Bebidas espirituosas do Algarve

Tese de Doutoramento, Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

Oitenta anos de produção e comercialização dos vinhos do Dão

Mestrado em Economia

Assessing canopy temperature patterns in two grapevine varieties subjected to deficit irrigation: a tool to optimize water management ?

A better understanding of grapevine responses to drought and high air temperatures can help to optimize vineyard management to improve water use efficiency, yield and berry quality. Faster and robust field phenotyping tools are needed in modern precision viticulture, in particular in dry and hot regions such as the Mediterranean. Canopy temperature (Tc) is commonly used to monitor water stress in plants/crops and to characterize stomatal physiology in different woody species including Vitis vinifera. Thermography permits remote determination of leaf surface or canopy temperature in the field and also to assess the range and spatial distribution of temperature from different parts of the canopies. Our hypothesis is that grapevine genotypes may show different Tc patterns along the day due to different stomatal behaviour and heat dissipation strategies. We have monitored the diurnal and seasonal course of Tc in two grapevine genotypes, Aragonez (syn. Tempranillo) and Touriga Nacional subjected to deficit irrigation under typical Mediterranean climate conditions. Temperature measurements were complemented by determination of the diurnal course of leaf water potential (ψleaf) and leaf gas exchange. Measurements were done in two seasons (2013 and 2014) at different phenological stages: i) mid-June (green berry stage), ii) mid-July (veraison), iii) early August (early ripening) and iv) before harvest (late ripening). Correlations between Tc and minimal stomatal conductance will be presented for the two genotypes along the day. Results are discussed over the use of thermal imagery to derive information on genotype physiology in response to changing environmental conditions and to mild water stress induced by deficit irrigation. Strategies to optimize the use of thermal imaging in field conditions are also proposed

Bioprospection of Petit Verdot grape pomace as a source of anti-inflammatory compounds.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of Petit Verdot Extract and hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions obtained from grape pomace, in addition to identifying active compounds. The PVE and EAF reduced significantly paw edema and neutrophil migration when compared with control groups. The PVE reduced levels of TNF-α and IL1-β in the peritoneal fluid, whereas the EAF did not reduce cytokines significantly. Two hydroxybenzoic acids, two proanthocyanidins, three flavan-3-ol monomers and three anthocyanins were identified in the PVE and EAF by LC-MS/MS. The stilbene transresveratrol was identified only in the EAF. The phenolic compounds were quantified using HPLC-DAD analysis, except for the stilbenes, which were not sensible for the detection by the method. Since PVE and EAF showed significantly anti-inflammatory effects and high concentration of phenolic compounds, we concluded that Petit Verdot pomace could be an interesting source of anti-inflammatory bioactives.

Canopy management effects on Syrah grapevines under tropical semi-arid conditions.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of shoot topping and leaf removal practices on vegetative vigor, yield and physicochemical characteristics of the 'Syrah' grape in the semi-arid tropical climate conditions of the São Francisco River Valley in the northeast of Brazil. The experiment was conducted over five growing cycles from 2010 to 2012 in a 'Syrah' commercial vineyard in the municipality of Casa Nova, Bahia, Brazil. Treatments consisted of leaf removal once or twice during fruit set or at the beginning of bunch closure, and one or two shoot toppings of the berry when pea-sized or 10 days after berry growth had commenced. Leaf removal and shoot topping did not affect yield, plant vigor components nor the main attributes of fruit quality. In contrast, there was a seasonal effect with higher yield and better balance between production and vigor in grapes produced in the first half of 2012. The Syrah grape quality was favored in cycles in the first half of the year when its ripening phase coincided with the period of mild temperatures.

Genome selection in fruit breeding: application to table grapes.

