Abstract
Climate is the most relevant factor influencing the ripening of high quality grapes to produce a given wine style. This notion should be taken into account, given the increase of extreme weather events (EWE) related to climate change. Under this evolving climate scenario, North-East Italian wine regions have seen a recent expansion, potentially disregarding optimal planting choices. The use of marginal land, indeed, could lead to the establishment of vineyards in areas where it is not possible to take advantage of the best row orientation, slope and aspect. Under these conditions, the consequences of some EWE may be more severe. The objective of this study is to verify whether planting options in combination with climate conditions, may affect yield and fruit quality. An area localised in Northern Italy was analysed for row orientation and slope, taking advantage of QGIS tools. The area was also examined for climate conditions, using weather conditions and climate indices. Such variables were combined with 10-year yield and must composition of four varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Merlot and Glera) by using linear regression. The paper reports the most significant relationships between climatic conditions and grapevine composition. The results showed high positive correlation between sugar concentration and the number of frost days during the year in three varieties. The sugar content was positively correlated with the relative humidity in June in three varieties and negatively correlated with the number of days with a temperature >25°C during the month of June in two varieties. The content of tartaric acid showed high correlations with thermal indices of May in all varieties.
Highlights
In viticulture and wine production, climate is probably the most critical factor influencing fruit ripening, the main requirement to achieve optimal characteristics to produce a given wine style
The comparative analysis on the 200 vineyards located within the region led to similar results: the mean slope was 1.14° with a standard deviation of 0.8°, with a prevailing North-South row orientation (76%)
As far as for row orientation, the prevailing North-South orientation is the ideal choice at northern latitudes because it leads to a better radiation balance for the canopy, especially in vertical trellis systems
Summary
In viticulture and wine production, climate is probably the most critical factor influencing fruit ripening, the main requirement to achieve optimal characteristics to produce a given wine style. Regions that historically have been more involved in viticulture have succeeded in gaining the best possible benefits from climate conditions, optimising terroir expression. In these regions, wine production is a relevant economic sector, and winemakers aim to build their reputation by providing consistent quality. Traditional wine-growing regions will face more frequent and intense extreme weather events (EWE) [2, 3]. This climate change scenario will likely influence the main viticultural choices, i.e
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