LCGC International reports that researchers at the University of Naples have examined how rising alcohol levels and declining acidity can change the aroma and taste of red wine. Tests involving nine versions of a neutralised red wine found that higher alcohol and lower acidity increased the release and perception of two lactone compounds associated with sweet, perfumed, prune-like and prematurely aged aromas, while also reducing sourness and increasing bitterness. The findings suggest that acidification, commonly used to correct climate-related imbalances, must be carefully managed because it can also alter aroma perception and overall sensory quality.
Research
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Texas A&M Sending Grape Seeds to the International Space Station
Food & Wine reports that Texas A&M AgriLife researchers will send hundreds of seeds from three Texas-adapted wine-grape varieties to the International Space Station for six months, investigating whether cosmic radiation produces genetic changes that affect germination, vine development, resilience, grape yield or quality. After returning, the seeds will be planted alongside unexposed controls and assessed genetically and agronomically, with researchers ultimately hoping to make wine from any successful vines.
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Extreme Heat Could Change The Mix For European Drinks Makers
Reuters reports that Europe’s current heatwave is challenging the usual assumption that hot weather lifts alcohol sales, with analysts and companies warning that extreme temperatures can push consumers indoors, reduce alcohol consumption and raise agricultural and production costs. The article notes research showing alcohol sales rise with temperature only up to just over 32°C, after which the effect weakens, while health authorities have also advised avoiding alcohol during severe heat because of dehydration risks. The implications matter for wine as well as beer and spirits, particularly as more frequent heatwaves affect both consumer behaviour and vineyard agriculture.
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People Are Willing To Pay More For Climate-Proof Wine, Study Shows
Grist reports on a new Cornell University study testing how consumers respond to three climate-adaptation options for winegrape producers, shade cloth, switching to heat-adapted grape varieties, and relocating to cooler regions. The study found that consumers were willing to pay a premium when these changes were clearly communicated, although relocation was the least desirable option, and the article notes important limits, including a sample of only 300 respondents, mostly younger graduates who already cared about environmental issues and food labels.
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Etruscan Grape Seeds Shed Light on Pre-Chianti Era
Harpers reports that grape seeds found in Etruscan wells at Cetamura, near Badia a Coltibuono in Chianti, are being described as evidence that reshapes the region’s viticultural history. The seeds, discovered by Florida State University archaeologists and later genetically analysed with University of York support, indicate wine grape cultivation in the area as far back as the third century BCE, with white grapes apparently dominant before Chianti became associated with red wine.
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New Research Into Wine Corks and Oxygen
Wine Drinker reports on a new study that suggests that cork closures do much more than simply let air into a bottle: they can release trapped oxygen, regulate its movement, chemically interact with wine and allow very slow long-term oxygen transfer. This means cork is an active part of a wine’s ageing system, influencing how oxygen is absorbed, consumed and controlled after bottling.
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Ancient DNA Proves Chianti Was Once a White Wine Mecca
The Drinks Business reports that ancient grape seeds from Cetamura del Chianti suggest the region, now famous for red wine, was once dominated by a long-maintained white grape variety. Researchers sequenced DNA from 80 seeds dating from roughly 300 BCE to 300 CE, finding evidence of continuity from Etruscan into Roman times and links to varieties still found in parts of Eastern Europe.
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Tannins Fingerprinted by Researchers
Penn State University researchers report that they have developed a new way to “fingerprint” the tannins that come from oak barrels and grapes, helping identify which compounds shape wine’s flavour, mouthfeel, bitterness, astringency and colour stability during ageing. The study used mass spectrometry and machine learning to analyse these complex tannin mixtures without first breaking them down in ways that can damage them, and it focused especially on hydrolysable tannins transferred from oak into wine. By testing wines and oak chip products, the team found that French oak had the highest levels of key tannins, followed by Hungarian and then American oak, and they also showed that barrel toasting alters these compounds, softening harsher tannins and producing more complex flavour effects.