Genomic selection (GS) has recently been proposed as a new selection strategy which represents an innovative paradigm in crop improvement, now widely adopted in animal breeding. Genomic selection relies on phenotyping and high-density genotyping of a sufficiently large and representative sample of the target breeding population, so that the majority of loci that regulate a quantitative trait are in linkage disequilibrium with one or more molecular markers and can thus be captured by selection. In this study we address genomic selection in a practical fruit breeding context applying it to a breeding population of table grape obtained from a cross between the hybrid genotype D8909-15 (Vitis rupestris × Vitis arizonica/girdiana), which is resistant to dagger nematode and Pierce?s disease (PD), and ?B90-116?, a susceptible Vitis vinifera cultivar with desirable fruit characteristics. Our aim was to enhance the knowledge on the genomic variation of agronomical traits in table grape populations for future use in marker-assisted selection (MAS) and GS, by discovering a set of molecular markers associated with genomic regions involved in this variation. A number of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) were discovered but this method is inaccurate and the genetic architecture of the studied population was better captured by the BLasso method of genomic selection, which allowed for efficient inference about the genetic contribution of the various marker loci. The technology of genomic selection afforded greater efficiency than QTL analysis and can be very useful in speeding up the selection procedures for agronomic traits in table grapes.

Enotourism – more than a life style

Enotourism is a relatively new form of sustainable tourism. But is more than a lifestyle. The Douro landscape reflects its ancient and deep connection with the culture of wine, creating a picture of Man and Nature working side by side in search of the perfect wine. Lifestyle typically reflects: an individual's attitude, a way of life, values, or world view. Practical implications - the results suggest that there is scope for developing wine tourism products to attract tourists and which could be used to promote the Douro Valley region as a centre for enotourism. The beautifully unique landscape of the Douro was one of the reasons that made it a World Heritage site in 2001. There isn´t in Portugal an autonomous strategy process to define enotourism. Is a legal problem when we try to analyse the process or a data base to find information about enotourism players. So, how do winery operators, particularly those running small or family businesses, cope with the new developments occurring in the world of wines? The present study examines these issues from the perspective of a group of Portuguese winery operators. Our proposal in this research, is to analyse how many wineris or enotecas are hable to develop enotourism with a legal process. The results of the study reflect the level of education of employees, the seasonal nature of tourism, the improvements in its promotion and the need for greater support from local government. A key aspect is respect for the people who call the location home, the culture and customs of the area, and the socio-economic system. Design/methodology/approach - The methodology employed for this study consisted of a combination of surveys, interviews and field observations with the suppliers in the traditional wine‐producing region, Douro Valley, or Porto wine region, in the north of Portugal. The results of this investigation are almost analisys made inside the villages and also us wineries and enotecas. From the 30 winemakers that we visited, only 2 have an enotourism service acording to legislation and have a certificate that allows to pratices. It was very hard but it is an open field to future researchs (TOMÁS López‐Guzmán,et al, 2011). From the 30 wineries we have analysed only 2 were enotourism with a legal basis. Enotourism is on the travel agencies department and most of the wineries don´t have the legal licenses. Despite of most tourism agencies see enoturism as a segment of the industry with tremendous growth potential, stating that in some regions, it's only functioning at 20% of its full potential. Enotourism development guidelines and management practices are applicable to all forms of tourism in all destination types, including mass tourism and the various niche tourism segments.

Grape and Wine Metabolites: Biotechnological Approaches to Improve Wine Quality

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.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the production of fermented beverages

Abstract: Alcoholic beverages are produced following the fermentation of sugars by yeasts, mainly (but not exclusively) strains of the species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sugary starting materials may emanate from cereal starches (which require enzymatic pre‐hydrolysis) in the case of beers and whiskies, sucrose‐rich plants (molasses or sugar juice from sugarcane) in the case of rums, or from fruits (which do not require pre‐hydrolysis) in the case of wines and brandies. In the presence of sugars, together with other essential nutrients such as amino acids, minerals and vitamins, S. cerevisiae will conduct fermentative metabolism to ethanol and carbon dioxide (as the primary fermentation metabolites) as the cells strive to make energy and regenerate the coenzyme NAD+ under anaerobic conditions. Yeasts will also produce numerous secondary metabolites which act as important beverage flavour congeners, including higher alcohols, esters, carbonyls and sulphur compounds. These are very important in dictating the final flavour and aroma characteristics of beverages such as beer and wine, but also in distilled beverages such as whisky, rum and brandy. Therefore, yeasts are of vital importance in providing the alcohol content and the sensory profiles of beverages. This Introductory Chapter reviews, in general, the growth, physiology and metabolism of S. cerevisiae in alcoholic beverage fermentations.

