Expertise documents

Berry skin thickness: a Key factor for grapegrowers and winemakers

LalVigne under Investigation #2

Skin plays a fundamental role for the grape composition and wine quality along with the viticulture and winemaking processes, as they are the most important source of aroma and polyphenol compounds. Thickness is one of the most important grape skin morphological characteristics affecting the gas exchange regulation, berry susceptibility to fungal diseases and resistance to mechanical injuries. Skins and seeds parameters are crucial for a complete grape ripening that cannot be described solely by the berry pulp chemical parameters. These compounds from the solid parts may ripen differently when compared to pulp parameters and need to be extracted during the wine making process; the maceration stage is determinant in obtaining the secondary metabolites from skins and seeds, especially for red wine production. UI Vineyard Solution #2 2020  

Biological tools in the vineyard to improve varietal expression

LalVigne under Investigation #1

In the context of current viticulture, the change observed in the climatic records of the last decades, with the rise in temperatures and the unusual rainfall distribution, is challenging for wine growers and winemakers to getting balanced grapes and wines, as these changes are leading to growing differences between technological maturity and aromatic and phenolic maturations. In order to face these changes, wine growers try to apply agronomic practices that can counteract these effects. Often these practices are not selective and have unwanted effects on different parameters of production or quality of the grapes. UI Vineyard Solutions #1 2020