Abstract
A two-year study was performed to evaluate the effects of the timing of cluster thinning on Pinot noir grapes and wines in the central coast of California. Vines were thinned to one cluster per shoot at three selected time-points during the growing season, and fruit was harvested and made into wine. No consistent effect of cluster thinning was found in wine phenolic profile or color across a cool (2016) and a warm (2017) growing season. The growing season had a more significant effect than the cluster thinning treatment for most parameters measured. There was no detectable overall sensory difference between the non-thinned control wines and any of the thinned treatment wines. Based on current results, Pinot noir vineyards on the central coast of California can support crop loads that result in Ravaz Index values from 3 to 6 without concern for impacting ripening potential or negatively affecting fruit composition.
Highlights
Pinot noir (Vitis vinifera L.) is a challenging grape cultivar from both a viticultural and winemaking perspective
No positive effect of cluster thinning or the timing of it was observed across two growing seasons, a cooler growing season and a warmer growing season, for Pinot noir grapes and wines
The growing season had a greater effect on variation than thinning treatment for most parameters
Summary
Pinot noir (Vitis vinifera L.) is a challenging grape cultivar from both a viticultural and winemaking perspective. Pinot noir grapevines produce compact clusters of thin-skinned berries, which increase susceptibility to fungal pathogens relative to other V. vinifera cultivars. Because of the relatively lower phenolic content of Pinot noir, wines produced from it are lighter in color and astringency than wines made from other cultivars [15]. As color is one of the main drivers of perceived wine quality [18], viticultural practices such as cluster thinning are often applied to Pinot noir grapes in an attempt to lower yields and influence fruit polyphenol composition by lowering vine crop load [19,20,21,22,23,24,25]
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