Climate and wine quality: Chianti in Tuscany

Determining the relationship between climate variations and wine quality: the WEBSOM approach 391

2006

Wine composition is determined by various conditions: grape variety, rootstock, soil type, cultivation techniques, and climatic characteristics (Gladstones 1992, Wilson 1998, van Leeuwen et al. 2004). The first three conditions are generally constant, particularly variety and rootstock because of the control exercised by regulating councils (Rodo and Comin 2000). Cultivation techniques, at times labeled "human factors," are most often responsible for long-term variability since modification in production methods may require a long period for adoption by grapegrowers. Regulating councils may also be responsible for a limited and controlled introduction of innovation techniques (Rodo and Comin 2000). Climatic variables are the main influence on year-to-year variability. Although improvement in cultivation techniques allows for obtaining acceptable quality levels each year, climatic or meteorological conditions are largely responsible for interannual variations in production and the quality of wines obtained in specific years (Jones and Davis 2000a,b, Giaccio and Del Signore 2004). This topic is particularly important given the present period, which is characterized by accentuated climatic variability, and the forecast of drastic climatic changes in the future (Nemani et al. 2001). Meteorological conditions can influence the main processes responsible for grapevine growth and development, plant disease infections, and some chemical and sensory characteristics of wines (Moncur et al. 1989, Huber and Gillespie 1992, Mullins et al. 1992, Esteves and Manso Orgaz 2001). Mathematical descriptions of these effects have been formulated in order to provide users (such as growers, extension services, and researchers) with operational tools for processing information to improve management and planning (Grifoni et al. 2003). Simple bioclimatic indices, more complex statistical relationships, and empirical and mechanistic simulation models (Bindi et al. 1997a,b) can be applied using climatic data, weather monitoring, and forecasting as driving variables for obtaining a generally accurate definition of vine responses to meteorological conditions (Huglin 1986). The quality of agrometeorological variables is the basis for precise description of these effects and consequently for processing of end-user information. However, ground

Bragantia, 2014

The global warming may put pressure over some world's highest quality wine producing regions. This fact indicates the need to evaluate the presence of climate change in non-traditional wine producing regions of the Globe. Therefore, the goals of this study were to detect trends in rainfall and air temperature series obtained from three locations of the eastern part of the State of São Paulo, Brazil (a non-traditional high quality wine producing region) and to evaluate the effect of the detected climate trends on agrometeorological indices frequently used to indicate suitable areas for wine production. The trend analyses were applied to maximum and minimum air temperature series, rainfall series and to the following agrometeorological parameters: heliothermal index, cool night index and growing degree-days. These three indices were selected due to their previous use in studies that address the effect of regional climate conditions on the general wine style. The analyses took into...

Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, 2018

The growth of the grapevine is determined largely by temperature, thus it is essential to investigate the role of temperature in crop phenology. This study takes into account three diverse cultivars of grapevine never studied phenologically in this area, on three farms in the province of Macerata (Central Italy, east side).The end of flowering date was chosen for the significance of the growth transition from the plant to the berries. Preventive climate analysis was implemented by GIS software through the cokriging geostatistical method to spatialize temperature, using altitude as the independent variable. The phenological dates of the cultivars of grapevine were related to temperatures iteratively, creating a new method for calculating growing degree days, on the basis of 4 key (cardinal) temperatures which influence plant growth. This study represents the first step towards creating an identity card for the three studied grapevines, as a tool to improve quality and quantity of yield.

2016

Global climate change poses new challenges for plant species, including new and complex combinations of environmental conditions to which plants should adjust and adapt. Mediterranean ecosystems are recognized biodiversity hotspots, but are also global climate change hotspots due to the concerted action of multiple environmental drivers. The Italian Peninsula presents a wide range of all these site-related elements influencing grapevine performance. From a climatic perspective, it delivers a relatively large set of mesoclimates, spanning from dryer regions, in the inner south, to more humid regions, in the northwest and northeast. Topography and soils are also quite distinct throughout the peninsula, ranging from extended flatland areas to steep mountainous regions, each with very different soil characteristics, which may influence crop selection and settlements in each region. All these elements are reflected in the different varieties grown throughout the peninsula. This study aims to provide an improved assessment of the practical adaptation options for the viticulture of Tuscany and of Valpolicella and what could be the strength and resilience to climate change of grapevine varieties in these areas. According to the models tested, Italian viticulture is able to adapt better than other countries to global warming, as the placing at various altitudes up in the high hills and mountains sets off the mechanism called resilience.

