine productivity (greater than 16 mS.cm-1). Finally, Laquatwin® sensors are practical and easy to use, proving to be appropriate technology to assist winegrowers in vine cultivation.

ABSTRACT. 【Background and Goals】 To overcome unsatisfactory appearance and flavor in grape berries, both cluster thinning and girdling are the practices widely applied in southern China. However, the changes in sugar, anthocyanin and ABA accumulation under cluster thinning and girdling, as well as the interactive effects of these two practices were poorly understood. 【Methods and Key Findings】 In present study, four treatments (control, girdling, cluster thinning, and cluster thinning + girdling) were conducted prior to veraison in ‘Jumeigui’ table grapes across two consecutive seasons. It was shown that cluster thinning significantly increased sugar and anthocyanin concentrations, whereas girdling had no positive impact on these parameters at maturity. Both cluster thinning and girdling upregulated the transcript abundance of several corresponding genes involved in sugar accumulation and anthocyanin biosynthesis. The low LA/yield proportion under girdling against that under cluster thinning might result in low sugar and anthocyanin contents even though the transcript abundance of corresponding genes was upregulated. Furthermore, cluster thinning accelerated berry ABA biosynthesis, which was strongly correlated with the transcript abundance of NCED1 and NCED2, but girdling did not. 【Conclusions and Significance】 The acceleration of ABA biosynthesis in 'Jumeigui' berries under cluster thinning might stimulate early sugar accumulation and anthocyanin biosynthesis, and then lead to higher sugar and anthocyanin contents than that seen with girdling. These findings will contribute to further understanding the underlying mechanism of source/sink ratio regulation, as well as to the better application of cluster thinning and girdling for grape production.

ABSTRACT. Organic mulching improves the physicochemical properties of grapes and increases the content of certain trace elements and phenolic compounds. The NTS treatment significantly increases the soluble solids and reducing sugars content of the grapes, as well as the total polyphenol and total flavonoid content in the grape skin, with respective increases of 3.68%, 2.63%, 9.00%, and 8.64%. All organic mulching methods significantly increase the wine’s residual sugar and phenolic compound content, while notably lowering its pH; furthermore, the NTS treatment significantly reduces the wine’s total acidity. Organic mulching treatments increase the levels of zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and magnesium (Mg) in the grape berries. These treatments exert some influence on the microorganisms on the grape skin surface, though they do not show a statistically significant effect. No organic mulching treatment resulted in a significant change in the abundance and diversity of bacteria and fungi on the grape skin, nor in the spatial distribution of bacterial and fungal community structures. Although the impact of organic mulching on microorganisms on the grape skin is not pronounced, this practice has a positive effect on grape and wine quality. It is therefore an excellent soil management method. Studying its effects on microorganisms on the grape skin will remain a long-term research topic.

ABSTRACT. To investigate the differential responses of table grape cultivars with varying heat tolerance to heat stress, this study used the heat-tolerant cultivar ‘Shenyue’, the heat-sensitive cultivar‘Jumeigui’, and the intermediate cultivar 'Kyoho' as experimental materials. Headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC×GC-TOFMS) was employed to systematically analyze the effects of heat stress on basic physicochemical properties and volatile organic compound (VOC) metabolism in grape berries at different developmental stages. The results indicated that the impact of heat stress on the physicochemical characteristics and volatile profiles of grape berries was both cultivar-specific and developmental stage-dependent. At the VOC metabolism level, the three cultivars exhibited three distinct response patterns:‘Shenyue’showed a "delayed enhancement", ‘Jumeigui’ displayed "over-activation", and‘Kyoho’demonstrated "metabolic suppression". Furthermore, key heat-stress indicator VOCs were identified for each cultivar. Aroma fingerprint analysis further revealed that heat stress significantly reconfigured the sensory aroma profile of grape berries, with the extent of impact also being cultivar-specific and developmental stage-dependent.

ABSTRACT. Rainfed viticulture in Maule constitutes a living cultural heritage, where old vineyards, rural landscapes, popular religiosity and campesino knowledge form a historical system that has resisted productive, climatic, and commercial transformations. This work proposes an integrated interpretation of the tangible and intangible heritage associated with grape growing, considering its material components, pre-phylloxera vineyards, adobe buildings, family wineries, traditional presses, charcoal kilns, rural churches, old boundaries and dryland landscapes, and its intangible expressions, linked to oral memory, head-trained pruning, animal-drawn soil tillage, artisanal winemaking, religious festivities and the intergenerational transmission of rural skills.

The objective was to highlight traditional Maule viticulture as a territorial fabric in which grape and wine production cannot be separated from the communities that sustain it. In this territory, established on ancient geological basements, shallow soils and fragmented hillsides, the vine has become part of a Hispano-Criollo cultural matrix shaped by small-scale farming, adobe architecture and local religious life. Churches, chapels, and festivities surrounding Saint Francis express a community-based religiosity that accompanies the agricultural calendar, reinforces territorial belonging, and connects work on the land with forms of devotion inherited from the colonial period. These manifestations are part of the viticultural identity of the rainfed drylands, where harvest, pruning, celebrations and family life are articulated through campesino memory.

Tangible heritage is expressed in old vineyards of País and other foundational, minority and Criollo varieties, many of them ungrafted, head-trained and cultivated under rainfed conditions. This heritage also includes adobe buildings, kilns, wineries, churches, and community spaces that testify to a long-standing relationship between territory, labor, and spirituality. In socially vulnerable areas, these production units have persisted despite the pressure of the Chilean wine industry, marked by varietal homogenization, productive concentration and the greater commercial value assigned to international cultivars over historical varieties. In this context, Asoleado, heritage vineyards and small family wineries represent forms of cultural, economic, and territorial resistance.

Intangible heritage is expressed in the savoir-faire of male and female growers who interpret each plant, soil, and season through inherited experience. Head-trained pruning, soil practices, the use of horses or oxen, the decision of when to harvest, the selection of grapes for traditional wines and the production of identity-based products such as Asoleado are living forms of knowledge, learned through practice, and transmitted within families and communities. These practices make it possible to maintain viticultural systems with low mechanization, lower dependence on external inputs and strong adaptation to arid conditions, while safeguarding ways of life threatened by rural aging, the loss of traditional vineyard area and the competition of standardized production models.

ABSTRACT. he global wine sector is not facing a consumption crisis. It is facing a crisis of meaning. This distinction — subtle in appearance, fundamental in consequence — shapes the central argument of this paper. Drawing on direct market experience spanning more than one hundred cities across five continents — including presentations, masterclasses, winery visits and industry events — twenty years of strategic consultancy in key export markets, and quantitative analysis of global wine pricing and new release trends, this paper examines how volume stagnation coexists with sustained growth in the premium and ultra-premium segments across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. The data does not point to a sector in decline. It points to a sector in search of renewed cultural relevance. The new paradigms the sector urgently needs are not primarily technological or commercial. They are cultural. Territory is not merely an origin — it is a living identity, built through sustained decisions over time and expressed through what this paper terms symbolic capital: the accumulated layer of meaning, coherence and narrative that makes a wine irreplaceable rather than interchangeable. When short-term economic logic erodes that capital, it does not simply affect a brand or a vintage. It dismantles the cultural infrastructure that makes the sector viable across generations. This paper proposes a framework for understanding wine as a cultural system sustained by three interdependent pillars: time, as an irreducible productive input rather than an inconvenience to be minimised; territory, as identity in permanent construction rather than a certifiable origin; and business, as the guarantor of continuity rather than an end in itself. Within this framework, resilience is not reactive — it is the result of decisions made with full awareness that their consequences will be inherited by those not yet present. The wine sector will not secure its future by communicating better. It will secure it by becoming, once again, culturally indispensable.

ABSTRACT. This article analyzes wine diplomacy as a specific expression of cultural soft power in the contemporary international system. Unlike economic diplomacy or nation branding, wine diplomacy articulates product, territory, and identity narrative in a form of international representation whose effectiveness depends on the coherence among these three dimensions. Through a historical-comparative analysis of France and Chile, the study demonstrates that wine does not circulate in a neutral space but within global structures of cultural legitimation that favor asymmetric trajectories of symbolic capital accumulation. The French case shows how early institutionalization of terroir generated lasting symbolic hegemony, while the Chilean case illustrates tensions between export competitiveness and the construction of territorial differentiation. The article further identifies conflictual forms of wine diplomacy: disputes over appellations of origin, weaponization of wine as an instrument of diplomatic pressure, and internal asymmetries in territorial representation. It concludes that wine diplomacy constitutes a contingent form of cultural power whose future legitimacy will depend on its capacity to integrate territorial authenticity, environmental sustainability, and adaptation to contemporary challenges.

ABSTRACT. Recent transformations in Brazilian viticulture relate to the territorial diversification of production, the incorporation of new technologies and the emergence of production configurations outside the historically consolidated wine regions of the country. In this context, winter viticulture has gained relevance by articulating technical innovation, market differentiation and territorial qualification. In Minas Gerais, this movement is especially associated with the double pruning technique developed by EPAMIG, which alters the vine production cycle by shifting grape ripening and harvesting to the dry winter season, overcoming climatic limitations associated with the Brazilian summer and creating more favorable conditions for grape maturation and wine production in new regions. More than an agronomic change, however, the expansion of winter wines involves new articulations among producers, wineries, sectoral associations, research institutions and qualification devices, reinforcing processes of territorial qualification, legitimation and differentiation within the Brazilian wine sector. In this context, this study aims to analyze the process through which the winter wine market in Minas Gerais is constructed in light of Constructivist Market Studies (Callon, 1998; Çalışkan & Callon, 2010; Kjellberg & Helgesson, 2007; Leme, Maciel & Souza, 2024), understanding markets as processes organized through actors, practices, devices and sociotechnical arrangements. From this perspective, the study seeks to understand how market practices, marketization processes, territorial qualification devices and sociotechnical arrangements participate in the organization and legitimation of this emerging market. The analysis also considers framing and overflow dynamics associated with the construction of norms, classifications, coordination mechanisms and forms of market recognition. The methodological strategy consists of a qualitative and descriptive-analytical case study focused on the winter wine market in Minas Gerais. Data collection involves semi-structured interviews conducted with wineries associated with UVA-MG and ANPROVIN. Participant selection was complemented through snowball sampling, allowing the incorporation of other relevant actors identified during the fieldwork, including EPAMIG researchers. Content analysis was guided by the analytical categories of Constructivist Market Studies, especially actors, market practices, sociotechnical arrangements, framings and overflow. Winter wines are understood as an expression of a market in the making, produced through relationships, practices and sociotechnical arrangements. Preliminary findings indicate that the construction of this market is associated with the formation of sociotechnical arrangements articulating scientific research, territorial qualification and collective coordination. In this context, double pruning emerges as a central device for productive reorganization by enabling the production of fine wines under new climatic conditions, while institutions such as EPAMIG, UVA-MG and ANPROVIN participate in the stabilization of practices, quality standards and legitimation strategies within the sector. Evidence also suggests that qualification devices, such as the Indication of Origin “South Minas Winter Wines”, and marketization mechanisms associated with wine tourism contribute to the differentiation and recognition of this emerging market. At the same time, overflows persist regarding winemaking infrastructure, production scale and logistical coordination within the sector. This study broadens the understanding of the construction of differentiated agri-food markets by offering an analytical interpretation of organizational, legitimation and territorial qualification processes associated with the emergence of new wine markets in contemporary contexts of sectoral transformation.

ABSTRACT. Brazilian viticulture is going through a process of territorial, productive and market transformation. Traditionally associated with the southern regions of Brazil, especially the Serra Gaúcha, the production of grapes and wines has been expanding to new areas, incorporating different edaphoclimatic conditions, management techniques, business models, marketing strategies and forms of territorial valorization. In this context, this article aims to analyze Brazilian viticulture as a market system under construction, whose dynamics cannot be understood only by the expansion of production or the adoption of viticultural technologies, but by the articulation between actors, institutions, territories, reputations, commercial channels and consumption experiences. Viticulture is an emblematic case for Constructivist Market Studies. Wine is simultaneously an agricultural, industrial, cultural, symbolic and tourist product. Its market depends on a wide network of productive, institutional, market, and territorial elements, including grape varieties, quality classifications, commercial channels, tourism, associations, and public policies. These elements not only support the market; they actively participate in its construction. From the Constructivist Market Studies, it is argued that the development of viticulture depends on the articulation between different practices, actors and infrastructures that make certain products recognized, valued and marketable. In this context, the capture of value depends on the ability to integrate these elements. Producing good wines is a necessary condition, but not sufficient. It is necessary to build reputation, organize actors, qualify experiences, educate consumers, develop channels and articulate territorial development policies. Methodologically, the article assumes an exploratory and analytical character, combining literature review, documentary survey and interviews with different actors in the sector. It is argued that the mapping of the Brazilian wine chain should be understood not only as a descriptive instrument, but as an analytical tool capable of understanding how value is produced, legitimized and captured in different territorial configurations. The results obtained allowed to achieve the objective proposed in this study by mapping and analyzing the Brazilian wine chain from its territorial, productive and organizational configurations, offering an integrated view of the different actors, productive arrangements and dynamics that make up the sector. The analysis identified that contemporary Brazilian viticulture is composed of a plural system, formed by regions that have different historical trajectories, productive capacities, organizational models and territorial dynamics. This plurality does not represent only a characteristic of the sector, but is a central element to understand its recent dynamics and the processes of market construction observed. The results suggest that wine markets tend to consolidate when they manage to transform different production systems, organizational models, products, geographical indications, wine tourism initiatives, forms of institutional coordination and territorial reputation strategies into mechanisms of differentiation and value generation. It should be noted that territorial diversity, although it expands the possibilities of valorization, also increases the complexity of coordinating the sector. The absence of integrated information makes it difficult to formulate public policies, territorial planning, coordination between actors, and understand effective development opportunities. In this context, the construction of territorial intelligence becomes a central element to reduce informational asymmetries, expand the capacity for articulation between actors and strengthen collective mechanisms for building markets.

