Geisenheim Research Centre in Germany

also has a general aim of creating a database on the behaviour of the main varieties in the different sub-regions of the Douro.

Members participating in this initiative were provided with customised reports on the behaviour of their blocks, with regard to routine tests: Weight (g); Volume of liquid (mL); Potential alcohol (%); Total Acidity (mg/L Tartaric Acid) and pH; and Phenolic ripening: Total anthocyanins; Extractable anthocyanins; Total polyphenols (TP); Anthocyanin extractability - AE (%) and Tannin maturation - TM (%).

In 2011, 21 members and 2 non-members subscribed to this service, registering for the testing of ripening assessment on nearly 240 vineyard blocks, which took place between 19 July and 23 September 2011, 851 tests having been carried out. In addition, 148 ripening tests were carried out in ADVID trials, totalling 999 routine and phenolic tests processed in the laboratory.

Also in the field of ripening control services, in the context of the Annual Review of the Viticultural Year, a summary of the ripening of the reference varieties (Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca) was drawn up. The ripening report for the DDR was not drawn up.

8.3.2. Tannin Portal (ADVID/AWRI)

The importance of knowledge of tannins in oenology, due to their influence on colour stability, on ageing of wines, on oxidation phenomena and on characteristics such as astringency, led ADVID to launch in July 2011, following contacts made with AWRI (Australian Wine Research Institute - a prestigious research institute with more than 50 years experience in wine science and industry), a tannin analysis service in partnership with AWRI, offering the analyses at a competitive price. In 2011, 4 members subscribed to this service, and around 500 analyses were made of samples received.

Photos 19 and 20 – ADVID Mission in Geisenheim.

The group presented an overview of ADVID, the Cluster, the work in progress and its concerns shared with German viticulture, particularly “Climate Change”, “Water Regime”, “The Sustainability of Hillside Viticulture”, “Assessment of grape potential”, “Functional Biodiversity” and “Preservation of genetic variability”.

Prof. Schultz presented an overview of the organisational structure of GSHM – Forschungsanstalt and the Centre’s functional connections. Marco Hofmann, Beate Berkelmann-Löhnertz, Marco Pfliehinger, Max Freund, Bernd Gruber, Manfred Stoll, Rainer Keicher, Helmut Dietrich, Manfred Großmann, Claus Patz, Klaus Eimert, Joachim Schmid and Oliver Bitz presented the projects in which they are involved:

• Climate Change - Model and Application Development (Marco Hofmann): Regional climate models are used to estimate future climate change scenarios and their influence on total evapotranspiration, through modelling of TTSW and FTSW, respectively (total transpirable soil water and fraction of transpirable soil water). This way water availability is modelled based on regional models, offering among other outputs, the number of days with water stress per year and application of the water availability map for management of soil coverage and risk analysis for different forms of grass cover.

• Climate Change – past, present and anticipation of problems caused by pests and diseases (Beate Berkelmann-Löhnertz): Models are being developed for downy mildew and botrytis, to anticipate effects of climate change and assessment of equipment with increasingly efficient application of pesticides. In terms of development of the predictive model for downy mildew, particularly important is the use of a methodology to measure the splash effect (splash-meter), using a two-level information gathering device, for incorporation of information into the model algorithm. On botrytis, particularly notable is a study of the phenotypical characterisation of in vitro and in situ strains, to assess virulence in the bunch and resistance to pesticides.

• Interaction of water, nitrogen and UV radiation (Marco Pfliehinger): These studies seek to relate the interaction between water stress, nitrogen in must and UV radiation with the aroma of the varieties studied. To this end, a test was set up using 240 L containers, controlled water intake and variation in UV radiation, through the use of UV lamps and the application of UV filters, for different exposure times /protection times.

• Sustainability of the Winery – Carbon footprint and water control (Max Freund): Assessment of carbon footprints in wineries, through the Amethyst Project (www.amethyst-project.eu). Based on ISO 14000, FF 16000, PAS 2050, IPCC, WCBSD and OIV, it has been applied in Germany as a basis for estimating carbon footprints in the wine industry. The project has been applied at 200 wineries.

• Efficient water use. Irrigation control (Bernd Gruber): Use of low frequency irrigation strategies and organisation of irrigation intervals in large-scale trials. Use of different types of sensors to support water monitoring, in particular: micrometric stem/trunk variation; leaf thickness, sap flow and water stress.

• Remote sensing in the monitoring of Stress (Manfred Stoll): Difficulty in accurate assessment of types of stress occurring at a given moment. Work is being carried out using thermography, spectral reflectance, fluorescence, infrared thermography camera and remote satellite and airborne detection. Comparison of infrared based methods and gas exchange methods. Possibility of use in non-invasive bunch measurements, using Multiplex Force A (www.force-a.eu/an/qualite_raisin.html) for grape quality assessment.

• Mechanisation of Hillside Vineyards. (Rainer Keicher): Demonstration of the types of mechanisation applied on hillside vineyards in the Rheingau. Reference to work by Schneider 2007 (on working time based on the vineyard type and mechanisation model used), with substantial variations from 300-400 h/ha in the model with the best performance to 3000 h/ha in hillside vineyards, without mechanisation.

Prototypes under development were presented, with field tests already carried out for unmanned machinery, driven by radio remote control with GPS support, for treatment and herbicide application tasks.

• Assessment of grape potential (Helmut Dietrich/Manfred Großmann/Manfred Stoll/Claus Patz): The use of Accent (Bruker) equipment in the microbiology department was mentioned. Reference to technologies for assessment of micro-organisms in wine: microscope; fluorescence scanner; FT-IR and molecular biology.

Reference to technologies for assessing the qualitative potential of the grape: photometry, HPLC, GC-MS, GC-GC-MS.

Non-invasive tools include spectroscopy:

1st generation (Winescan); 2nd generation (Winescan Flex – FT2); 3rd generation (Oenofoss); 4th generation (Alpha – Bruker)

• Biodiversity Study – shrubs (Klaus Eimert): Work was presented on characterising the genetic variability of species (flora) and studying the determination and characterisation of species referring to the macro zones defined in Germany for the management and regulation of biodiversity, in connection with the classification of local and non-local species.

• Prevention of genetic erosion, molecular tools for the study of variability (Joachim Schmid/Oliver Bitz):

Work on the prevention of genetic erosion of varieties was presented.

ADVID presented a series of topics to be worked on by Geisenheim students who are interested in traineeships in the Douro oriented by the team from that Centre:

• Water relations

• Grapevine trunk diseases

• Rationalisation of hillside vineyards