Research

Significant works of the department are related to the research of vine foundations. The research immediately began after the showing of filoksera. The basic goal of the initial research was to introduce a greater number of American grapevine sorts and hybrids (American and European vines) and to find a foundation resistant to filoksera. Later research was directed toward finding grapevines that are resistant to a line of important factors in growing of the grape vine: the resistance to the content of lime in the dirt, drought, salt content, nematodes, good scaring and an adequate influence on a line of traits of the injected European grapevine. According to longterm research the following researched vine foundations can be recommended:

• for alluvial, gravel and drought exposed grounds:Richter 110, 44-53 Maleque, Paulsen 1045 and 779, Richter 99;
• gravel exposed, impoverished and drought exposed ground: Ruggeri - 140, Richter 110,420 A;
• mineral carbonated grounds: 41- B, 161 -49 C;
• sandy clay impoverished grounds: Schwarzmann, Paulsen 1103.

There was significant work on the research of the development of the root net of vine foundations, root net of specific sorts grafted on predetermined vine foundations, and on the absorption ability of individual nutritional elements in the ground.

With the goal of developing and intensifying the planting production, the Department organized itself in the specific localities of Dalmatia (Vis, Hvar, Korcula, Peljesac, Drnis, Imotski, Vrgorac), and with the goal of production of repromaterials (plemki of autochthonous and domestic sorts of grape vines) raised a central plantation with the most suitable vine foundations. Centrally placed plantings of autochthonous and domesticated sorts of grape vines: plavac, vugava, plavina, kuc, kujundzusa, marastina, posip, and some introduced types, as plantings of foundations are under constant control of this Institute, which performs sort and health control. With the goal of a contemporary and qualitative production the Department, in cooperation with an organization "Poduh" from Metkovic, organized a production of 2 000 000 grafts for the social and individual purposes in Dalmatia.

In a large field of work in regards to the regionalization of the viticultural-wine selling production in Dalmatia, defined are viticultural geographical entities (regions, subregions, wine highlands and localities) and they are topographically and geographically marked. For the showing of the ecological factors of viticultural units elaborated on are climactic and pedologic elements necessary for the graphing of the agroecological conditions of profitable growing of grapevine. In the selection of sorts applied was the contemporary classification. All sorts were classified in groups (not permitted, permissible, recommended) that guarantee production of specific wine categories.

With regionalization the protection of geographical wine is accomplished. Before regionalization of Dalmatian viticulture research was done on protecting wines geographical descent. On the basis of the departments work, in 1961 was completed the protection of the wine "Dingac" (according to the international plan of the Geneva convention). Soon thereafter was protected the wine "Postup", then the famed white wines from Korcula, "Posip" and "Marastina", then "Faros" from the island of Hvar and "Babic" from Primosten. The work on geographical protection is continued.

After the second world war, more accurately when the Institute was formed into a federal scientific-research institution, the entire activity, including viticulture, accepted new shapes of work. Qualitative analysis and useful research to be applied to practice was a task for the wine experts. The research of wines from particular regions and localities become actual, especially for those that have successfully domesticated famed (domestic) sorts: plavac mali, the Greek, vugava, posip, etc. Also were performed tests tied to confirming optimal technology of wine production.

The most significant works of that period were:

• testing the influence of the length of time the red wine sat on grape husks in order to get good harmonious wines;
• testing the possibility of increasing the production of a wine "Dingac" with selected yeast from the Dingac region;
• testing the influence of different technologies on grape production concerning the quality of wine;
• testing plavac from the Peljesac region (Dingac, Postup), BraŸ (Bol- Murvica), Hvar (Sv.Nedjelja, Ivan Dolac) and Vis . Then the testing of Babic wine from the Primosten region, the white wines Smokvica-Cara (posip, marastina), Vis (vugava), in order to confirm the quality and create documentation for the geographical protection

With the acquisition of contemporary spectrophotometry, gas chromatography and high pressure liquid chromatography, atomic absorber and other equipment used in classical analysis, the working conditions became quite good.

Scientific research in the last decade at the Institute for viticulture and wine selling:

• the influence of the dynamics of activity of discontinued presses on the efficiency of pressing
• testing the aromatic contents of wine and strong alcoholic drinks, and confirming the time of their forming and maturation
• confirming the colour matter in red wine in central Dalmatia
• identification and enzymatic activity of individual oxidase

Beside scientific work the departmental activity was evident in the following:

1. Jobs performed according to contracts with trade organizations:

a) collaboration in advancing wine production and strong alcoholic drinks
b) control of protected wines in Dalmatia
c) making of the elaborates for the protection of wines with geographical descendence

2. Functions enveloping the control of wine quality:

a) wine quality control delivered by the inspection services
b) control of wine quality intended for export
c) control and gauging of individual aids used with physical analysis of must, wine, and distillates

3. Service functions of educational significance:

a) all types of analysis of must, wine and alcoholic beverages
b) advice and recommendations based on conferences, organoleptic grades or physio-chemical analysis

The activity of the Institute in the last years were directed towards the following research:

• introduction with the goal of researching the traits of grapevine in specific ecological conditions and application of the same into the production;
• researching the regularity of morphological and biological changes in the sorts in different ecological conditions;
• researching the regularity in geographical change of individual traits of sorts, concerning the change in the sort exemplified by mutation and the possibility of making new clones;
• research and study orientated in finding and resolving problems of grapevines genetic origin;
• istraživanja i prouèavanja orijentirana ka pronalaženju i rješavanju problema genetskog porijekla sorti vinove loze;
• distribution of individual polyphenols in grape and wine;
• study of the usual components that characterize natural traits of the sorts, in grape and wine