J. R. Mosedale

Wood maturation of distilled beverages

A wide range of distilled beverages, including whisky and cognac, continue to be matured for many years in oak barrels. During maturation a range of physical and chemical interactions take place between the barrel, the surrounding atmosphere and the maturing spirit which transform both the flavour and composition of the drink. The effects and time required for maturation are highly variable and are influenced by a wide range of factors, particularly the type of barrel used. As our understanding of the process has improved there has been increasing interest in methods of predicting, controlling and simulating the effects of maturation.

Variation of the Flavour and Extractives of European Oak Wood from Two French Forests

Wood from 20 trees from each of two French forests was heat treated and then stored in a 63% ethanol solution. After 6 months the concentrations of lignin degradation products, oak lactones, ellagic and gallic acids in the solutions were measured. The solutions were also assessed for flavour. Analyses of variance and principal component analyses found significant differences between the two forests in both the chemical composition of the solutions and in flavour assessments. Additional trials confirmed that the duration of heating influenced both chemical and flavour characters, but indicated that the effects may vary, depending upon wood properties and origin of the wood.

Climate Change and Crop Exposure to Adverse Weather: Changes to Frost Risk and Grapevine Flowering Conditions

The cultivation of grapevines in the UK and many other cool climate regions is expected to benefit from the higher growing season temperatures predicted under future climate scenarios. Yet the effects of climate change on the risk of adverse weather conditions or events at key stages of crop development are not always captured by aggregated measures of seasonal or yearly climates, or by downscaling techniques that assume climate variability will remain unchanged under future scenarios. Using fine resolution projections of future climate scenarios for south-west England and grapevine phenology models we explore how risks to cool-climate vineyard harvests vary under future climate conditions. Results indicate that the risk of adverse conditions during flowering declines under all future climate scenarios. In contrast, the risk of late spring frosts increases under many future climate projections due to advancement in the timing of budbreak. Estimates of frost risk, however, were highly sensitive to the choice of phenology model, and future frost exposure declined when budbreak was calculated using models that included a winter chill requirement for dormancy break. The lack of robust phenological models is a major source of uncertainty concerning the impacts of future climate change on the development of cool-climate viticulture in historically marginal climatic regions.

Climate change impacts and adaptive strategies: lessons from the grapevine

The cultivation of grapevines for winemaking, known as viticulture, is widely cited as a climate-sensitive agricultural system that has been used as an indicator of both historic and contemporary climate change. Numerous studies have questioned the viability of major viticulture regions under future climate projections. We review the methods used to study the impacts of climate change on viticulture in the light of what is known about the effects of climate and weather on the yields and quality of vineyard harvests. Many potential impacts of climate change on viticulture, particularly those associated with a change in climate variability or seasonal weather patterns, are rarely captured. Key biophysical characteristics of viticulture are often unaccounted for, including the variability of grapevine phenology and the exploitation of microclimatic niches that permit successful cultivation under suboptimal macroclimatic conditions. We consider how these same biophysical characteristics permit a variety of strategies by which viticulture can adapt to changing climatic conditions. The ability to realize these strategies, however, is affected by uneven exposure to risks across the winemaking sector, and the evolving capacity for decision-making within and across organizational boundaries. The role grape provenance plays in shaping perceptions of wine value and quality illustrates how conflicts of interest influence decisions about adaptive strategies within the industry. We conclude by considering what lessons can be taken from viticulture for studies of climate change impacts and the capacity for adaptation in other agricultural and natural systems.

Microclima: an R package for modelling meso‐ and microclimate

This research was part-funded by the European Social Fund Project 09099NCO5 and NERC NE/P016790/1