By Paula Silva

After the very successful joint meeting in 2017 in Porto, Science & Wine is very pleased to continue this event, which will be organized every 2 years. The Organizing Committee invites all to participate in “Science & Wine – The Wine of the Future” at May, 2019 in the Alfândega Congress Centre, Porto, Portugal. Science & Wine is very pleased to announce the international partner of “Science & Wine 2019 – The Wine of the Future” the International Society of Antioxidants (ISANH). The partnership with ISANH is a very important one, since the main themes for this conference are “Wine Chemistry and Biochemistry/Health” and “Environmental Chemistry”. Find out more

By Simone Priori

Terroir is a concept used to explain the specific combination and interaction of natural and human factors that affect distinctive wine characteristics. Soil and geology effects are sometimes considered considered less important than either climate or the human component. This post briefly describes a study carried out on one of the largest farms of the “Chianti Classico” wine district (Tuscany, Italy), focused on the effect of terroir on wine characteristics using two different zoning scales. At macro-terroir (MT), vineyards were carefully chosen based on lithology, soilscape, morphology, and mesoclimate. This study demonstrates that characteristics of pedo-geological landscapes can be used for a wine district zoning, while a more detailed soil mapping, leading to Unité Terroir de Base identification, is needed for differentiating wine characteristics. Find out more

By Maurizio Petrozziello, Andriani Asproudi and Alessandra Ferrandino

Climate change can influence winemakers to anticipate the harvest to limit alcohol content in wine and to provide satisfactory concentration of secondary metabolites in the grapes. This post describes a study carried out to understand the link between grape ripening, seasonal trend and wine aroma. Aromatic profile of Barbera and Pinot Noir wines, produced with early harvested grapes was assessed. Considering that norisoprenoids are important contributors to wine aroma, attention was focused on these compounds during both alcoholic fermentation and after three months of storage. At the end of fermentation, the highest β-damascenone content was detected in wines obtained from less ripe grapes, the content subsequently increased significantly after three months of storage; however, the levels of β-ionone decreased significantly during the same period. The reduction of wine alcohol as a result of harvesting earlier, especially for Barbera, was associated with optimal aromatic levels as well as good technological parameters. Find out more