ABSTRACT. This study explores the potential of extending the lifecycle and economic value of oak barrels within the vitivinicultural chain through their reuse in coffee aging. While oak barrels are traditionally used for wine maturation, their functional lifespan in wineries is limited, often leading to underutilization or disposal. This research investigates an alternative application by analyzing the aging of coffee beans in French oak barrels previously used in wine production.A case study was conducted in a boutique winery in Southern Brazil, Madre Terra Winery and Dude’s Coffe Company, where coffee beans were aged in used barrels under controlled conditions. Sensory analysis revealed the transfer of aromatic compounds associated with oak and residual wine, contributing to differentiated flavor profiles characterized by notes of vanilla, toast, and subtle vinous attributes. From an economic perspective, the reuse of barrels demonstrated significant value creation, transforming a depreciated asset into a high-value product with premium market positioning. Additionally, the approach aligns with circular economy principles by extending the lifecycle of materials and reducing waste.The findings suggest that oak barrel reuse for coffee aging represents a viable innovation strategy for wineries, integrating sustainability, product diversification, and enhanced consumer experience. This model highlights new pathways for value generation within the wine industry, particularly for boutique producers seeking differentiation in competitive markets.

ABSTRACT. The effects of ceramic pot on the sensory characteristics and chemical composition of aging Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wine were compared with stainless steel tanks and oak barrel. Similar to stainless steel tanks, ceramic pot acted as inert vessels with minimal influence on sensory attributes and volatile compounds of wine. Moderate micro-oxygenation in ceramic pots stabilized red wine color, with dissolved oxygen levels between those in stainless steel tanks and oak barrels. Phenolic loss and anthocyanin derivatives formation correlated with dissolved oxygen levels in each vessel. After a simulated aging with oak chips, the wines in ceramic pot showed more similar sensory profiles to those in oak-barrel than those in stainless-steel tanks, regardless of their varied chemical compositions. The wines aged with oak chips, mimicking the surface-to-volume ratio of barrel aging, were most preferred by consumers for their enhanced fruitiness, improved mouthfeel, and balanced oak and herbal flavors.

ABSTRACT. Wine aroma is a key determinant of quality and typicity, resulting from the interaction between grape-derived precursors and metabolites produced during fermentation [1]. Although the aromatic potential of grapes and must has traditionally been assessed through established classes of aroma precursors, increasing attention has been directed toward the role of free amino acids in the development of fermentative aroma. Amino acids serve as direct precursors of several volatile compounds, particularly higher alcohols and esters. Their concentration in must is highly variable and influenced by grape variety, viticultural practices, climatic conditions and berry ripening stage, thereby contributing substantially to differences in volatile composition and sensory expression [2]. Nevertheless, the relationship between amino acid composition and aroma formation still requires deeper investigation in order to integrate amino acid profiles into predictive models of grape aromatic potential. Sixteen musts obtained from different grape varieties (Riesling, Pinot Noir, Nero d’Avola) were characterised in terms of general chemical parameters, amino acid composition and aroma precursor content. Fermentations were carried out under controlled conditions without corrective interventions. In addition, the two musts showing the lowest content of readily assimilable nitrogen (RAN) were supplemented with different nitrogen sources, including diammonium phosphate, a mixture of 21 amino acid, a pool of 9 essential amino acids and a yeast extract (up to 200 mg/L of RAN). At the end of fermentation, wines were analysed for general chemical parameters, amino acid profile, aroma precursors and volatile compounds. Musts poorer in nitrogen availability showed lower fermentative vigour and power, with the effect becoming more pronounced at more acidic pH values. Supplementation with nitrogen sources enhanced fermentative performance, particularly when yeast extract was employed, although all fermentations were successfully completed. Minimal differences were observed for lactic acid concentrations, whereas acetic acid showed greater variability among the different nitrogen supplementation. The nitrogen source significantly influenced volatile composition, especially in selected higher alcohols and esters concentrations. Inorganic nitrogen promoted higher amounts of certain higher alcohols, whereas organic nitrogen sources favoured ester formation, particularly acetate esters in wines supplemented with yeast extract. This study contributes to a more comprehensive evaluation of grape aromatic potential and provides useful insights for the development of predictive tools applicable to vineyard management and the enhancement of varietal and terroir-specific aromatic expression.

Funding The study was supported “Supply Chain and District Contracts” 5th call MASAF - PNRR M2C1-I 3.4 - funded by NGEU. Project “White Wine Identity: new horizons for an integrated and sustainable development of the Italian white wine supply chain”. CUP B79I21001220001. IRIS ID: PRJ-1058.

References [1] Ilc, T., Werck-Reichhart, D., Navrot, N. (2016). Front. Plant Sci., 7, 1472. [2] Arias-Pérez, I., Ontañón, I., Ferreira, V., Escudero, A. (2022). Foods, 11, 958.

ABSTRACT. Varietal thiols are key aroma compounds in wine because of their extremely low sensory thresholds and their major contribution to fruity and tropical aromas. In grapes, varietal thiols are present as non-volatile precursors conjugated with cysteine, glutathione, as well as dipeptidic derivates and are released during alcoholic fermentation through yeast enzymatic activity. Varietal thiols may also originate from C6 compounds, such as trans-2-hexenal, through the formation of glutathionylated precursor and enzymatic release. ‘Arneis’, one of the principal white grape varieties of Piedmont (Italy), has traditionally been considered an aromatically neutral cultivar. However, recent studies have identified these compounds in Arneis wines at concentrations above their sensory thresholds, revealing an unexplored aromatic potential. Therefore, this study aimed to enhance varietal thiol expression in Arneis wines and to improve their overall aromatic complexity and intensity through the application of pre-fermentative strategies. Cold maceration was applied, due to its proven effectiveness in increasing thiols precursors in thiol-rich varieties like ‘Sauvignon blanc’. Furthermore, controlled oxidation of the must and the addition of trans-2-hexenal were explored to stimulate the formation of thiol precursors. Laboratory-scale vinifications were carried out testing pre-fermentative cold maceration at 5 °C for 12 h or 36 h. For each maceration length, one part of the must underwent controlled air oxidation (1 bar for 2 min), while another part was spiked with trans-2-hexenal (1 mg/L). These treatments were compared with control wines subjected only to cold maceration. The must was then vinified following a traditional white wine production protocol but, higher fermentation temperature (20 °C) and specific Saccharomyces dry yeasts were used to promote thiols release. After bottling, standard physicochemical parameters, total polyphenol index and CIELab color coordinates were determined. Volatile organic compounds were analyzed by HS-SPME–GC/MS, while 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol (3SH) and thiol precursors (7 target compounds) were quantified by SIDA-UPLC-MS/MS. Sensory evaluation was also performed using quantitative descriptive analysis. Cold maceration significantly increased thiol precursor concentrations in all treatments before fermentation. The resulting wines showed similar acidity, alcohol content and dry extract. Wines added with trans-2-hexenal exhibited lower absorbance at 420 nm, corresponding to a lighter yellow color and lower total polyphenol content compared with control and oxidation-treated wines. Sensory analysis confirmed these color differences, while no significant differences were observed for acidity, bitterness or astringency. Oxidation-treated wines resulted in more intense notes of pineapple, grapefruit, passion fruit and yellow pulp fruit, in agreement with the higher concentration of 3SH detected after fermentation. These wines displayed the highest thiols precursor concentrations, particularly for G3SH, as well as contained higher levels of monoterpenols and volatile acids. In contrast, wines added with trans-2-hexenal showed more pronounced green notes, likely associated with the cut-grass character of trans-2-hexenal, but also the highest concentrations of esters and total volatile organic compounds. These results demonstrate that pre-fermentative treatments can significantly modulate the aroma profile of wines produced from varieties containing thiols. Among the tested approaches, controlled oxidation at pre-fermentative stages has been proved particularly effective in enhancing thiol expression and promoting tropical fruity aromas, highlighting its potential as a remarkable strategy for improving the aromatic complexity and sensory quality of Arneis wines.

ABSTRACT. The global rise in temperatures is causing imbalances in the vine’s ripening cycle. As a result, musts with high sugar and pH levels are produced, which compromises the sensory balance and stability of traditional dry wines. Against this backdrop, there is a need to explore oenological adaptation strategies that can mitigate these changes by producing new types of wine. Under the agroclimatic conditions of certain regions, such as the Marco de Jerez, the practice of ‘asoleo’, or sun-drying, is a post-harvest technique of great interest for the production of sweet wines. This technique dehydrates the grapes, concentrating not only the sugars but also other oenological compounds of particular interest, thus enabling the production of so-called ‘Naturally Sweet Wines’ without the need to add alcohol. At the same time, the use of these musts with a high sugar content could be complemented by carrying out alcoholic fermentation in the presence of the grape skins. The aim of this practice is to harness the nutritional benefits of the grape skins, facilitating the extraction of nitrogen and other compounds whose availability is enhanced by cellular breakdown during sun-drying. For all these reasons, this study has assessed the feasibility of producing Naturally Sweet Wines from sun-dried grape must, analysing the impact of fermentation in the presence or absence of grape skins as a tool for oenological diversification and adaptation. To this end, the study analysed the evolution of viable biomass, relative density and the consumption of Free Amino Nitrogen (FAN) throughout the alcoholic fermentation process. Furthermore, the main oenological parameters (residual sugar, pH, alcohol content), the profile of organic acids and the phenolic compounds were determined in the wines produced. Products made from Pedro Ximénez grapes have included mistelas and naturally sweet wines. Fermentations carried out with grape skins present used a concentration of 20% (w/v) and were inoculated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The results showed that dehydration did not adversely affect the yeast dormancy phase during fermentation, despite the high osmotic pressure of the medium. A clear influence of maceration on fermentation kinetics was observed, where the presence of grape skins exerted a limiting effect on the development of viable biomass compared to musts fermented in the absence of skins. With regard to the final composition of the wines, differences were observed in terms of the synthesis of alcohol and other secondary compounds essential for the sensory structure, such as glycerol. Furthermore, the analysis of organic acids and phenolic compounds revealed that their development was determined mainly by the prior dehydration process and not by the fermentation conditions, with and without skins. This research demonstrates that the production of naturally sweet wines from sun-dried grape must is a viable adaptation strategy for mitigating the effects of climate change in warm regions, where the inclusion of grape skins during fermentation acts as an effective tool for modulating microbiological kinetics and the analytical profile, thus offering a flexible pathway for the diversification of high-quality, minimally-processed products in a changing wine-growing environment.

ABSTRACT. Yunnan is a southwestern province of China characterized by a low-latitude, high-altitude plateau climate, which is considered favorable for the production of high-quality red wines. In this region, vineyards are located at approximately 2,000 m above sea level, extending from alluvial plains along river valleys to mountain slopes. These heterogeneous environmental conditions make it challenging to determine optimal grape maturity and harvest strategies. In addition to technological maturity, phenolic and volatile maturity are key factors influencing grape and wine quality. This study aimed to investigate the phenolic and volatile characteristics of grapes and the resulting wines from high-altitude vineyards in Yunnan. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Merlot grapes were collected from 12 vineyard sites across three representative villages, with altitudes ranging from 2,117 to 2,391 m. Grape samples from two harvest dates were subjected to lab-scale alcoholic fermentation to obtain experimental wines. The wines were analyzed for general enological and phenolic parameters, including total polyphenol index, total phenols, total anthocyanins, and total tannins. In addition, targeted phenolic profiling was performed, including molecular tannins, anthocyanins, phenolic acids, and flavonols. Untargeted volatile analysis was also conducted to further characterize the aromatic potential of wines produced from grapes grown at different altitudes. This study provides insights into grape and wine composition during ripening in Yunnan high-altitude vineyards, and may support the development of maturity assessment and harvest strategies for wine production in this region.

ABSTRACT. Soil properties and grape-associated microbial communities are key determinants of wine quality, yet the interplay between regional microbiota, soil minerals, and functional metabolites in shaping the flavor profile of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Marselan, a signature variety of Ningxia grapes, remains poorly characterized. This study integrated multi-omics approaches to analyze soil, grape, and wine samples collected from 22 vineyards across Ningxia. Microbial communities were profiled using high-throughput sequencing of the fungal ITS regions, while volatile and non-volatile metabolites were assessed via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and high-performance liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Soil and grape elemental composition was determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results revealed distinct biogeographic patterns in microbial structure, with fungal diversity and richness significantly higher in soil than in grape samples. Correlation-based network analysis identified Mg and Na as key mineral elements influencing wine flavor composition. Notably, fungal genera such as Aureobasidium, Cladosporium, and Filobasidium, along with the bacterial genus Massilia, were significantly associated with fruity and floral aromatic compounds. O2PLS-DA and Spearman's correlation analysis confirmed robust associations between regional microbial patterns, soil mineral content, and wine metabolite signatures, particularly organic acids and aroma-active compounds. These findings decode the terroir-driven mechanism by which soil minerals and microbiota collectively modulate wine sensory attributes, providing a scientific basis for precision viticulture strategies aimed at enhancing the aroma and quality of Ningxia wines.

ABSTRACT. Grape white rot caused by Coniella spp. is a common disease, resulting in quality decline, yield loss, and extensive resource waste. This work aimed to analyze the impact of white rot on red wine quality and evaluate the potential of thermal and microwave maceration for quality improvement. C. vitis-infected grapes were subjected to three maceration treatments: room-temperature (T1), thermal (T2, 60 ◦C for 6 h), and microwave (T3, 1024 W for 3 min), with room-temperature maceration of healthy grapes serving as the control (CK). The results indicated that C. vitis infection led to significant reductions in wine sourness, astringency, and saltiness (P < 0.05). It also reduced the concentration of total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by 20%, while increasing undesirable odors such as herbaceous, earthy, and chemical notes. Compared to T1, both T2 and T3 exhibited increased levels of various monomeric phenols and enhanced most taste characteristics, particularly the aftertastes, while maintaining the overall balance of wine. T2 and T3 also increased the levels of higher alcohols, ethyl esters, aldehydes, fatty acids, and total VOCs. OPLS-DA and multiple comparisons identified the key VOCs responsible for the aroma improvements associated with the two maceration techniques, including nonanal, methionol, ethyl octanoate, ethyl lactate, and ethyl butyrate. This study provided novel insights into the rational utilization of infected grapes.

