Pinot Noir Forecast: Climate Mediated Metabolomics Profile of Pinot Noir Grape Juices
Régis D. Gougeon
Sébastien Nicolas
Benjamin Bois
Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin
In the context of rapid climate change, which is reflected in the increasing temperatures and water deficits, it is essential to understand the impact of climate on the evolution of vine phenology, of the chemical composition of grapes and ultimately of the properties of wines. To that respect, many studies consider necessary shifts to situations adapted to projected severe climatic constraints, which include the selection of more resistant varieties, or alternative practices such as irrigation. However, knowledge is still required about the actual adaptability of grapevines grown in wine regions producing high added value wines, often associated with specific rules of appellation. This is particularly true for wine regions where the premium character of the produced wines is the result of a long-lasting growing of single cultivars. Pinot Noir is an emblematic example of grape variety grown worldwide under various climatic conditions and producing quality wines. This study aims to explore the adaptability of the Pinot Noir grape variety to climate change by comparing grape juices from climatically contrasted wine regions in France. By comparing Pinot Noir from cold and humid climatic conditions (Burgundy, Champagne, Alsace) to samples collected from warmer and drier climatic conditions (Bordeaux and Gaillac regions) over three successive vintages (2019, 2020, and 2021), we aim to evaluate how climate influences the complex metabolic diversity of grape juices at harvest, which includes the instantaneous contributions of all possible plant-environment interactions associated with the multiple natural conditions of the vineyards. Our study reveals that if grape juices from these regions are both impacted by similar environmental parameters, they develop distinct metabolomic fingerprints composed of hundreds of specific metabolites according to the climatic parameters considered. These results provide an unprecedented representation of the metabolic diversity of Pinot Noir, contributing to a better understanding of possible grapevine mitigation strategies in the context of climate change.
Régis D. Gougeon is Professor of Applied Chemistry & Enology at the Institut Universitaire de la Vigne et du Vin https://iuvv.u-bourgogne.fr/, in the Physical Chemistry for Food and Wine team (Deputy director) at Université de Bourgogne in Dijon, https://www.umr-pam.fr/en/. He is also scientific head of the Burgundy Vine and Wine cluster (BVV), which coordinates interdisciplinary teaching, research and extension on Vine and Wine at Université de Bourgogne https://www.bourgogne-vigne-vin.fr/. He is head teacher for the Continuous Education diploma about technician in enology, and director of the DIVVA analytical platform https://www.umr-pam.fr/en/technical-plates/divva.html. With his group, he is particularly interested in the chemistry of wine stability and aging, including research on barrier properties of closures, and in the development and applications of targeted and non-targeted analytical tools to understand the mechanisms at the origin of the long-lasting stability of great wines. In close collaboration with the Analytical BioGeoChemistry research unit of Prof. Dr. Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin at Helmholtz Center and Technical University Munich, he has introduced and developed the concept of oenolomics, based on the consideration of wine as whole complex biological system constantly evolving under environmental conditions, which requires integrated methodologies such as ultra-high-resolution MS for the development of non-targeted comprehensive analyses. R. Gougeon is author or co-author of +110 international peer-reviewed publications, and coordinator of the Wine Active Compounds (WAC) international conference series https://ubwac.com/.