Viticulture and Enology Laboratory

Research in the Viticulture and Enology Laboratory addresses current issues in both viticulture and winemaking. As part of our professional work, we operate in the field of introduction as well as the preservation of local varieties and grapevine selection. Within technological trials, we test new technologies for grapevine cultivation. We upgrade the content of our professional tasks with research projects, where we study the influence of geoclimatic factors and the physiological response of the grapevine to altered environmental factors—such as drought, elevated temperatures, and UV radiation—on the quality and chemical composition of grapes and wine, as well as the sensory profile of wine.

Analyses of grapes, must, and wine are carried out for the needs of:

  • Public Service in Viticulture:
    • Introduction of grapevines in the wine-growing regions of Primorska, Podravje, and Posavje
    • Grapevine cultivation technology in the wine-growing regions of Primorska, Podravje, and Posavje
    • Grapevine selection in the wine-growing regions of Primorska, Podravje, and Posavje
  • Public Service tasks of the plant genetic bank (JSRGB) for grapevines
  • Professional tasks: Isotopic analyses of Slovenian wines with geographical indications,
  • Domestic and foreign research projects,
  • Diploma, master’s, and doctoral theses,
  • External clients: any physical or legal entities.

Field of Work and Services

  • Introduction of new varieties to replace or supplement the grapevine selection of wine varieties due to higher resistance to downy mildew (peronospora), powdery mildew (oidium), or other economically important grapevine diseases, adaptation to climate change and market demands, and to achieve better quality of produced wines;
  • Introduction of new domestically obtained and imported clones of already regionalized wine varieties, with the aim of achieving better quality and uniform fertility, higher content of certain substances in wine, and greater resistance to grapevine diseases and pests (e.g., bunch rot) and adaptation to climate change;
  • Introduction of grapevine rootstocks that are more tolerant to diseases and pests (e.g., phylloxera, nematodes, bacterial diseases, and phytoplasmas), abiotic stress conditions (e.g., water and heat stress), or that are physiologically more suitable for our grapevine varieties;
  • Introduction of new grapevine hybrids that can be cultivated with a reduced use of plant protection products;
  • Testing new technologies for grape production and grapevine cultivation to improve crop quality and reduce production costs;
  • Selection and clonal selection of local grapevine varieties;
  • Conservation and evaluation of plant genetic resources of local grapevine varieties;
  • Researching the impact of abiotic stress factors related to climate change (drought, increased UV radiation, heat waves, etc.) on grape and wine quality and on the physiological response of the grapevine (photosynthetic activity, water potential, chlorophyll and carotenoid content in leaves);
  • Digitalization in viticulture;
  • Analysis of the content of pesticide residues and other contaminants in wine in cooperation with CL;
  • Analysis of primary metabolites in grapes and wine (sugars, acids, amino acids, fatty acids);
  • Analysis of secondary metabolites in grapes and wine (anthocyanins, phenols, carotenoids, methoxyprazines, thiols, terpenes, esters, higher alcohols);
  • Sensory quality of wine.

Research equipment

  • Handheld Refractometer MyBrix
  • Scholander pressure chamber Model 600
  • GC-FID-SCD (Shimadzu) 2030
  • GC-MS/MS (Shimadzu) TQ8050NX
  • Spectrophotometer Cary 3500 Compact Peltier UV-Vis
  • Oximeter o2 trace analyzer Fibox 3 LCD V7 O2 Trace
  • UHPLC-DAD INFINITY 1291
  • Tandem mass detector, UHPLC Infinity 1290
  • TOF detector
  • Nitrogen generator NM30LA-MS
  • Liquid chromatograph INFINITY 1290
  • Tartrate stability meter CHECK STAB
  • HPLC-DAD AGILENT 1100 SERIES
  • Gas chromatograph with MS-MS Shimadzu GC Nexus 2030; Shimadzu GCMS-TQ8050 NX
  • UV-VIS spectrophotometer Agilent 8453
  • Solvent extractor THERMO SCIENTIFIC DIONEX ASE 350
  • Evaporator GENEVAC (Genevac specific EZ-2 series, non HCl compatible
  • Freeze dryer (Lyophilizer) VirTis BenchTop Pro with Omnitronics™ – 9L