ABSTRACT. [Objective] Sweet aroma contributes to positive sensory impressions in wine and has become an important sensory attribute favored by younger consumers. This study aimed to identify the key odorants and major factors driving sweet aroma perception in dry red wine, thereby providing a theoretical basis for improving quality and developing sweet-aroma dry red wine styles. [Method] To investigate the formation and influencing mechanisms of sweet aroma in dry red wines, multi-vintage dry red wine samples were collected from Ningxia, Shanxi, and Xinjiang appellations in Northwest China. Sensomics and chemometric approaches were used to identify the key odorants responsible for sweet aroma perception and to characterize the regional sweet aroma styles of dry red wines. In addition, wines from the Xinjiang appellation were used to monitor changes in key sweet aroma compounds during fermentation, among different grape varieties, at different grape maturity levels, and during 1–3 years of aging under oak and non-oak conditions. [Result] The results demonstrated that dry red wines from Northwest China exhibited favorable sweet aroma characteristic, mainly driven by terpenes, β-damascenone, and esters. Distinct differences were observed in the sweet aroma profile of dry red wines from different appellations. Among these, the pronounced sweet aroma of Ningxia wines worked in synergy with berry notes to form a typical sweet berry style, with Marselan as its representative example. Notably, the sweet fruit aroma that dominated the sweet aroma profile of Shanxi wines remained at a high intensity even after 13 years of aging, possibly benefiting from the synergistic effects of a broader diversity of ester compounds. The prominent sweet aroma of Xinjiang Turpan dry red wines could be categorized into preserved fruit, sweet fruit, honey, caramel, and baked notes (CATATIS consensus configuration ≥ 0.5), with preserved fruit aroma as the dominant characteristic (PCA weight = 0.492). Further investigation into the influencing factors in the Turpan appellation revealed that sweet aroma intensity varied with grape variety, with Syrah wines exhibiting the strongest sweet aroma, followed by Saperavi and Marselan. As berry ripening progressed, the concentrations of key odorants in grapes initially increased and then declined; wines made from medium-maturity grapes, corresponding to a sugar–acid ratio of 45–50, displayed favorable odorant profiles. Additionally, consistent with the evolution of sweet aroma intensity, volatile marker concentrations peaked after two years of aging and were positively influenced by oak treatment. Furthermore, prediction models for sweet aroma intensity were established based on the natural logarithmic concentrations of volatile markers. [Conclusion] The high-quality sweet aroma profile of dry red wine from Northwest China are driven by terpenes, β-damascenone, and esters, and are modulated by appellation terroir, grape variety, grape maturity, and aging treatment. In practical production, harvesting grapes at medium-maturity combined with short-term oak aging was identified as an ideal process for producing dry red wines with a typical and balanced sweet aroma style. This study provides theoretical support for optimizing winemaking processes to achieve a characteristic sweet aroma profile in dry red wines.

ABSTRACT. Blaufränkisch is an increasingly relevant Central European red grape variety with distinctive varietal aroma characteristics and promising adaptability under changing climatic conditions. Although polyfunctional thiols are well established as key odorants in white cultivars, their occurrence and modulation in red wines remain less understood. This study investigated the influence of oak chips, glutathione-rich inactivated yeast (GSH-IDY), and oxygen addition during fermentation on the volatile aroma profile of Blaufränkisch wines, with particular focus on polyfunctional thiols. A homogeneous Blaufränkisch mash from the 2023 vintage was divided into five treatments: untreated control, oak chips only, oak chips with GSH-IDY and oxygen, oak chips with GSH-IDY without oxygen, and oak chips with oxygen without GSH-IDY. Each treatment was produced in triplicate. Approximately 80 volatile compounds were quantified using compound-class-specific GC-MS-based methods, including derivatisation-based SPE-GC-TQMS for polyfunctional thiols. Oak chips were the dominant factor affecting polyfunctional thiols. Compared with the control, oak-treated variants showed a marked decrease in 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol from 187.3 ng/L to 139.4–144.1 ng/L and in 4-methyl-4-sulfanylpentan-2-one from 2.8 ng/L to 1.9–2.4 ng/L. Nevertheless, 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol remained above its reported odour detection threshold, indicating potential sensory relevance. 3-sulfanylhexyl acetate was not detected. Conversely, oak addition increased 2-furfurylmethanethiol from 3.1 ng/L to up to 4.0 ng/L, suggesting a shift toward roasted aroma nuances. GSH-IDY showed only limited protective effects on thiols, while oxygen acted in a compound-specific manner. These results demonstrate that polyfunctional thiols are analytically relevant in Blaufränkisch wines and can be significantly modulated by targeted fermentation treatments. Oak chips appear to reduce fruity thiols associated with grapefruit and blackcurrant notes while promoting roasted sulphur-containing compounds. The study contributes to a better understanding of thiol chemistry in red wines and provides a basis for precision aroma management in Central European grape varieties.

ABSTRACT. The paper reviews a draft resolution of the International Intergovernmental Organization of Vine and Wine, which contains the OENO-SCMA method 24-756 for the determination of volatile compounds, including methyl alcohol, in spirits and wines using ethanol as a reference substance, which is at the 5th step of consideration in the OIV Sub-Commission Methods of Analysis. The approach, which became this method, was first proposed in 2013. The method's effectiveness stems from the fact that modern gas chromatographs enable the recording of all volatile compounds of samples, including ethanol, during analysis. The new method is faster, more cost-effective, and an improved complement to the traditional procedures described in the Commission Regulation (EC) No 2870/2000 and OIV-MA-BS-14. The use of the proposed method eliminates the need for manual quantitative addition of the internal standard substance (e.g., pentan-3-ol, pentan-1-ol, 4-methylpentan-1-ol, 4-methylpentan-2-ol or methyl nonanoate), which eliminates the influence of the uncertainty of the internal standard concentration in quantitative calculations and eliminates the need to purchase pure substances for the preparation of standard solutions of the internal standard. No financial or cost implications are required for validation methods in analytical and testing laboratories researching and monitoring the production and trade of alcoholic beverages. No changes to the operating parameters of analytical equipment are required. As a consequence, any laboratory performing gas chromatographic testing for the quantitative determination of volatile components, including methyl alcohol, in alcoholic beverages can validate the proposed method by recalculating the experimental data of measured chromatograms of standard solutions and tested samples based on the proposed method using ethyl alcohol as an internal standard. The laboratory can verify that the metrological characteristics of the calculated concentration values using the proposed method will be higher in comparison with the characteristics obtained using the traditional internal standard method prescribed in official standards. Since then, the method has been repeatedly tested and validated on a wide, representative sample of alcoholic beverages. Analysis of various alcoholic beverage samples confirmed the expected superiority of this method over the official internal standard method in terms of detection and quantification limits, as well as important metrological characteristics such as recovery, uncertainty, and reproducibility. There are no reports of the method's inability to reproduce, its cost effectiveness, or its resulting metrological characteristics being inferior to those of official methods.

ABSTRACT. The sensory characteristics of red wine arise from complex interactions among numerous chemical compounds. Recent studies have demonstrated that condensed tannins can directly affect wine sensory attributes, whereas factors such as pH and polysaccharides may indirectly influence flavor through other mechanisms. Among the various flavor perceptions, mouthfeel is particularly important indicators of wine quality and consumer acceptance. However, mouthfeel evaluation still relies heavily on assessments conducted by trained panels, which are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and susceptible to individual variability. In this study, 128 Marselan wine samples from the Eastern Foothills of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia were analyzed to investigate chemical characteristics (the basic physical and chemical indicators of grape and wine, total phenolics, total tannins, total anthocyanins, protein sedimentation ability, oligomeric tannin content, mean degree of polymerization, and the relative epitope abundance of polysaccharide) and mouthfeel perceptions (astringency intensity, astringency sub-quality, and bitterness intensity). Using the Python platform, nine linear and nonlinear machine learning algorithms, including XGBoost, support vector regression (SVR), partial least squares regression (PLSR), multiple linear regression (MLR), random forest (RF), k-nearest neighbors (kNN), gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT), multilayer perceptron regression (MLPR), and AdaBoost, were employed to construct and optimize predictive models, enabling accurate quantitative associations between chemical characteristics and mouthfeel perceptions. Performance evaluation results showed that MLR, PLSR, and MLPR exhibited the strongest predictive performance for astringency intensity, astringency sub-quality, and bitterness intensity, with R² values of 0.5678, 0.6665, and 0.6188, respectively. SHAP analysis further identified that oligomeric condensed tannins contributed most significantly to the prediction models for astringency sub-quality and bitterness intensity, while protein sedimentation ability was identified as the most predictive parameter for astringency intensity. These findings demonstrated the potential of machine learning to improve the prediction and interpretation of wine mouthfeel perceptions, offering valuable tools for quality evaluation and product development in the wine industry.

ABSTRACT. The 2025 growing season in the Douro Demarcated Region (DDR) was characterized by climate instability, with intense drought and prolonged heatwaves. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the extreme climatic conditions observed during the 2025 growing season in the DDR, on grapevine yield components and berry composition in reference vineyards, of Touriga Franca (TF) and Touriga Nacional (TN). From 2014 to 2025, datasets from the Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Viticultura Duriense (ADVID) reference vineyard plots were used. The analysis was based on climatic data obtained from automatic weather stations, agronomic evaluations (bunch weight, the number of bunches/plant and vine productivity) and berry composition parameters determined from a random sample of 200 berries per plot. For each parameter, differences across years were assessed by one-way ANOVA, followed by a pairwise comparison using a Tukey’s HSD post-hoc test (p < 0.05). According to climatic data obtained, Winter was warm and dry, with precipitation below normal. Early-Spring brought above-average rainfall, especially in March, the wettest month of the century in the DDR, and budbreak occurred at the end of the month, consistent with the 30-year average. The water reserves declined from June onward, due to almost no rainfall and four heatwaves. Air mean temperatures were 2 to 3 °C warmer compared to historical records, with significantly higher thermal accumulation. An 18-day heatwave, during which maximum temperatures exceeding 40 °C for 12 consecutive days, which reduced soil water availability during the berry ripening period. Agronomic data revealed a significant reduction in grapevine productivity in 2025. The weight of grape bunches decreased to 0.14 ± 0.08 kg/bunch in 2025, which was below the historical mean (0.15 kg/bunch) and significantly lower than the maximum historical value of 0.19 ± 0.11 kg/bunch recorded in 2021. The number of bunches per plant reached 11.4 ± 8.15 bunches/plant in 2025, which is also below the historical average for the 2014-2024 period (12.4 bunches/plant) and lower than the maximum of 15.0 ± 6.98 bunches/plant observed in 2019. Furthermore, productivity also showed a significant decline, with 2025 showing one of the lowest values (1.3 ± 1.0 kg/plant), which is under the historical mean for the 2014-2024 period (1.7 kg/plant) and 2.0 ± 1.7 kg/plant recorded in 2014 and 2.0 ± 1.3 kg/plant in 2024. The physicochemical parameters indicated significant changes in the grape composition, which may reflect adaptive responses to the climatic stress conditions occurring during 2025. Analyses of berry composition revealed decreased berry weight and changes in probable alcohol, total acidity, and pH. In TF, berry composition varied by approximately 3-6% in berry weight, around 1% in probable alcohol, 13-35% in total acidity, and about 1% in pH. In TN, more pronounced variations were observed, with berry weight ranging from 2% to 21%, probable alcohol from 2% to 3%, total acidity from 7% to 33%, and pH from 1% to 7%. Malic acid levels were consistently lower than the average values observed between 2016 and 2024, with reductions reaching up to 28%, potentially reflecting the influence of the higher temperatures on grape respiratory metabolism. Tannins increased due to concentration effect associated with reduced berry weight. In contrast, anthocyanins generally declined under extreme heat, with losses up to 37.5% in some vineyards, suggesting thermal degradation. Total polyphenols varied by sub‑region and variety, indicating differentiated adaptation responses. Heatwaves and drought in the 2025 growing season significantly affected grapevine productivity and grape composition. These findings reinforce the vulnerability of Mediterranean viticulture to climate variability and highlight the importance of monitoring systems and adaptive viticultural strategies to improve vineyard resilience under climate change scenarios.

ABSTRACT. Grape downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) is one of the most destructive diseases in global grape production, with its occurrence and epidemics jointly driven by environmental conditions and host susceptibility. To address the need for precise disease management, this study developed an integrated intelligent control system ranging from a mechanistic model to a decision support system (DSS). A forecasting model named “SEE_DM” (firSt brEakout and incidEnce of grape Downy Mildew model) was established by integrating primary and secondary infection processes to predict the onset date and incidence of grape downy mildew. The model was calibrated using multi-site and multi-year field data collected from Beijing, Shenyang, and Yantai between 2009 and 2019, covering highly susceptible and moderately susceptible grape cultivars. Key parameters were selected using Sobol global sensitivity analysis. The model demonstrated strong predictive performance, with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.89, a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) of 0.72, and a root mean square error (RMSE) of 9%–16%. The accuracy of predicting disease onset reached 83%. Based on this model, a user-friendly DSS was further developed and embedded into a WeChat mini-program named “Grape Defender” for practical field application. Validation experiments conducted in Fangshan (Beijing) and Huailai (Hebei) from 2021 to 2024 showed that the model-guided spray strategy reduced fungicide application by 43.75% while maintaining comparable disease control efficacy, with disease incidence increase not exceeding 11% compared with conventional management. Climate scenario simulations further indicated that 73 high-risk infection events are expected across 13 major grape-producing provinces in China in 2025, highlighting June–August as the critical management window. This study provides an intelligent and scalable framework for sustainable and precision control of grape downy mildew.

