Graduate Research Course
Grape Biophysics & Biochemistry
Vitis vinifera — berry development, terroir, phenolics, Phylloxera, fermentation, and climate-driven shifts in the vineyard. From Caucasian domestication to modern viticulture.
About This Course
The wine grape (Vitis vinifera) is a textbook of plant biochemistry: sugars climb from 0 to 24 °Brix while malate drops by an order of magnitude during ripening; anthocyanins switch on atvéraison through a MYB-bHLH transcription cascade; tannins polymerize and bind proline-rich salivary proteins for astringency; and the 1860s Phylloxera root-aphid plague nearly destroyed the European wine industry before American rootstock grafting saved it. This course covers the biophysics and biochemistry of viticulture from genome to glass.
Cross-links: Biochemistry,Tree Biophysics,Flower Biology,Climate & Biodiversity.
Nine Modules
M0
Vitis Evolution & Domestication
Vitis vinifera domesticated ~8000 BP Caucasus, Jaillon 2007 Pinot Noir genome, wild V. sylvestris, V. labrusca North American, 10 000 cultivars today.
M1
Berry Development
Double-sigmoid growth curve, véraison phase transition, cell expansion vs. division, Coombe 1992 stages, water influx physics, seed-berry ratio effects.
M2
Phenolics, Tannins, Anthocyanins
Flavonoid pathway (PAL, CHS, F3H), MYB/bHLH transcription factor regulation, proanthocyanidin polymers, resveratrol stilbene, PROCYANIDIN extraction.
M3
Photosynthesis & Ripening
Canopy architecture VSP vs. sprawl, Geneva double-curtain, leaf-to-fruit ratio, sugar accumulation sink strength, phloem loading, Lakso 2003.
M4
Terroir & Water Stress
Soil hydraulic properties, vapor pressure deficit, regulated deficit irrigation (RDI), Van Leeuwen terroir framework, predawn water potential, stress thresholds.
M5
Sugar, Acid & pH Balance
Malic acid degradation at ripening, tartaric acid stability, TSS (Brix), pH-titratable-acidity trade-off, Ribereau-Gayon 2006 oenology.
M6
Phylloxera & Mildews
Phylloxera devastation 1860s Europe, American rootstock rescue, downy mildew Plasmopara viticola, powdery Erysiphe necator, Ampelopsis molecular resistance.
M7
Fermentation & Wine Biochemistry
Saccharomyces cerevisiae glycolysis, yeast-derived aromatic esters, malolactic Oenococcus oeni, sulfur dioxide preservation, phenolic aging.
M8
Climate Change & Viticulture
Harvest-date advance 2-3 weeks in Burgundy 1980-2020, sugar-acid decoupling, new viticulture regions (UK, Patagonia), Jones 2005 climate-cultivar matching.