Wine Resveratrol: From the Ground Up

The ability of the grapevine to activate defense mechanisms against some pathogens has\r\nbeen shown to be linked to the synthesis of resveratrol and other stilbenes by the plant (inducible\r\nviniferins). Metabolized viniferins may also be produced or modified by extracellular enzymes\r\nreleased by the pathogen in an attempt to eliminate undesirable toxic compounds. Because of the\r\nimportant properties of resveratrol, there is increasing interest in producing wines with higher\r\ncontents of this compound and a higher nutritional value. Many biotic and abiotic elicitors can trigger\r\nthe resveratrol synthesis in the berries, and some examples are reported. Under the same elicitation\r\npressure, viticultural and enological factors can substantially affect the resveratrol concentration in\r\nthe wine. The production of high resveratrol-containing grapes and wines relies on quality-oriented\r\nviticulture (suitable terroirs and sustainable cultural practices) and winemaking technologies that\r\navoid degradation of the compound. In general, the oenological practices commonly used to stabilize\r\nwine after fermentation do not affect resveratrol concentration, which shows considerable stability.\r\nFinally the paper reports on two sirtuin genes (SIRT) expressed in grapevine leaves and berries and\r\nthe role of resveratrol on the deacetylation activity of the encoded enzymes.