ABSTRACT. Manual pruning represents one of the main cost components in vineyard management and is increasingly constrained by the shortage of skilled labour. In this context, the adoption of training systems that enable greater mechanisation of operations is a key strategy to improve the economic sustainability of viticulture. This study is part of the POTA.RAZIO project and aims to evaluate the asymmetric free cordon (CLA), a system that allows mechanical pruning, in comparison with the traditional Sylvoz training system in Glera and Pinot Grigio cultivars. The trial is conducted in eastern Veneto in a trellised vineyard (3.00 × 1.20 m spacing) and includes four treatments (two cultivars × two training systems) arranged in a completely randomised design with four replicates. The study is carried out over two consecutive seasons (2025 and 2026). Measurements include vegetative parameters (canopy structure), yield components (bud fertility, number of clusters and yield per vine), qualitative and enological parameters (soluble solids, acidity, cations and yeast assimilable nitrogen, or YAN), as well as phytosanitary assessments focusing on Botrytis cinerea. From a productive perspective, the main differences were observed in Pinot grigio: although not statistically significant, CLA showed a tendency toward higher yield (3.47 vs 2.73 kg per vine), associated with a greater number of clusters per plant. From a qualitative standpoint, differences emerged in ripening dynamics and YAN content: in Pinot grigio, CLA maintained average values around 190 mg N/L, above the critical threshold for yeast activity (~150 mg N/L), whereas Sylvoz frequently remained below this level, a difference with potential implications for fermentation management. Regarding phytosanitary aspects, no significant differences were observed for botrytis incidence; however, in Pinot Grigio, a higher severity was detected under CLA (McKinney index 38.7% vs 26.7%), likely related to differences in canopy structure and associated microclimatic conditions. Overall, the asymmetric free cordon appears to be a promising alternative to traditional systems, enabling a reduction in management costs without compromising yield and grape quality. However, some aspects, particularly those related to grape phytosanitary response, require further investigation. Results from the second season (2026) will be crucial to confirm the trends observed so far.

ABSTRACT. Viticulture faces increasing challenges associated with climate change, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and growing societal demands for sustainable production systems. While regenerative agriculture has emerged as a promising approach to improve ecosystem health and resilience, practical transition models specifically designed for vineyards remain limited, particularly in humid subtropical regions where high rainfall, intense vegetative growth, and elevated fungal disease pressure create unique management constraints.This study proposes a regenerative transition pathway for vineyards based on a case study conducted at Madre Terra Winery, a boutique winery located in Southern Brazil. Drawing upon principles of regenerative agriculture, conservation agriculture, and integrated farming systems, the research develops a five-stage framework to guide the gradual transformation of conventional vineyard management into a regenerative production model. The proposed pathway includes: (1) Conventional Efficiency, focused on resource optimization and erosion control; (2) Permanent Soil Cover, emphasizing continuous vegetation and reduced soil disturbance; (3) Biological Soil Building, aimed at increasing soil organic matter and microbial activity; (4) Livestock Integration, incorporating grazing animals to enhance nutrient cycling and vegetation management; and (5) Regenerative Ecosystem Development, promoting biodiversity, ecological connectivity, and long-term ecosystem resilience.The framework is discussed in the context of humid subtropical viticulture, highlighting opportunities and challenges associated with adapting regenerative principles traditionally applied in large-scale grain production systems to perennial crops. Particular attention is given to lessons derived from Brazilian conservation agriculture and their potential application to vineyard systems. The study contributes a practical and replicable roadmap for winegrowers seeking to implement regenerative practices while maintaining economic viability and productive performance. By providing a structured transition model, the research supports the advancement of resilient viticultural systems capable of delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits under changing climatic conditions.

ABSTRACT. 【Objective】‘Kyoho’ is one of the major table grape cultivars in China. However, its short and weak brush (the vascular attachment between berry and pedicel) makes it prone to berry abscission during postharvest storage and transportation, severely compromising fruit marketability and economic returns. Gibberellic acid (GA₃) plays an important role in regulating fruit development and abscission zone formation, but its regulatory mechanism on brush structure and berry abscission remains unclear. This study aims to clarify the effects of different GA₃ concentrations on brush development, mechanical properties of the pedicel, berry abscission rate, and the key enzymes and genes involved in phenylpropanoid metabolism in ‘Kyoho’ grape, and to identify an optimal GA₃ concentration for abscission control, thereby providing a theoretical basis for scientific GA₃ application to improve fruit storability in production. 【Methods】Three‑year‑old field‑grown ‘Kyoho’ grapevines (grafted on ‘Summer Black’ rootstock) were sprayed with water (control, CK) or GA₃ solutions at 1, 2.5, or 5 mg/L at 70 and 90 days after flowering (DAF). Fruit samples were collected at 100, 110, 120 and 130 DAF. Parameters measured included fruit texture (hardness, springiness, resilience, adhesivity) by puncture test, pedicel tensile properties (maximum tensile strength, tensile deformation, tensile energy), brush length and number of vascular bundles, lignin content in the brush, berry abscission rate, as well as the activities of key enzymes in phenylpropanoid metabolism (PAL, CAD, POD, 4CL) and the relative expression of related genes (VvPAL, Vv4CL, VvCAD, VvCOMT, VvPOD). 【Results】(1) GA₃ significantly affected fruit texture. At 110, 120 and 130 DAF, fruit hardness under 5 mg/L GA₃ was 4.35 N, 4.40 N and 4.27 N, respectively, which were 25.36%, 29.41% and 38.64% higher than CK. Adhesivity was also significantly higher than other treatments. (4) Berry abscission rate increased with prolonged sampling time, but GA₃ significantly reduced it in a concentration‑dependent manner. At 130 DAF, CK had the highest abscission rate, while the 5 mg/L treatment had the lowest, being 61.23% lower than CK.(5) Lignin content in the brush gradually increased during fruit growth, and GA₃ elevated it in a concentration‑dependent manner. At 130 DAF, the 5 mg/L treatment gave the highest lignin content, 27.17% higher than CK.(6) Enzyme activities: PAL activity first increased then decreased, peaking at 110 DAF, with CK showing the highest activity; GA₃ generally inhibited PAL activity. CAD activity continuously increased, with 5 mg/L GA₃ being the highest at all stages. POD activity peaked at 110 DAF, with 5 mg/L GA₃ treatment increasing it by 63.16% compared to CK. 4CL activity continuously increased, and GA₃ significantly enhanced it, with 5 mg/L GA₃ consistently showing the highest activity.(7) Gene expression results indicated that GA₃ regulation of phenylpropanoid pathway genes was concentration‑, gene‑, and stage‑specific. At 100 DAF, GA₃ generally suppressed the expression of PAL, 4CL, CAD and POD. At 110 DAF, CAD, COMT and POD were up‑regulated, while 4CL remained suppressed. At 120 DAF, 2.5 and 5 mg/L GA₃ significantly induced most genes, with 5 mg/L GA₃ showing the strongest promotion on COMT, POD, 4CL and PAL.

ABSTRACT. The Operational Group “Red de Variedades” (acronym: VIDCLIMA) will develop a national-level project entitled “Advanced Digital Platform for the Adaptation and Smart Management of Grape Varieties under Climate Change”. Its main objective is to validate and deploy a technological solution based on the creation of an interoperable platform, a standardized network of climatic and agronomic data, and advanced predictive models. These tools will enable the characterization and soon response of different grapevine varieties (25 varieties representative of Spanish viticulture) to climate change scenarios, particularly under water stress conditions. The project will be implemented across five experimental plots located in different agroclimatic regions of Spain; as well as in emblematic and innovative wineries in each region: Familia Torres (Cataluña), González-Byass (Andalucía), Martín Códax (Galicia), Matarromera and Pago de Carraovejas (Castilla y León), encompassing a wide range of soil and climate conditions. The project will be developed under the leadership of the Spanish Wine Technology Platform (PTV), with technical support from Spectralgeo, artica+i and scientific supervision by the Polytechnic University of Madrid. The development of this tool will facilitate the selection of the most suitable varieties according to effective adaptation strategies to climate change, representing a significant advancement in agronomic decision-making at the national level. In this context, the virtual platform project pursues the following objectives:  To create added value through a closer link between research and the technical/agricultural sector, focusing on varietal performance under different soil and climatic conditions.  To promote faster, digitalized and broader practical application of the proposed innovative solutions. The innovation proposed by the project is disruptive and pioneering in the Spanish context, both due to its multiregional and experimentally replicable approach and the unprecedented integration of sensors, physiological analysis, harmonised protocols, remote sensing techniques, and digital simulation tools—all within the same experimental framework across the five selected regions. Understanding berry ripening dynamics (rates of sugar accumulation, acid degradation, etc.) between veraison and full maturity will be a key objective, with invaluable importance at the national level for developing predictive models of yield and berry quality in future conditions. Furthermore, the project addresses other key areas of global relevance, including improving water-use sustainability in viticulture, promoting climate-resilient agricultural systems, and supporting innovation based on digitalisation and data. Predictive models and the digital twin will enable the simulation of climate scenarios and support strategic decisions on varietal selection and agronomic management, enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of the wine sector. With a budget of approximately €600,000, total approved funding of €599,943.45, and a duration of 40 months (January 2026 – May 2029), the project proposes a robust roadmap to anticipate the challenges posed by climate change to vineyards and to support the resilience of the Spanish wine sector. The planned open-access consultation and dissemination platform will enhance data accessibility and reach, maximising the project’s impact across the entire viticulture ecosystem.

ABSTRACT. This study aims to investigate the desiccation resistance of canes from the elite hybrid grapevine line ‘140902’ and to elucidate the associated physiological and molecular mechanisms, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the application of non-burial cultivation in the arid regions of northwestern China. Using canes of ‘Beihong’ and ‘140902’ as material, the antioxidant enzyme activity, contents of osmotic regulators, water status, cell wall components, and pectin methylesterase (PME) activity of the two varieties (lines) were measured during natural overwintering. On this basis, a comprehensive evaluation system for desiccation resistance was constructed using correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and the membership function method. KEGG enrichment analysis was then performed on whole-genome resequencing data to identify candidate genes associated with desiccation resistance, and the expression of these genes was subsequently verified by qRT-PCR. During overwintering, the desiccation rate of ‘140902’ canes (7%) was significantly lower than that of ‘Beihong’ (25%), and the desiccation rate was significantly correlated with seven indicators, including total pectin and cellulose contents. Four principal components were extracted by principal component analysis, accounting for 92.04% of the total variance and effectively capturing the original index information. Membership function analysis further revealed that the comprehensive desiccation resistance scores (D) for ‘140902’ and ‘Beihong’ were 0.641 and 0.534, respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis identified three PME candidate genes, among them PME1 and PME3 were expressed at significantly higher levels in ‘140902’, and PME activity in this line continued to increase after the deep dormancy. Seven parameters, including total pectin content, POD activity, CAT activity, cane water content, and cellulose content, can serve as the primary indicators for evaluating grapevine resistance to desiccation. Compared with ‘Beihong’, ‘140902’ exhibited superior desiccation resistance by enhanced antioxidant defense, increased bound water content, higher pectin levels, and upregulation of PME gene expression, making it an excellent germplasm suitable for non-buried cultivation in the arid regions of northwestern China.

ABSTRACT. As one of the world’s golden cultivation zones and a core flagship region for China’s wine industry, the eastern foot of Helan Mountain in Ningxia faces severe threats from grape viral diseases that restrict its sustainable industrial development. In this study, seven wine grape cultivars including Vidal were detected for five major grape viruses using RT-PCR to identify viral distribution and infection rates. Combined cryotherapy, shoot-tip culture and chemotherapy were applied for Vidal virus elimination, and the preliminary results are as follows: (1) Significant differences in viral infection were observed among seven cultivars. ‘Vidal’ exhibited 30% GVA, 7.5% GLRaV-1 and 2.5% GLRaV-3 infection; ‘Dunkelfelder’ had 37.5% GVA infection; ‘Marselan’ showed 5% GVA, 7.5% GVB and 7.5% GLRaV-1 infection; ‘Cabernet Gernischt’ had 30% GVA and 3% GLRaV-3 infection; ‘Syrah’ had 37% GVA infection; ‘Petit Verdot’ had 10% GVB and 10% GFLV infection; and ‘Beihong’ showed 78% GFLV and 100% GLRaV-3 infection. Cryotherapy on 1.5 mm shoot tips of GVA-infected Vidal achieved 14% survival rate and 100% GVA elimination efficiency. (2) The growth-promoting effect of Streptomyces sp. F01 polysaccharide (T12) on in vitro Vidal plantlets was investigated. Compared with 1/2 MS control, 0.8 g/L T12 significantly improved root number, plant height, stem diameter and root length (P < 0.05), representing the optimal concentration. The optimal group had 9.6 roots per plant, 9.25 cm height, 2.7 mm stem diameter and 7.94 cm root length, increased by 65.5%, 26.5%, 68.8% and 30.4%, respectively. T12 differentially regulated endogenous hormones and synthetic gene expression: it increased GA₃ content by 165.0% (2.1243 µg/kg vs 0.8016 µg/kg) with activated synthetic genes, and reduced IAA content by 43.6% (0.0474 µg/kg vs 0.0841 µg/kg). T12 promotes Vidal growth by modulating GA₃ and IAA levels, providing theoretical support for healthy seedling cultivation. Shoot tip size predominantly affected survival rate (1.5 mm was optimal), and T12 significantly enhanced the survival of 1 mm shoot tips. (3) GVA-infected Vidal plantlets with good growth on 0.8 g/L T12 medium were used for virus elimination. Plantlets regenerated from T12-cultured stem segments still retained GVA infection. Subsequent culture of shoot tips from T12-grown plantlets on 0.8 g/L T12 medium successfully produced seedlings within two months, with a final GVA elimination rate of 100%.

