Science of Wine

Sec. 1: In the vineyard: The biology of the grape vine -- Terroir: how do soils and climates shape wine? -- Soils and vines -- Precision viticulture -- Phylloxera and ungrafted vines -- Lutte raisonée, IPM, and sustainable winegrowing -- Biodynamics -- Partial root drying and regulated deficit irrigation -- Pruning, trellis systems, and canopy management -- Sec. 2: In the winery: Oxygen management and wine quality -- Red winemaking techniques: whole-cluster ferments and carbonic maceration -- Barrels and the impact of oak on wine -- Reverse osmosis, spinning cones and evaporators: alcohol reduction and must concentration -- Sulfur dioxide -- Reduction: volatile sulfur compounds in wine -- Microbes and wine: yeasts and lactic acid bacteria -- Brettanomyces -- Corks, screw caps, and closures -- Sec. 3: Our interaction with wine: Flavor and its perception: taste and smell in wine tasting -- Wine and the brain -- Saliva, tannin, and mouthfeel -- Synesthesia, language, and wine -- Wine flavor chemistry -- Wine and health