Recent Developments in Wine Tartaric Stabilization

Tartrate precipitation is still a relevant subject in Enology, being one of the most common problems of wine physical-chemical instability. Potassium bitartrate and calcium tartrate precipitations are undesirable phenomena which can occur in bottled wines, especially when these are stored at low temperatures. The occurrence of tartrate salt crystals (potassium hydrogen tartrate – KHT and calcium tartrate – CaT) in bottles has severe consequences in the final aspect of the wine and therefore on the consumer’s acceptance, making tartrate wine stabilization virtually mandatory before bottling. Currently, several solutions to prevent this haze are available: subtractive methods including the conventional cold treatments that promote the cristalization of KHT, removal of potassium and calcium ions either by electrodialysis or ion exchange resins; and additive methods such as the addition of carboxymethylcellulose, mannoproteins or metatartaric acid. For monitoring the KHT stability, several analytical methods have been developed based on conductivity evaluation, namely the mini-contact test and the saturation temperature measurements (TS). These methods will also be revisited, aiming to raise awareness of their utility as tools in quality control of wines. This review addresses tartrate precipitation subject and the most recent preventive solutions available, pointing out the advantages and drawbacks of each one, and its impact on the final characteristics of the wine.

Adaptive strategies of two Portuguese grapevines varieties (Aragonês. syn. Tempranillo and Trincadeira) face drought: physiological and structural responses.

At Mediterranean regions and particularly in southern Portugal, it is imperative to identify grape varieties more adapted to warm and dry climates in order to overcome future climatic changes. Two Vitis vinifera genotypes, Aragonez (syn. Tempranillo) and Trincadeira, were selected to assess their physiological responses to soil water stress. Vines were subjected to four irrigation regimes: irrigated during all phenological cycle, non-irrigated during all phenological cycle, non irrigated until veraison, irrigated after veraison. Predawn leaf water potential was much higher in Trincadeira than Aragonez in non- irrigated plants. This result is in accordance with its higher stomatal control efficiency in this variety (Trincadeira). Photosynthetic capacity (Amax at saturating light intensity) decreased due to stomatal and biochemical limitations under water stress. However, recovery capacity of leaf water status after irrigation was faster in Trincadeira. Yield and yield x Brix increased when irrigation occurred after veraison, particularly in Trincadeira. These results show that Trincadeira presents a drought adaptation than Aragonez. Ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence Fv/Fm and total leaf chlorophyll related with leaf water potential for both species. Reflectance Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI705), Red Edge Inflexion Point Index and Photochemical Reflectance Index were related with irrigation treatment. Relative water content and specific leaf area were similar between varieties. In conclusion, we suggested that there is variation among the genotypes and the main physiological parameters for variety selection, for drought, were leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and reflectance indexes.

Fungal endophytic communities associated to the phyllosphere of grapevine cultivars under different types of management

Fungal endophytes present in different asymptomatic grapevine plants (Vitis vinifera L.) located in different vineyards within Alentejo, a highly important viticulture region in Portugal, were identified in this study. Sampled grapevine plants included the three most representative cultivars in the region, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Aragonez, growing under two different modes of management, conventional and biological. Sixteen fungal taxa were identified through sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region. Total number of endophytic fungi isolated showed significant differences both in management mode and in cultivars, with higher numbers in grapevines under conventional mode and from Syrah cultivar. The composition of fungal endophytic communities did not show significant differences among cultivars, but differences were observed between fungal communities isolated from grapevines under biological or conventional modes. The most fungal taxa isolated from grapevines cultivated under biological mode were Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium sp., and Nigrospora oryzae, and under conventional mode Botrytis cinerea, Epicoccum nigrum, and Epicoccum sp. These differences suggest that the different products used in grapevine production have impacts in fungal endophytic composition. Further investigation of the identified fungi with respect to their antagonistic characteristics and potential use in plant protection to ensure food safety is now in course.