ABSTRACT. Grapes are cultivated in all provinces of China, and the main grape cultivation modes include open-field cultivation and protected cultivation. Production management practices vary considerably among different cultivation modes, environmental conditions, and grape varieties, resulting in diverse demands for mechanized and intelligent equipment. This paper first introduces and analyzes the current status of mechanization technologies and equipment for grape production management in China, focusing on key operations such as canopy trimming, autumn branch pruning, weeding, spraying, organic fertilizer ditching and deep application, fresh grape picking, wine grape harvesting, winter soil-burying, and spring soil removal for open-field grapes in northern China. Furthermore, the constraints affecting the development of intelligent technologies and equipment for grape production management in China are analyzed. Finally, the integration of agricultural machinery and agronomy, as well as the development trends of intelligent equipment for grape production management in China, are discussed. This study aims to provide a reference for the research and development of intelligent technologies and equipment for grape production management in China, and to support the green, efficient, and low-carbon development of the global grape industry.

ABSTRACT. Abstract: The zoning of wine regions aims to identify areas suitable for wine grape cultivation, based on the study of local ecological conditions, principally climate, soil, and topography. Due to different stages of industrial development, there are also differences in the focus of research on production areas in different regions. In regions with a long history of grape and wine production, such as most European wine-producing countries, research on wine regions focuses primarily on soil factors. By contrast, in regions with a comparatively short production history, research work is more often led by climatic studies. The factors that lead to the zoning of wine producing regions need to be determined based on the development stage of the local wine industry and even the size of the regional scope. There is no globally uniform standard for wine-region delineation. China has a vast area under grape cultivation. According to 2024 statistics from the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), the total area reaches 733,500 ha, ranking third in the world, with wine grapes accounting for approximately 15%. Given China’s vast territory, wine production is distributed across 26 provincial-level administrative regions, spanning a wide geographic range and encompassing diverse climate types as well as marked differences in soil and topography. These factors give rise to the considerable diversity of ecological conditions among Chinese wine regions and pose serve challenges for their zoning. Since 1980, researchers including Huibai Huang, Yulin Wang, Guoguang Luo, Chengshi Yang, Hua Li, and Jiming Li have successively conducted studies on the zoning of grape and wine production areas in China. Most scholars believe that zoning should begin with the study of local ecological conditions and then be completed by incorporating the agronomic and enological characteristics of grape cultivars. From a scientific perspective, this approach has clear merit, however, it also entails substantial investment of labor and resources, considerable difficulty of implementation, and limited short-term economic returns. Given the comparatively short history of wine industry development in China, a unified and widely recognized system for the zoning of Chinese wine regions has yet to be established. Drawing on previous research—particularly the classification of Chinese table grape cultivation areas given in Records of Chinese Grapes (Zhongguo Putao Zhi)—and on the customary designations of wine-producing areas already established within the industry, Chinese wine regions can be divided into three levels. The first level is the Zone, comprising geographically adjacent areas of grape cultivation and winemaking (namely, the Western Zone of Northern China, Eastern zone of Northern China, and Southern Zone of China). The second level is the Region, defined as an area of grape cultivation and winemaking corresponding to a province-level administrative division within a zone. The third level is the Sub-Region, defined as an area within a region that possesses a certain scale and history of cultivation, together with distinctive characteristics that set it apart from other areas. Following this three-level framework of “zone–region–sub-region,” the present paper systematically describes the distribution of Chinese wine regions and the ecological characteristics of each, with the aim of providing a reference for the industry’s understanding of Chinese wine regions and for related research. Keywords: Chinese wine; wine-region zoning; ecological conditions; zone; sub-region * Corresponding author: demei.li@bua.edu.cn

ABSTRACT. The eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia, a premium wine grape region, faces challenges from climate warming, including rapid soluble solids accumulation, imbalanced sugar-acid ratios, and unstable color in some varieties. This study investigated the effects of distal shoot leaf removal (2, 3, or 4 leaves) at veraison and two weeks post-veraison on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Results showed that top leaf removal delayed ripening, increased organic acid content (up to 10.5% in Pinot Noir and 15.3% in Chardonnay), and reduced sugar-acid ratios. Most treatments decreased total phenolics, flavanols, and tannins. Effects on monomeric phenols and aroma varied by variety: For Chardonnay, removing 3–4 leaves significantly increased aroma (16–42% over control), and certain treatments increased monomeric phenols by 32–59%; for Pinot Noir, most top leaf removal reduced these compounds. Overall quality improved for Pinot Noir with 4-leaf removal (veraison or post-veraison), and for Chardonnay, 2-leaf removal post-veraison or 3-leaf removal at veraison maintained quality close to the control. In conclusion, in high-maturity regions, removing 4 leaves at veraison for Pinot Noir, and 2 leaves two weeks post-veraison for Chardonnay, effectively increases acidity with minimal quality loss, providing a theoretical basis for dryland viticulture in northwest China.

ABSTRACT. Wine production generates a significant volume of by-products (leaves, pruning residues, grape stems, grape pomace, lees, wastewater, etc.) which are frequently inadequately managed. Rather than being valorised, these residues often result in uncontrolled discharges into the environment, generating a severe ecological impact (soil phytotoxicity, groundwater contamination, etc.) and posing a regulatory risk for wineries. Traditionally, circularity within the sector has been limited to low-value-added practices, such as the distillation of grape pomace or the reincorporation of pruning residues to provide soil organic matter. However, recent research demonstrates the techno-economic viability of transforming these resources into high-value-added products for the cosmetic, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and food industries. This diversification positions the wine sector as a strategic actor in the development of industrial symbiosis networks, whilst simultaneously mitigating its environmental footprint. In a context of contracting wine demand and instability in international markets, exclusive reliance on exports may pose a high risk in the medium to long term. Therefore, positioning wineries as anchor firms within symbiotic networks represents a key opportunity to diversify revenue streams, strengthen economic resilience, and drive the creation of high-quality local employment. The objective of this paper is twofold: firstly, to identify the current state of research trends regarding by-products, target industries, alongside the drivers and barriers to industrial symbiosis within the sector; and secondly, to diagnose the actual situation of the international wine industry, evaluating its degree of adoption and the factors conditioning the implementation of circular economy and industrial symbiosis models. To this end, a mixed-methods approach has been employed, combining a systematic literature review with an empirical study based on a international survey of industry professionals. The results reveal a significant gap between academic advancements and industrial reality. Scientific research remains predominantly at a conceptual and technical stage, focusing on extraction methods and the biochemical characterisation of by-products, with a notable scarcity of studies addressing real-world applicability and economic-logistical viability. This shortcoming is reflected in industry practice: although institutionally mandated recycling regulations are met and consolidated sectoral collaborations exist (such as participation in events), the high-level valorisation of by-products through cross-industry synergies is practically non-existent. It is concluded that a collaborative innovation strategy can act as the primary driver to overcome the structural bottlenecks present in the sector. The creation of circular innovation ecosystems integrating, among other actors, public administrations, universities, wineries, and regulatory boards, is fundamental to transition towards business models capable of innovating in diversification and consolidating industrial symbiosis as a tool for the circular transformation of the wine industry.

ABSTRACT. The European wine industry faces major economic challenges, and the German wine sector is also experiencing a sales crisis that is particularly affecting the bulk wine sector. Policy instruments for targeted vineyard area adjustments to stabilize the market and preserve cultural landscapes are currently under discussion, but there is a lack of evidence-based decision-making foundations. In particular, spatial analyses of the potential impacts on vineyard structures resulting from potential farm closures or land set-asides are needed to orchestrate resilient wine production in Germany. As part of an ongoing research project, a geodata-based land-use model was developed that uses the European Vineyard Register, reliable actual production costs, alternative economic land-use options, and plot-specific viticultural conditions (e.g., frost, slope, age of the vines, etc.) and real geodata to economically optimize the use of vineyard areas, initially analyzing two model municipalities in the Palatinate wine-growing region (816 and 510 hectares). This empirically based approach makes it possible to conduct a spatially and economically sound assessment of which vineyard areas could and should be continued, converted, or abandoned under current and changing conditions. For each vineyard block, the optimal use was determined by simulating price changes and grubbing-up premium scenarios. The modeling reveals that under current conditions and assuming exclusively cask wine production, one-third to one-half of the vineyard areas are being cultivated at a loss. From an economic perspective, a rotation premium would lead to the set-aside of significant vineyard acreage. These insights are combined with discrete choice experiments, in which wine producers are surveyed regarding their potential perceptions of incentivized set-aside programs (n=150). The results show that preferences are highly heterogeneous and that, in addition to financial incentives, operational structural conditions are also decisive for decision-making. Farms that engage in direct marketing and brand promotion (e.g., bottled wine production > 80%), have a secure succession plan, or hold optimistic market expectations systematically respond differently than farms with alternative sources of income or greater structural flexibility. The results show that decisions to cease operations are not determined by a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather that farm-specific conditions and individual utility values allow for a tailored approach. The grubbing-up premium assumed in the simulation could have far-reaching structural and financial implications. A coordinated approach to motivation, as well as to the viticultural prospects for resilient operations, is urgently needed from both a viticultural and a socio-political perspective (e.g., pest infestations, landscapes, and (wine) tourism). These empirical insights provide a relevant basis for decision-making in agricultural policy and, in particular, for a locally driven and value-adding transformation of viticulture.

ABSTRACT. Climate change, declining biodiversity, and EU regulations aimed at reducing the use of pesticides are posing challenges for European viticulture. All stakeholders in the value chain—producers, consumers, and suppliers—can contribute to increasing sustainability, but this requires targeted innovation, transparency, and communication. The pan-European research project GrapeBreed4IPM, part of the EU’s Horizon funding program, takes a comprehensive and holistic approach to integrated pest management, as the project begins with grapevine breeding. For example, new resistant grape varieties require significantly less pesticide use and are therefore considered key to more sustainable practices. But how can the cultivation of such varieties be increased? And what is hindering their adoption? We develop and coordinate cross-border participatory and design processes. These include, among other things, the design and implementation of surveys as well as expert workshops. The goal is to systematically identify opportunities for transformation within Europe toward optimized plant protection in viticulture, translate these into concrete recommendations for action, and provide impetus for positive change. Surveys of producers underscore the need for action, as there is significant concern about further restrictions on pesticide use, even as the pressure to act increases. Different priorities and hopes are being set within the framework of integrated pest management across the countries. The surveys covered six countries of wine production (Ger, Fra, Ita, Spa, Swi, Aut) and resulted in 1,092 filled questionnaires. Descriptive data as well as cluster analysis with Mann Whitney U tests, effect size r, KMeans and PCA profiles disclose that producers do often not align with the country experts but with country specific IPM profiles (e.g. NGT expectations), split into IPM innovation leaders or substitute sustainability strategy, and overall are in need for backing to be motivated for robust varietals. Initial analyses of consumer surveys also illustrate the tension: wine consumers expect little or no plant protection, yet demand the highest quality and low prices. To shape the future of Piwi’s in a needs-oriented manner, Design Thinking workshops were conducted in the countries alongside ongoing market research. In these workshops, creative solutions were developed—analogous to product design processes—taking into account the situation and expectations of all stakeholder groups. The results from the regional teams are being translated into country-specific as well as cross-border measures to increase the appeal of Piwi’s and the marketing success of sustainable wines.

ABSTRACT. 1. Introduction In the global wine market, the search for authenticity has revitalized interest in "microbial terroir." Native (indigenous) yeasts offer a strategic opportunity for "microbial sovereignty" and product differentiation, especially for high-cost regions like Switzerland. However, while adoption rates in neighboring regions (e.g., Burgundy) reach 50%, Swiss adoption remains near 10%. This study investigates this "adoption gap" by exploring the behavioral, structural, and social drivers influencing the choice between commercial starters and spontaneous fermentation.

2. Theoretical Framework We treat indigenous yeast adoption as a Socio-Technical Innovation. Unlike capital-intensive technologies, this "natural technology" requires a shift in winemaking philosophy and risk management. We utilize the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) framework and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to test if adoption is driven by:

Structural Capacity: Firm size and human capital.

Perceived Characteristics: Relative advantage (quality/differentiation) vs. complexity/risk.

Social Norms: Influence of peers vs. commercial suppliers.

3. Methodology The study utilizes data from a 2025-2026 survey of 280 Swiss wineries across all major regions (Valais, Vaud, Geneva, Ticino, etc.). We employ a nested binary logistic regression analysis. The dependent variable is the adoption of indigenous fermentation. We estimated three sequential models:

Structural: Size, training, and certification.

Behavioral: Mindset, perceived quality, and brand identity.

Full Model: Integrated determinants controlling for structural noise.

4. Results

Mindset over Infrastructure: Adoption is primarily predicted by "Value-Orientation." The strongest driver is Perceived Quality—the internal belief that indigenous yeasts yield superior sensory results. This is tied to a brand identity focused on terroir and a higher tolerance for experimentation.

The Safety Paradox: Non-adoption is driven by a professional logic where commercial yeasts are perceived as "safer" and more "professional." For most producers, the "Relative Advantage" of commercial starters is not convenience, but risk mitigation and process standardization.

The 800 hl Structural Barrier: We identified a hard structural threshold at 800 hl. Beyond this scale, the logistical requirements of large-volume winemaking force a shift toward commercial starters, even if the winemaker holds pro-indigenous personal beliefs.

Information Bias: Chi-square tests reveal a significant relationship (p < 0.001) between reliance on commercial suppliers for advice and the use of commercial starters. Conversely, information from Academic Institutions (p = 0.578) or Peer Networks (p = 0.242) showed no significant correlation with current adoption behavior, suggesting a dominant "safety narrative" propagated by commercial catalogs.

