Content

The concept of terroir can be described as the interplay of geogenic and anthropogenic factors that influence the typicality and quality of a wine from a particular geographical area. The scientific approach to terroir and the origin of wine is complex, as many variables can be linked in different ways. This requires the collaboration of several research groups with different but complementary skills.

The main objective of the project is to identify and understand the key factors that contribute to the differentiation of wines from different regions depending on geoclimatic, microbiological and human variables, using the Slovene blaufrankich wines as an example.

The detailed objectives of the project are:

• identify the key compounds and sensory descriptors responsible for differences between wines at sub-regional and regional levels through sensory and chemical analyses,
• understand the vine response to environmental signals leading to changes in grape composition, resulting in altered chemical and sensory composition of the wine and influencing the expression of the wine's origin,
• identify regional differences between microbial populations on grapes to determine whether there are specific microbial communities associated with vineyards in different regions and to assess whether there is a measurable (chemical and sensory) influence of the local microflora on the terroir of the wine.