Leaf water potential and sap flow as indicators of water stress in Crimson ‘seedless’ grapevines under different irrigation strategies

Vitis vinifera L. cv. Crimson Seedless is a late season red table grape developed in 1989, with a high market value and increasingly cultivated under protected environments to extend the availability of seedless table grapes into the late fall. The purpose of this work was to evaluate leaf water potential and sap flow as indicators of water stress in Crimson Seedless vines under standard and reduced irrigation strategy, consisting of 70 % of the standard irrigation depth. Additionally, two sub-treatments were applied, consisting of normal irrigation throughout the growing season and a short irrigation induced stress period between veraison and harvest. Leaf water potential measurements coherently signaled crop-available water variations caused by different irrigation treatments, suggesting that this plant-based method can be reliably used to identify water-stress conditions. The use of sap flow density data to establish a ratio based on a reference ‘well irrigated vine’ and less irrigated vines can potentially be used to signal differences in the transpiration rates, which may be suitable for improving irrigation management strategies while preventing undesirable levels of water stress. Although all four irrigation strategies resulted in the production of quality table grapes, significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were found in both berry weight and sugar content between the standard irrigation and reduced irrigation treatments. Reduced irrigation increased slightly the average berry size as well as sugar content and technical maturity index. The 2-week irrigation stress period had a negative effect on these parameters.

Leaf water potential and sap flow as indicators of water stress in Crimson 'seedless' grapevines under different irrigation strategies

Abstract Vitis vinifera L. cv. Crimson Seedless is a late season red table grape developed in 1989, with a high market value and increasingly cultivated under protected environments to extend the availability of seedless table grapes into the late fall. The purpose of this work was to evaluate leaf water potential and sap flow as indicators of water stress in Crimson Seedless vines under standard and reduced irrigation strategy, consisting of 70 % of the standard irrigation depth. Additionally, two sub-treatments were applied, consisting of normal irrigation throughout the growing season and a short irrigation induced stress period between veraison and harvest. Leaf water potential measurements coherently signaled crop-available water variations caused by different irrigation treatments, suggesting that this plant-based method can be reliably used to identify water-stress conditions. The use of sap flow density data to establish a ratio based on a reference ‘well irrigated vine’ and less irrigated vines can potentially be used to signal differences in the transpiration rates, which may be suitable for improving irrigation management strategies while preventing undesirable levels of water stress. Although all four irrigation strategies resulted in the production of quality table grapes, significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were found in both berry weight and sugar content between the standard irrigation and reduced irrigation treatments. Reduced irrigation increased slightly the average berry size as well as sugar content and technical maturity index. The 2-week irrigation stress period had a negative effect on these parameters.

Modern viticulture in southern Europe: Vulnerabilities and strategies for adaptation to water scarcity

Water is now considered the most important but vulnerable resource in the Mediterranean region. Nev ertheless, irrigation expanded fast in the region (e.g. South Portugal and Spain) to mitigate environmental stress and to guarantee stable grape yield and quality. Sustainable wine production depends on sustain able water use in the wine’s supply chain, from the vine to the bottle. Better understanding of grapevine stress physiology (e.g. water relations, temperature regulation, water use efficiency), more robust crop monitoring/phenotyping and implementation of best water management practices will help to mitigate climate effects and will enable significant water savings in the vineyard and winery. In this paper, we focused on the major vulnerabilities and opportunities of South European Mediterranean viticulture (e.g. in Portugal and Spain) and present a multi-level strategy (from plant to the consumer) to overcome region’s weaknesses and support strategies for adaptation to water scarcity, promote sustainable water use and minimize the environmental impact of the sector.