5. Discussion and Policy Implications The findings challenge the view that technical training is the main barrier.

Democratization of Innovation: Native yeast is an "equitable innovation" accessible to any producer regardless of degree or infrastructure, provided they have the right strategic orientation.

Redefining Professionalism: Institutions must work to de-stigmatize spontaneous fermentation, reframing it as a sophisticated mastery of biodiversity rather than an uncontrolled risk.

Targeted Scaling: Large wineries and cooperatives need specific technical protocols for "controlled spontaneity" to overcome the logistical barriers of the 800 hl threshold.

6. Conclusion Adoption in Switzerland is not a matter of "rich vs. poor" wineries, but of "identity-driven vs. risk-averse" winemaking. This empirical evidence provides a foundation for bridging the gap between scientific potential and artisanal practice in the Swiss wine sector.

ABSTRACT. 1. Introduction The European wine industry faces a "Big Recalibration" driven by the EU’s Farm to Fork strategy, necessitating a shift from chemical-intensive to sustainable viticulture. While environmental goals are clear, the microeconomic consequences for wineries remain under-researched. This study provides empirical evidence on how production technology and technical efficiency differ across conventional, traditional, and biological (Organic and Biodynamic) systems. 2. Methodology Using a dataset of 3,307 wineries across France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Portugal, we estimate group-specific production functions. We employ Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) to decompose performance into random noise and technical inefficiency. The model utilizes a Cobb-Douglas form where Output (production volume) is a function of Capital, Labor, Land, and Grape Yield, controlled for vertical integration and product diversification. We outline a two-stage methodology employing Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to control for self-selection bias in farming system choices. 3. Results Preliminary results reveal a fundamental technological divergence: • Labor-Capital Inversion: Conventional wineries are optimized for capital (elasticity 0.238), while biological and traditional systems are significantly more labor-intensive. Labor elasticity in traditional (0.264) and organic (0.151) systems far exceeds the conventional average (0.097), suggesting human capital replaces mechanical throughput as the primary value driver. • Intensive vs. Extensive Margin: Land remains a primary factor for most, but Biodynamic wineries show a unique reliance on the "intensive margin." They exhibit low land elasticity (0.183) but exceptionally high yield sensitivity (0.727), focusing on specific plot productivity over scale. • Efficiency & Risk: High Usigma values indicate substantial variance due to technical inefficiency (managerial choices) rather than just random noise. Biodynamic wineries show the highest idiosyncratic volatility, highlighting a "high-wire act" where production is productive but lacks the capital-intensive "buffers" of conventional systems. 4. Discussion & Policy Implications The transition to biological systems increases winery vulnerability to labor market fluctuations. If labor elasticity is nearly triple in traditional systems compared to conventional ones, labor shortages or wage increases will disproportionately impact sustainable producers. Policy Recommendations: 1. Labor over Capital: EU support should pivot from machinery subsidies toward labor training and retention. 2. Risk Mitigation: Specialized crop insurance is vital for Biodynamic/Organic frontiers to buffer against "biological risk" without chemical stabilizers. 3. The Traditional Bridge: "Traditional" wineries already possess the labor-intensive skills required for biological systems; targeted aid for certification could rapidly expand sustainable acreage without radical technological overhauls. Conclusion The "Big Recalibration" is not merely a change in inputs but a fundamental shift in production logic, moving from capital-driven mechanization to labor-intensive, yield-sensitive expertise. Regional disparities suggest Mediterranean clusters may adapt more naturally than Atlantic ones.

ABSTRACT. The global grape and wine sector is going through a period of intense transformations, marked by climate change, new sustainability requirements and market dynamics. In this context, regions that historically occupied peripheral positions in the wine market began to build new possibilities for insertion, differentiation and value capture. This transformation requires new analytical approaches, since analyzing viticulture only through production indicators is insufficient to understand the complexity of the sector. Wine is a product with high symbolic, territorial and experiential content, whose value is constructed not only through production, but in origin narratives, market dynamics, consumption practices and institutions that confer legitimacy to the sector. Understanding the process of valorization of the wine chain also requires considering its spatial dimension. Territorial intelligence is therefore mobilized as an analytical approach capable of integrating productive, market and territorial information, allowing us to understand how actors, regions, and markets are articulated in the formation of value. In this context, the lens of Constructivist Market Studies (Araujo, Finch & Kjellberg, 2010) allows us to understand viticulture as an integrated system composed of actors, infrastructures and practices that act jointly to make products recognized, valued and marketable. Operationalizing this analytical perspective requires methodological approaches capable of integrating multiple dimensions of the wine chain and translating these relationships into analytical structures applicable to territorial mapping. Thus, this study proposes a methodological approach based on territorial intelligence for the mapping and analysis of the wine value chain. The methodology was built progressively and iteratively, combining secondary data, primary data collection, and continuous validation of the information. From this process, five analytical and complementary dimensions were identified. The first dimension refers to the productive base, which allows us to understand the wine-producing territories and their technical characteristics, including producing regions, cultivated areas, types of grapes and production systems. The second dimension involves the identification of the economic actors that participate in the market, allowing us to understand the structure of the chain and the points of connection between production, transformation, market and consumption. The third dimension refers to institutions and governance, which is central to understanding the sector's capacity for coordination and legitimation. The fourth dimension concerns the market and value formation, which allows us to analyze how the wine reaches the consumer and how it builds differentiation. The fifth dimension is territorial and symbolic, contemplating productive landscapes, tourist routes, regional gastronomy, cultural identity, heritage, hospitality, visitation experiences and territorial reputation. This dimension is fundamental to understand how wine is transformed into an element of regional development and not just an agricultural or industrial product. This matrix can be operationalized through documentary survey, public databases, institutional data, interviews with key actors, analysis of winery websites, association data, tourism information, records of geographical indications and georeferencing tools. The main result is not only the construction of a static map of viticulture, but also the proposition of an analytical tool capable of analyzing relationships between territory, market and value formation. The proposed matrix expands the ability to understand wine chains beyond production indicators, allowing the integration of dispersed information, comparing different territorial configurations, identifying organizational patterns and supporting territorial intelligence and decision-making processes.

ABSTRACT. Climate change is increasingly reshaping global wine supply chains, generating chronic and cumulative disruptions that affect grape yields, wine quality, resource availability, logistics, and long-term economic sustainability. Rising temperatures, irregular rainfall patterns, droughts, frosts, and extreme weather events are altering viticultural practices and challenging traditional interpretations of terroir. In response, wine supply chains are being compelled not only to absorb environmental shocks, but also to continuously adapt and transform their organizational and inter-organizational structures. While the supply chain resilience (SCRES) literature has traditionally focused on short-term and episodic disruptions, limited attention has been devoted to how supply chains build resilience to long-term environmental threats such as climate change. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates how wine supply chains sense and respond to climate-related risks in order to develop adaptive and resilient capabilities over time. The study adopts the dynamic capabilities perspective as its primary theoretical lens. In particular, it draws on the concepts of sensing, seizing, and transforming capabilities to explain how organizations and supply chain actors identify environmental threats, mobilize adaptive responses, and reconfigure resources and governance structures under conditions of uncertainty. This perspective is especially suitable for analyzing climate change because it emphasizes continuous learning, strategic adaptation, and coordinated transformation rather than static resilience mechanisms. Empirically, the research focuses on two emblematic European wine regions: Bordeaux and the Prosecco area in Northern Italy. These regions provide a particularly relevant comparative setting due to their strong international positioning, distinct institutional and governance structures, and increasing exposure to climate-related pressures. The study adopts a qualitative multi-case study design based on semi-structured interviews with wineries and key supply chain stakeholders, including consortia, technical advisors, and institutional actors. Data are analyzed through the Gioia methodology with the support of MAXQDA software. Preliminary findings suggest that climate resilience emerges as a collective and dynamic process rather than as the outcome of isolated firm-level initiatives. In both regions, sensing capabilities are increasingly supported by collaborative networks involving research institutions, consortia, and regulatory bodies. Wineries are progressively adopting adaptive practices such as experimentation with new grape varieties, modified vineyard management techniques, technological innovation, and revised harvesting strategies. However, important differences emerge in the transforming dimension. Bordeaux appears to rely more strongly on institutional coordination and regulatory flexibility to support structural adaptation, whereas the Prosecco area shows a more decentralized and incremental approach driven by individual firms and local networks. Despite these differences, both regions converge on the strategic necessity of rethinking the ampelographic landscape and redefining terroir in a contemporary perspective capable of balancing environmental adaptation, market expectations, and preservation of territorial identity. The study contributes to the SCRES literature by extending resilience research from acute disruptions to chronic climate-related risks. Furthermore, it advances the dynamic capabilities perspective by showing how resilience develops through coordinated adaptive processes across supply chain networks. Beyond the wine sector, the findings offer broader insights into how agri-food supply chains can build long-term resilience under increasing environmental turbulence.

ABSTRACT. Against the backdrop of the national strategy for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, the wine region on the eastern foot of Helan Mountain has shaped a “purple miracle” that interprets China’s approach to integrating ecological governance with characteristic industries. Existing studies tend to focus on industrial competitiveness or ecological service valuation in isolation, while systematic discussions on the co-evolution mechanism and institutional realization path of ecological and economic benefits remain insufficient. Based on General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important statements during his 2020 inspection in Ningxia—emphasizing that wine industry development must be combined with the governance of the Yellow River beach areas and ecological restoration—this paper takes the Helan Mountain region as a sample to explain the strategic logic, core connotations, and practical pathways of achieving synchronous resonance between ecological and economic benefits. The study aims to answer how ecologically fragile yet industrially promising regions can realize ecological capitalization through institutional design and technological innovation, so as to provide theoretical support and practical paradigms for the vision that “China’s wine will astonish the world.”

ABSTRACT. Wildfire smoke exposure of vineyards can have a significant impact on the grape and wine industry, potentially leading to the downgrading or rejection of grapes and wines due to smoke related taints. This impact is likely to increase with ongoing climate changes. Accurate measurement of marker compounds associated with smoke exposure in grapes and wines is essential for minimizing costs associated with processing tainted fruit and for informing remediation strategies. This paper presents the results of four proficiency testing studies of analytical methods for the determination of markers of smoke exposure conducted across 19 international laboratories. The findings demonstrate the relative accuracy and reproducibility of the two principal analytical strategies currently in use, highlighting significant issues with one of the strategies. The paper also evaluates the suitability of each approach for assessing wildfire impacts and provides recommendations for the standardization of future testing.

ABSTRACT. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) analysis can simultaneously detect and quantify a diverse range of compounds in wine, such as volatile and non-volatile grape and yeast metabolites, additives and processing aids, and contaminants.

The intrinsically quantitative nature of NMR spectroscopy and its capacity for achieving high throughput for screening due to minimal sample preparation requirements are clear advantages for wine analysis by ¹H NMR. This led to the initial recognition of ¹H NMR by the OIV in 2020 as a Type IV method for the quantitative analysis of glucose, malic acid, acetic acid, fumaric acid, shikimic acid and sorbic acid in wine (OIV-MA-AS316-01). Noting the ability of NMR to simultaneously quantify a wide range of compounds in small sample volumes, it is clear that broader adoption of ¹H NMR has significant potential for advancing oenological research, quality management and authenticity control.

In this presentation we demonstrate recent advances in developing and validating ¹H-NMR methods for the reliable quantification of a large number of oenologically relevant compounds, including standardised sample preparation and automated processing of NMR spectra.

Specifically, we demonstrate the practical application of pH adjustment to control the chemical shifts of NMR spectra, and the choice of external standards for wine NMR. We also investigate longitudinal relaxation times (T₁) in wine, and examine metal and oxygen effects and their impact on T₁’s variability (and hence that of NMR signal intensity).

In addition, we describe a series of advanced NMR experiments – including the gradient-enhanced 2D TOCSY, GEMSTONE and GEMSTONE-TOCSY pulse sequences – to unambiguously identify pyroglutamic acid as a common (although largely overlooked) metabolite in wine samples, without prior enrichment or separation from matrix compounds and other metabolites typically present in wine. Finally, we discuss implications and opportunities for applying ¹H NMR more broadly, for example in the context of verifying traceability through true-to-type tests, and through monitoring the presence of additives and processing aids in wine.

