António M. Jordão

By Fernanda Cosme, Berta Gonçalves, António Inês, António M. Jordão and Alice Vilela

Grape metabolites can be affected by many extrinsic and intrinsic factors, such as grape variety, ripening stage, growing regions, vineyard management practices, and edaphoclimatic conditions. However, there is still much about the in vivo formation of grape metabolites that need to be investigated. The winemaking process also can create distinct wines. Nowadays, wine fermentations are driven mostly by single-strain inoculations, allowing greater control of fermentation. Pure cultures of selected yeast strains, mostly Saccharomyces cerevisiae, are added to grape must, leading to more predictable outcomes and decreasing the risk of spoilage. Besides yeasts, lactic acid bacteria also play an important role, in the final wine quality. Thus, this chapter attempts to present an overview of grape berry physiology and metabolome to provide a deep understanding of the primary and secondary metabolites accumulated in the grape berries and their potential impact in wine quality. In addition, biotechnological approaches for wine quality practiced during wine alcoholic and malolactic fermentation will also be discussed.

Part of the book: Grape and Wine Biotechnology

By Fernanda Cosme, Berta Gonçalves, Eunice A. Bacelar, António Inês, António M. Jordão and Alice Vilela

Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites abundant in our diet. These compounds may affect positively or negatively the sensory characteristics of food with important impacts on color, flavor, and astringency. An adequate consumption of phenolic compounds may also offer health benefits. After the consumption of fruits, the colon is the main site of microbial fermentation, where high molecular weight phenolic compounds are transformed into low molecular weight phenolic compounds such as phenolic acids or lactone structures by intestinal microbiota, which produce metabolites with biological and antioxidant activity, with evidence on health benefits for humans. A large amount of different phenolic compounds are responsible for physicochemical and sensory characteristics of table grapes and wines. Also, sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is one of the most popular temperate table fruits; they contain flavonoids, flavan‐3‐ols, and flavonols in addition to non‐flavonoid compounds. Anthocyanins are the major polyphenols in blueberries, and this group of phytochemicals is thought to be responsible for many of the health benefits of berry consumption. Therefore, considering the importance of red/dark‐colored fruits phenolic composition, the purpose of this chapter is to make a review of the most recent publications about these fruits’ phenolic composition and their impact on sensorial properties as well as the effect of microorganisms on fruit phenolic composition.

Part of the book: Phenolic Compounds

By Tatiane Otto, Renato Botelho, Luiz Biasi, Uroš Miljić, Ana C. Correia and António M. Jordão

In the last two decades, several international grape varieties from different traditional wine countries such as, France, Portugal, Italy, and Spain have been introduced in several world wine regions, increasing their representation in the world. The introduction of grape varieties in emerging regions with diverse environmental conditions from their natural origin introduces challenges on the adaptability of these varieties in new specific “terroirs,” not only in terms of their productivity but also related with the grape and wine characteristics. In addition, it is also important to compare their characteristics with native grape varieties grown in the local regions. On the other hand, climate change has also promoted greater mobility of grapes to new regions, increasing the dispersion of various grape varieties in areas where viticulture was, until now, severely limited. Thus, considering the importance of the dispersion of several grape varieties in regions out of the original provenance, the purpose of this chapter is to present a review of the most recently published data about the adaptation of several grape varieties in different environments and the impact on their qualitative characteristics (including in wines produced). The comparative analysis with some of the native varieties existing in these environments, when applicable, will also be analyzed.

Part of the book: Recent Advances in Grapes and Wine Production

By António M. Jordão

Part of the book: Recent Advances in Grapes and Wine Production

By António M. Jordão, Ana Cristina Correia

Grape production is one of the main agricultural activities worldwide, being an activity distributed across all geographies. This production results from the cultivation of a plant, the vine, belonging to the genus Vitis, which includes a group of several different species. This fact results in the existence of a high diversity of grapes in terms of shape, color, and chemical composition. However, in all grape-producing countries, there is an enormous and complex set of challenges, particularly due to climate change that affects grape production. Thus, all viticultural activity is constantly changing to optimize and make production profitable. In this context, new technologies are being used, making viticulture an activity where innovation is essential to face new production challenges. Thus, this chapter initially aims to provide an overview of the genetic diversity related to the different grape varieties cultivated and an updated overview of the main geographies associated with grape production. Next, it will address the issues related to grape production, considering the various climate variables that are constantly changing. Finally, some of the most recent technologies used in precision viticulture are also discussed, namely the use of non-invasive technologies such as spectroscopy, multispectral and hyperspectral imaging, thermography, among others. Thus, this chapter aims to provide a general perspective of the dynamics associated with the production of grapes for their various purposes, namely as table grapes, dried fruit, or in their use to produce grape juice or wine.

Part of the book: Sustainable Crop Management