Nanotechnology: recent advances in viticulture and enology

Nowadays, nanoscience is a leading modern science that has a major impact on the food, pharmaceutical, and agriculture sectors. Several nanomaterials show a great potential for use during vine growing and winemaking processes. In viticulture, nanotechnology can be applied to protect vines against phytopathogens and to improve grape yield and quality. Thus, nanotechnology may allow the use of lesser amounts of phytochemical compounds, reducing environmental impact and promoting a more sustainable agriculture. And in winemaking, nanomaterials and nanodevices can be used to control the growth of spoilage microorganisms and to reduce or remove undesirable compounds, such as ethyl phenols (4-ethylphenol and 4-ethylguaiacol), biogenic amines, and tartaric acid, and so on, as well as to facilitate some technological processes (i.e. in wine filtration to eliminate microorganisms). This review summarizes recent studies with applications of nanotechnology in viticulture in order to facilitate agronomic management and optimize grape production and in enology to improve wine quality and safety. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.