References: Leleu et al. (2026) ¹H-NMR Analysis of Wine Metabolites: Method Development and Validation. doi.org/10.3390/molecules31010065 Watson et al. (2025) Identification and quantitative measurement of pyroglutamic acid in ¹H NMR spectra of wine. doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2025.116247 Watson et al. (2025) Robust, automated quantitation of proline in wine. doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.145386

ABSTRACT. Wood aging remains a cornerstone of red winemaking, contributing aromatic complexity, structural richness, and colour stability. However, conventional oak-derived aging systems, including barrels, chips, and other approved products, face increasing challenges related to cost, resource availability, environmental impact, and evolving consumer preferences for fresher and more fruit-driven wine styles [1,2]. These constraints highlight the need for novel aging strategies that diversify sensory profiles and support the adaptation of oenological practices to the future of the wine industry. Additionally, in the context of sustainability in the wine sector, although advances in vineyard and fermentation practices have been made, the management of aging material and procedures has received limited attention. The present study evaluates roasted whole grape seeds as a novel grape-derived approach to red wine aging, which is protected by a provisional patent filed with the INPI [3,4]. Comprising approximately 25% of winemaking pomace, grape seeds are an abundant source of polyphenols, lipids, and aroma precursors, yet they remain largely underutilized [5]. Reintegrating them into the aging process offers a circular, endogenous alternative to exogenous wood-derived materials and introduces new pathways for chemical and aromatic modulation via controlled thermal treatment. To achieve this, seeds recovered after alcoholic fermentation of a 2022 Merlot (Bordeaux) were washed, dried, and subjected to four reproducible roasting protocols of increasing thermal intensity (T1–T4). Wines from the same vintage were infused with roasted seeds at 1 g/L for 14 days, while untreated wine served as a control. Chemical characterization included determination of phenolic content and targeted quantification of volatile compounds, including terpenes, norisoprenoids, C6 compounds, esters, and oak-associated markers (volatile phenols, phenolic aldehydes, lactones, furanic compounds)[2,6]. Sensory evaluation was conducted by 62 panellists who assessed aroma and mouthfeel descriptors using a CATA methodology. Results demonstrate that roasting profoundly restructures the volatile composition of treated wines, and the intensity significantly influences their sensory characteristics. Eleven of the twelve wood-derived aroma compounds increased following seed infusion, with concentrations that depended on roasting level, mirroring mechanisms well documented in toasted oak products. Sensory results revealed that seed-infused wines were significantly differentiated from the control. More specifically, roasted seed treatments generated characteristic popcorn, coffee, chocolate, and toasted notes, whereas the control wine was primarily associated with fresh-fruit descriptors. Intermediate roasting levels (T1,T2) enhanced perceptions of sweet, jammy fruit aromas, while the most intense treatments (T3,T4) produced greater aromatic complexity and sensory profiles that approached those typically associated with oak-aged wines. These findings demonstrate that roasted grape seeds constitute a reproducible, technically effective aging process. By adjusting the intensity of thermal treatment, distinct aromatic profiles can be achieved, ranging from enhanced fruit expression to more complex toasted and oak-like characters. This flexibility provides winemakers with a novel tool to diversify wine styles and adapt aging practices to evolving market expectations. Beyond its technological relevance, the approach promotes the circular valorisation of winery by-products. Roasted grape seed infusion, therefore, represents a promising innovation for future oenology, redefining wine aging by tailoring sensory profiles, resource efficiency, and sustainable wine production.

1) Ma et al.2022.Food Res.Int. 2) Cameleyre et al.2020.J.Agric.Food Chem. 3) Le Menn & Lytra.2026.LWT. 4) Le Menn.2025.FR-25 12046. 5) Karastergiou et al.2025.OENO One. 6) Garbay et al.2023.J.Agric.Food Chem.

ABSTRACT. Sparkling wine is a high-value product where authenticity, geographical origin, and traceability are critical for market trust and regulatory compliance. Multielemental profiling has become a key analytical method for authenticating wine origin, providing objective chemical evidence to support quality assurance, consumer protection, and denomination control. Despite advances in instrumental analytical technologies, sparkling wines remain comparatively underexplored, particularly in integrated “soil-to-bottle” studies that evaluate the persistence of elemental signatures throughout the production chain. This study employs a soil-to-bottle approach to investigate terroir expression in two contrasting Portuguese sparkling wine Appellations: Bairrada (clay-limestone soils, with Atlantic climate) and Távora-Varosa (granitic soils, with continental climate). The research aims to characterize vineyard soils, and base and sparkling wines using multielemental profiling, to evaluate the influence of soil properties and cultivar selection on wine composition, and identify robust elemental markers for geographical origin and authenticity. This integrated approach, supported by chemometric tools, provides new insights into the geochemical signature of terroir, supporting science-based tools for sparkling wine authentication and traceability. Soil texture, physicochemical properties and extractable elements were characterized, and the multielemental profiles of base and sparkling wines were determined by ICP-MS ((Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry). The two regions showed clear pedogeochemical differences: Bairrada soils were generally finer textured and more alkaline, whereas Távora-Varosa soils were predominantly sandy and acidic. These differences were reflected in soil element availability and in the elemental fingerprints of wines. PCA (Principal Component Analysis) and CPCA (PCA extension for multi-group data - Common Principal Component Analysis) confirmed consistent regional distinction across soils, base wines and sparkling wines, while PLS-DA (Partial least Square – Discriminant Analysis) models showed good predictive performance (prediction accuracy for the test set was 85% and 98%, for Bairrada and Távora-Varosa, respectively) for origin classification. Although winemaking partly attenuated the soil signal, several elements, particularly Ca, Mg, Li, Rb, Sr and Ba, remained relevant for regional discrimination. The results highlight the potential of multielemental profiling tandem with chemometric models for authenticity, traceability and terroir assessment in Portuguese sparkling wines. This holistic soil-to-bottle approach may easily follow a translational path to other demarcated regions around the world, contributing to creating a strong connection with today's consumers, who want to know more about the products they consume, about their origin, about their history.

Acknowledgment This work received financial support from PT national funds from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through the Associate Laboratories LAQV-REQUIMTE (UID/50006/2025) and CESAM (UID/50017/2025 - DOI 10.54499/UID/50017/2025 and LA/P/0094/2020 - DOI 10.54499/LA/P/0094/2020), and project Espumante de Portugal (Portuguese Sparkling wine - I&D+I PRR-C05-i03-I-000194-LA9.5).

ABSTRACT. Aging potential is a key component of the intrinsic quality of great Chardonnay wines. However, the high oxidative sensitivity of some wines may lead to premature oxidative aging. During bottle aging, white wine oxidation is largely associated with Fenton-type chemistry, leading to the formation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH), which can oxidize ethanol to produce 1-hydroxyethyl radicals (1-HER). The latter is the most abundant radical detected in forced-oxidized wines. Therefore, understanding the formation and fate of 1-HER in wines is crucial for assessing their oxidative susceptibility. Despite the high reactivity of 1-HER, their characterization by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy based on spin-trapping techniques has already been successfully achieved. In addition, such Fenton-type oxidation processes are also associated with the formation of Strecker aldehydes (SA), notably methional (MET) and phenylacetaldehyde (PHE). Based on current knowledge, this work combines the study of 1-HER formation kinetics (K-1HER) with the quantification of SA by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in order to evaluate the oxidative susceptibility of Chardonnay wines.

An optimized and rapid EPR method using N-tert-butyl-α-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide) nitrone (POBN) as a spin trap was developed to study the K-1HER. A simulated Fenton reaction (Fe2+ et H2O2) was used to mimic the 1-HER formation in Chardonnay wines, a strategy was developed to minimize the inhibitory effect of bisulfites on 1-HER. Several parameters modulating the intensity of the signal were studied and optimized, such as temperature of the EPR cavity and dissolved oxygen concentration. Overall observations were expressed by new index proposed from log-normal fit. The analytical method was validated in terms of repeatability and reproducibility (RSD < 8 %).

Using this method, 69 young and aged wines with different oxidation states showed distinct K-1HER. The method was also applied to a series of non-oxidized, young white wines containing bisulfites (4-30 mg/L), allowing the wines to be ranked according to their ability to produce 1-HER. In addition, these EPR data were interpreted in relation to the quantification of volatile oxidation markers (MET and PHE). In oxidized wines, the proposed EPR parameter correlated with free MET levels (r = 0.58, n = 24). These observations were further confirmed in 38 additional Chardonnay wines under accelerated aging conditions. For the first time, the increase in MET was shown to be consistent with the rise in the proposed EPR parameter, confirming that K-1HER reflects oxidation progress in Chardonnay wines.

ABSTRACT. This work summarizes results in Grenache blanc, Loureiro, Vermentino, and Albariño, in which several pre-fermentation practices, including hyperoxygenation (HyOx) and turbidity adjustments, reductive handling (Red) with SO2, ascorbic acid, inert gas and glutathione (GSH), were established while monitoring the oxidation reduction potential (ORP). Across the different varieties, juice handling created intended ORP trajectories. Reductive juices stayed low ORP, from 66 to 100 mV, while hyperoxygenated juices reached high ORP: Grenache blanc peaked at 356 mV, Loureiro at 415 mV, Albariño at 376 mV, and Vermentino peaked at 420 mV during HyOx. It was established that ORP is likely not a direct measurement of dissolved oxygen or enzymatic browning. It is instead a mixed signal linked to Fe, Cu, GSH/GSSG, and sulfur redox couples. PPO oxidation of hydroxycinnamates may proceed rapidly without being fully captured by ORP. Once yeast became active, all fermentations moved to lower ORP; therefore, hyperoxygenation likely changed the substrate phenolic pool entering fermentation: fewer oxidizable phenolics, which in turn altered quinone/GSH interactions. In Grenache blanc, HyOx lowered total phenolics relative to Red wines: from 243 mg/L in juice to 144 and 122 mg/L in Red_LowNTU and Red_HiNTU, versus 83 and 76 mg/L in HyOx_LowNTU and HyOx_HiNTU. Red wines retained much more GSH after bottle aging, suggesting a larger antioxidant/nucleophile reserve, but sensorially moved toward matchstick/reduction. HyOx wines showed stronger early fruit/floral expression and higher ester OAVs early post-bottling, but after accelerated aging lost apple, banana, and peach and developed caramel/oxidative notes. Turbidity adjustments (NTU) were of much less significance. Loureiro showed the same ORP and phenolic direction as expected for HyOx, but a weaker impact. HyOx reduced total phenolics, yet tannins, flavonols, and flavan-3-ols were very low, so differences in bitterness/astringency would not be expected. Ester differences were small, and even high NTU around 600-700 did not strongly significantly alter aroma. Loureiro appeared less responsive to juice handling, likely because of its inherent very low phenolic content, and/or initial low Brix (18). Results on Vermentino showed the effects of excessive reductive handling. Control and N2-sparged juices retained more phenolics than Air-sparged wines, but N2 developed volatile sulfur (VSC) problems. Total VSC OAVs were highest in N2, intermediate in Control, and much lower in AirVL3 and AirMon. Ester OAVs alone did not predict sensory quality because sulfur dominated perception. HyOx, although it depleted phenolics, helped avoid reductive off-odors and gave cleaner, fruitier wines. Albariño wines showed a clear effect mediated by skin contact. Traditional white wines remained low in tannins and total phenolics, with WhiteHO the lowest phenolic treatment. Skin-contact wines reached red-wine-like phenolic ranges: tannins were about 489 to 604 mg/L post-fermentation and total phenolics about 1,049 to1,256 mg/L. Skin contact increased pH, golden hue, color saturation, flavonols, flavan-3-ols, and phenolic structure, while lowering aroma intensity and reducing ester OAVs. HyOx wines were fruitier/floral and Red wines showed more spice/matchstick, but skin contact was the dominant driver. In conclusion, HyOx lowered phenolics in traditional white fermentations and improved early fruit/floral aromas, but overall reduced antioxidant reserves and favored oxidative aging notes. Reductive handling preserved nucleophiles such as GSH and showed more protection against oxidation but may show increases risk of reduction/VSC. Skin contact was one of the strongest interventions, overriding the low-phenolic outcome expected from hyperoxygenation in Albariño. Oxidative and reductive handling are trajectories shaped by phenolic content, GSH pool, oxygen dose, yeast physiology, solids, and aging response.

ABSTRACT. Strengthening sustainability is a major strategic challenge for the wine sector in the face of contemporary market and societal challenges, as well as the need to adapt to public policies and climate change. Sustainability is embedded in the 2025-2029 strategic plan of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), specifically in Priority 1, "Coordinating approaches to sustainability," with point 1.2, "Promoting common approaches to sustainability," and point 1.2.1, "Defining common objectives, benchmarks, and terminology to ensure the sector's sustainability based on a shared understanding." Sustainability is reflected in various practices, whether formally claimed or not, within production and certification systems. Since 2024, the new European regulation (R(EU) 2024-1143) has encouraged producers of Geographical Indications (GIs) for wine, spirits, and agricultural products « to adopt sustainable practice »s in order « to meet societal expectations across its three dimensions of economic, environmental, and social value, and to manage their activities while improving competitiveness in the market. These sustainable practices may be included in product specifications or implemented through a separate initiative”. In this context, the 2024-2028 Objectives and Performance Contract signed by the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Food Sovereignty (MAASA) emphasized the need to strengthen the sustainability of French GI production. The INAO established and led two working groups composed of professionals from the wine industry and the French Wine and Vine Institute (IFV): one group dedicated to Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs) and another to Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs). Two guides to support Management and Defence Organizations (ODGs) were produced in 2025 on the topic of the sustainability of wine PGIs. In 2026, the PGI sustainability group developed a sustainability analysis framework with the support of the Confederation of PGI Wines, based on the PGI sustainability framework. These tools aim to guide the IG’s ODG by providing a methodology for developing a sustainable approach, comprising three steps for each PGI: - the establishment in 2026 of a status report listing the various sustainable actions already implemented, - the definition in 2027 of a sustainable strategy, - the implementation of the strategy, its monitoring, and its conditions for continuous improvement. The proposed presentation will outline the context of sustainability, the approach led by the INAO, the content of the PGI support guides, and the various sustainability indicators proposed. Its objective is to demonstrate the scope of the work carried out, the commitment of the entire French PGI sector to sustainability, and the support provided by the national PGI federations, the Confederation of PGI Wines, and the CNAOC - Maison des Vignerons (National Confederation of Appellations of Origin - House of Winegrowers), in a dynamic that is expected to continue.