E3S Web of Conferences

As one of the most emblematic wine regions of cool climate terroir viticulture, Burgundy is endowed with a set of very specific natural features suitable to the production of high quality wines, where climate is arguably one of the main factors to profoundly influence vine physiology/phenology and grape composition. These environmental nuances have led to a wide variety of styles in Pinot noir and Chardonnay wines that have been largely acknowledged and appreciated by the international market and vitivinicultural industry. However, individual grape varieties optimum quality is known to be closely related to well-defined climate and geographical ranges. Climate change and global warming latest trends make them more susceptible to undergo modifications in terms of berry ripening processes and advancements in harvest dates due to short-term and long-term spatiotemporal fluctuations in climate variability. The impact of air temperature on grapevine development and harvest outcomes has b...

OENO One, 2019

Aims: A better understanding of the relationship between weather conditions and wine quality would provide tools for assessing the impact of climate change and the potential for adaptation. Most studies rely on assessing wine quality by the price per bottle or by an overall ranking and then establishing general relations to weather conditions. However, such an approach may imply the addition of bias by variable winemaking techniques overcoming vintage effects. The aim of our study was therefore to implement a controlled conditions approach using grape samples from a single vineyard and a standardized micro-scale winemaking technique to produce wines in similar conditions for each vintage over more than a decade. We hope that this data will allow new insights into responses to climatic differences.Methods and results: From 2005 to 2015, data was collected from a vineyard of Hochschule Geisenheim University planted with Vitis vinifera L. cv. Pinot Noir grafted on rootstock SO4 in four...

Agricultural Systems, 2017

Water deficit limiting yields is one of the negative aspects of climate change. However, this applies particularly when emphasis is on biomass production (e.g. for field crops), but not necessarily for plants where quality, not quantity is most relevant. For grapevine development, mild water stress occurring during specific phenological phases is an important factor when producing good quality wines. It induces the production of anthocyanins and aroma precursors and then could offer an opportunity to increase winegrower's income. A multidisciplinary study was carried out in Campania region (Southern Italy), an area well known for high quality wine production. Growth of Aglianico grapevine cultivar, with a standard clone population on 1103 Paulsen rootstocks, was studied on two different types of soil: Calcisols and Cambisols occurring along a slope of 90 m length with 11% gradient. The agro-hydrological model SWAP was calibrated and applied to estimate soil-plant water status during three consecutive seasons (2011-2013). Crop water stress index (CWSI), as estimated by the model, was related to leaf water potential, sugar content of grape bunches and wine quality (e.g. content of tannins). For both soils, the correlations between quality measurements and CWSI were high (e.g. −0.97** with sugar; 0.895* with anthocyanins in the grape skins). The model was also applied to explore effects of future climate conditions (2021-2051) obtained from statistical downscaling of Global Circulation Models (AOGCM) and to estimate the effect of the climate on CWSI and hence on grape quality. Effects of climate change on grape quality indicate: (i) a resilient behavior of Calcisol to produce high quality wine, (ii) a good potentiality for improving the quality wine in Cambisol. The present study represents an example of multidisciplinary approach in which soil scientists, hydro-pedologists, crop modellers, plant physiologists and oenologists have integrated their knowledge and skills in order to deal with the complex interactions among different components of an agricultural system.

2016

Climate change is having an increasing influence on vine phenology and grape composition, affecting vinifications, wine chemistry and the quality of productions. Wine grape cultivation provides a good test case for measuring indirect impacts mediated by changes in agriculture, because viticulture is sensitive to climate and is concentrated in Mediterranean climate regions that are global biodiversity hotspots. Moreover, on a regional level and on a shorter time scale, the seasonal weather conditions modify the quality of yields determining the final properties of wine. In the present research, we studied wines from Italy and Slovenia with the purpose of differentiating them by the different vintages, which are supposed to be influenced by temperature and rain during each year’s growing season. Specific chemical techniques were used, in particular mass spectrometry (ICPMS) and isotopic mass spectrometry (IRMS), both of which are usually employed to detect wine adulterations and to es...