ABSTRACT. La variedad de uva Monastrell, ampliamente cultivada en el sureste peninsular, destaca por su elevada concentración de compuestos fenólicos; sin embargo, el calentamiento global compromete su metabolismo secundario, alterando la maduración y la síntesis de dichos compuestos. En este contexto, el uso de elicitores y herramientas basadas en nanotecnología emerge como una estrategia prometedora. Por un lado, el MeJ se presenta como un elicitor con una alta eficacia en su aplicación en el viñedo y por otro lado, las nanopartículas de quitosano (ChNPs), por su biocompatibilidad y capacidad para inducir respuestas de defensa vegetal, se perfilan como vehículos eficaces para mejorar la biosíntesis de metabolitos secundarios. El presente estudio evaluó el efecto del metil jasmonato (MeJ), las ChNPs y su combinación (MeJ-ChNPs) sobre la composición fenólica de uvas Monastrell y los vinos resultantes. Los tratamientos se aplicaron foliarmente en envero y en dos aplicaciones posteriores. En el momento de la vendimia y tras la vinificación, se analizaron parámetros físico-químicos, compuestos fenólicos mediante cromatografía líquida y evaluación sensorial de los vinos. Los resultados evidenciaron que todos los tratamientos indujeron un retraso en la maduración tecnológica de la uva, siendo este efecto más acusado en el caso del metil jasmonato (MeJ). Asimismo, este tratamiento resultó el más efectivo en la estimulación de la acumulación de antocianos en el hollejo. Por su parte, las nanopartículas de quitosano (ChNPs) promovieron significativamente la síntesis de flavonoles y contribuyeron a reducir la incidencia de alteraciones microbiológicas. En los vinos elaborados, todos los tratamientos dieron lugar a una disminución del grado alcohólico en comparación con el control, mientras que aquellos en los que se aplicaron ChNPs presentaron menores niveles de acidez volátil. La aplicación conjunta de MeJ y ChNPs se destacó como la estrategia más eficaz, al incrementar el índice de polifenoles totales y favorecer la formación de antocianos más estables, como las vitisinas. En conjunto, la aplicación combinada de MeJ y nanopartículas de quitosano se presenta como una estrategia innovadora para mitigar los efectos del cambio climático, optimizando la maduración de la uva y mejorando la calidad fenólica y sensorial del vino.

ABSTRACT. The Douro Demarcated Region, one of the oldest demarcated and regulated wine regions in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape, represents a unique mountain viticulture territory where tradition, environmental constraints, and innovation intersect. Characterized by steep slopes, shallow schist soils, and extreme Mediterranean climatic conditions, the region faces escalating challenges linked to climate change, water scarcity, soil degradation, and rising production costs, threatening both grape quality and socio-economic viability. This paper aims to discuss the main challenges affecting grape production in the Douro Demarcated Region and to identify integrated approaches that may contribute to ensuring the long-term sustainability and resilience of grape production systems. Particular attention is given to adaptation practices such as improved soil and water conservation, biodiversity enhancement, precision viticulture, and adaptive canopy management designed to mitigate heat and drought stress. Furthermore, the study highlights the strategic importance of preserving old vines and indigenous grape varieties, leveraging their genetic diversity to foster greater resilience under changing climatic conditions, as well as the valorization of traditional knowledge in combination with technological innovation. By focusing on the Douro as a case study, the paper emphasizes the importance of place-based strategies that respond to local ecological, cultural, and economic specificities. The discussion suggests that the future resilience of the region depends not only on technical adaptation in vineyard management but also on coordinated action among producers, institutions, researchers, and policymakers. Strengthening sustainability in the Douro requires balancing productivity, environmental protection, cultural landscape preservation, and economic viability. Ultimately, this study demonstrates how historic wine regions can transform current vulnerabilities into opportunities, contributing to the global dialogue on sustainable viticulture and wine production paradigms for the future.

ABSTRACT. Climate change and the growing demand for sustainability are increasing the importance of vineyard management as a key leverage point for enhancing the resilience of viticultural systems. Through vineyard management, winegrowers seek to improve the adaptive capacity and long-term sustainability of grape production. However, viticulture cannot be reduced to the mere adoption of specific practices or innovative technologies aimed at promoting sustainable and resilient production. Rather, resilience and sustainability of viticultural systems are shaped by the decision-making processes through which winegrowers evaluate possible alternatives and define their management strategies. Consequently, no single practice or technology can be considered inherently determinant, as similar sustainability outcomes may emerge as an integration of different management pathways. For this reason, promoting more resilient and sustainable viticultural systems requires moving beyond a purely technical view of innovation adoption towards a deeper understanding of how vineyard decisions are made. Despite the growing relevance of these issues, scientific understanding of producers’ decision-making processes remains limited. Existing literature has predominantly focused on the drivers and barriers influencing the adoption of innovative technologies, often overlooking how winegrowers evaluate and prioritize the multiple decisions at the base of vineyard management. As a result, current knowledge provides only a partial understanding of the diverse pathways through which sustainability and resilience are achieved in viticulture. To fill this gap, the ongoing study investigates the processes underlying vineyard management decisions, focusing on how winegrowers evaluate and prioritize competing goals when defining their management strategies. Specifically, the study aims to identify the relative importance attributed to the various agronomic and socio-economic dimensions of vineyard management, thereby exploring the trade-offs that shape management choices. To this end, a preliminary qualitative phase based on desk analysis and semi-structured interviews with academic and professional experts in vineyard management and crop protection was crucial to identify and validate the main agronomic and socio-economic dimensions and sub-dimensions. These dimensions were subsequently organized into a hierarchical decision framework and analyzed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) model. Through pairwise comparisons the model quantifies the relative importance assigned to different decision dimensions and reveals the priorities underlying vineyard management strategies. To gather data a questionnaire was developed and administered in person during a series of meetings organized as open discussions between researchers and winegrowers, involving approximately 50 winegrowers in the Prosecco PDO area in Northern-East Italy. Recognizing the heterogeneity of decision-making processes among winegrowers, the priorities derived from the AHP analysis will be further explored in relation to individual and farm structural characteristics to assess how these factors influence the allocation of decision weights across the different decision dimensions. The findings are expected to provide a deeper understanding of the diversity of decision logics underlying vineyard management choices under different operational conditions. Such evidence may help explain the variety of pathways through which resilience and sustainability can be pursued in viticulture. Beyond the specific case study of the Prosecco PDO, these insights may inform the development of more effective policy and advisory frameworks and contribute to international efforts to foster resilient and sustainable viticultural systems across diverse wine-producing regions facing common environmental, economic, and societal challenges.

ABSTRACT. Several Aspergillus species are responsible for the disease known as Aspergillus canker in grapevines. In Mexico, the species reported in vineyards include Aspergillus niger, A. tubingensis, and A. welwitschiae. Characteristic symptoms of this disease include spongy and discolored tissue, reddish exudates in infected areas, and the formation of dark cankers associated with the presence of spores. Although Aspergillus primarily enters the plant through pruning wounds, the disease development process remains poorly understood. The objective of this study was to analyze the colonization process and susceptibility of different table grape cultivars to Aspergillus spp. First, the growth of Aspergillus strains was evaluated on different carbon sources related to structural wood components, including lignin, pectin, glucose, starch, cellulose, and hemicellulose. The results showed that the strains exhibited the highest growth rates on glucose, pectin, and grapevine wood. To determine cultivar susceptibility to Aspergillus spp., spore suspensions of each strain were inoculated into 11 table grape cultivars. The cultivar ‘Candy Hearts’ was the least susceptible, whereas ‘Sweet Globe’ was the most susceptible, developing lesions up to 3 cm in length. Subsequently, samples from these plants were subjected to histological analyses to investigate the colonization process. Histological observations revealed degradation of starch, cellulose, and lignin, as well as a greater presence of occlusions in infected tissues. In addition, spores and hyphae were detected in the vascular cambium, xylem vessels, and pith. Based on these findings, it is proposed that Aspergillus primarily colonizes the vascular cambium and pith, causing necrosis and the tissue deterioration characteristic of Aspergillus canker.

ABSTRACT. Gibberellic acid has some undesirable effects, such as increased plant vigor and consequent reduction in bud fertility, post-harvest bunch splinter, and greater susceptibility of fruits to rot. Cytokinin acts on plant growth and development, stimulating cell division, differentiation, and elongation, also increasing nutrient absorption and utilization, being especially efficient when applied with foliar fertilizers. Among the numerous variables, such as the dose used, the plant's development stage, and local edaphoclimatic conditions, cytokinin can produce different effects on the bunch, such as favoring flower retention and significantly increasing rachis length. In 2022, Pinto Bandeira/RS was recognized worldwide as the first Denomination of Origin (D.O.) exclusively for sparkling wines from the New World. Regions with D.O. need to produce grapes of high viticultural quality, which is a challenge in Cfb climate regions, prone to bunch rots such as gray mold (Botrytis cinerea), ripe rot (Glomerella cingulata), and sour rot (various causal agents). Compact bunch varieties are more susceptible to these diseases because they hinder the penetration of fungicides into the bunch. This work aims to reduce compaction and end-of-cycle diseases without altering bud fertility by using cytokinin as a growth regulator. Cytokinin is a phytohormone that stimulates cell division, rachis elongation, and increased berry volume, resulting in looser bunches. The experiment was conducted in a commercial vineyard in the municipality of Pinto Bandeira, using Viognier and Riesling varieties grafted onto 1103 rootstock and trained in a pergola system. The treatments consisted of two applications of 1 Lha-1 of the commercial product Citobloom® (6-benzylaminopurine), starting at the full bloom phenological stage (EF69) and repeating when berries reached 4 mm (EF73). The experimental plot consisted of two rows with 70 plants of each variety, spaced 1.60 m x 2.60 m, in a randomized block design with two treatments and four replications. At harvest, the number of bunches per plant and the mass of bunches per plant, bunch mass, rachis length, number and mass of healthy and rotten berries per bunch, pH, °Brix, and total must acidity were analyzed. The results indicate a significant increase in productivity in plants treated with cytokinin, by 30.4% and 15.8% respectively in the Riesling Italico and Viognier varieties. The increase in productivity was observed through improvements in yield components such as increases of 29.3% and 28.7% in the average bunch mass and in the number of berries per bunch by 31% and 12.6%, in the Riesling and Viognier varieties respectively, and in the number of bunches per plant by 29.1%. The application of the growth regulator also influenced the incidence of sour rot in the bunches, with reductions of 82.2% and 54% in the Riesling and Viognier varieties respectively. The reduction in sour rot is directly related to the compaction index, which was 0.85 and 1.05, compared to untreated plants with 1.21 and 1.19, respectively in the Riesling and Viognier varieties. These changes suggest a high efficiency of cytokinin in the growth of the rachis, pedicel, as well as in the development of the berry. The result confirms the effectiveness of the growth regulator in increasing productivity and reducing the incidence of sour rot in the Riesling and Viognier varieties produced.

ABSTRACT. By the OIV data, in the past decade or so, China’s wine industry has entered a stage of structural adjustment and is facing many challenges. In response to this, the Chinese government has initiated discussions and approved a project to establish a comprehensive test zone for vine and wine. over the next 10 years, an additional 66,000 hectares of wine grape vineyards will be established in Ningxia. This initiative aims to revitalize the industry and drive it toward sustainable growth. The coexistence of small wineries and large corporations has strengthened the resilience of the modern wine industry. Given this dynamic, it is estimated that these vineyards will require the support of over 10,000 wine production and sales sectors. To meet production demands, more than 5,000 small wineries (each producing 100 to 500 tons annually), over 200 medium-sized wineries (500 to 2,000 tons annually), and at least 10 large enterprises (20,000 to 50,000 tons annually) will need to be established. Additionally, the development of more than 5,000 wine sales sectors will be essential for industry growth. It is full of challenges to supply of more than 240 million graft-saplings required for the vineyard. Therefore, it is imperative to support and incubate 4-5 professional nurseries. each of these nurseries should have an actual production capacity of more than 10 million plants per year. These nurseries are expected to produce 50% of the required saplings, with the remainder sourced through global imports. Managing the vineyards will require the deployment of 250–300 grape harvesters and 500–600 winter pruning machines. With their implementation, the labor required for viticulture is expected to decrease by 60–80% in the future. The project is expected to require an investment of over 15 billion yuan—a significant amount of capital. Fortunately, over the next decade, as China's economy approaches the level of developed countries, spirit consumption is expected to decline while wine consumption rises rapidly. This shift will likely encourage financially strong Chinese spirits enterprises to pivot toward the wine industry. If more than ten major enterprises participate, funding will no longer be a concern, making the project highly feasible. Moreover, attracting 20–30% of international investment would help Ningxia's wine industry integrate seamlessly into the global market. Ningxia is a vibrant and welcoming region filled with opportunities. This project presents a historic chance for industry peers worldwide to contribute their expertise and innovation.

ABSTRACT. Environmental change is threatening the suitability of many traditional viticultural regions such as the Luxembourgish Moselle valley. Based on the results of climate projections it can be anticipated that wine of traditional viticultural regions might be negatively impacted due to e.g. higher temperature especially in the ripening period (Molitor and Junk, 2019). In order to find adequate adaptation strategies which are suitable for the Moselle region, the project „DryVineyard“ has been designed. Its aim is to foster and safeguard the economic sustainability of the viticultural sector in the AOP (Appellation d'origine protégée) "Moselle Luxembourgeoise" under changing climatic conditions by targeted viticultural management strategies. The focus lies on measures that contribute to the mitigation of the consequences of long-lasting rain deficit, frequently in combination with high radiation and temperatures. The project is split into six different work packages giving different approaches to the problem: 1. Adaptation via the use of more drought stress adapted rootstocks 2. Investigating the effects of soil cover on soil water conservation and grape physiology 3. Investigating the potential of field grafting as possibility for cultivar change towards more climate resilient cultivars without losing the established root system. 4. Testing the potential of trees in the vineyards (Viti-Forestry) to conserve soil water 5. Testing the impact of Viti-Photovoltaic on grape maturity, grape diseases, and drought resilience 6. Analyzing of future seasonal temperature and precipitation conditions in Luxembourg, derive of suitable drought parameters and extreme weather indices based on regional climate projections to quantify the expected changes.

A strong project focus is set also on knowledge transfer into the viticultural industry in Luxembourg.

DryVineyard has been launched in 2025 on the test vineyards of the Institut viti-vinicole (IVV) in Remich/Luxembourg and is partly based on the results of the research projects VinoManAOP (2019-2021) and VinoManAOP2 (2022-2024). The project is managed in close collaboration between the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and the IVV.

The presentation will concentrate on an overview of the different adaptation strategies and first results of the project.