Vine performance benchmarking of indigenous Cypriot grape varieties Xynisteri and Maratheftiko

Alexander Willem Copper,Savvas Savvides,Stefanos Koundouras,Christodoulos Karaolis,Cassandra Collins,Susan Bastian,Trent Johnson

doi:10.20870/oeno-one.2020.54.4.3863

Abstract

Aim: The aims of this study were to (1) formulate a baseline understanding of the performance of the indigenous Cypriot white grape Xynisteri and the red grape Maratheftiko (Vitis vinifera L.), and (2) compare these varieties to Shiraz and Sauvignon blanc grown in a Cypriot vineyard.Materials and results: The investigation involved multiple dry grown vineyards from the Krasochoria region of Lemesos, Cyprus, during the 2017, 2018 and 2019 vintages. Vine performance measurements, including midday stem water potential, stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content, stomata density, vine phenology and vegetative and reproductive measurements, were taken at flowering, veraison and pre-harvest. Xynisteri had the greatest stomatal density, more shoots, more leaves, heavier bunches, greater yield, higher leaf water potential at harvest, and a stomatal conductance equal to Maratheftiko, but greater than that of both Shiraz and Sauvignon blanc. Maratheftiko had the longest shoots, largest shoot diameter and the greatest chlorophyll content out of all four varieties.Conclusions: This study identified the ability of the indigenous Cypriot grape varieties, Xynisteri and Maratheftiko, to better tolerate hot and dry conditions when compared to more commonly cultivated varieties grown in the same environmental conditions.Significance and impact of the study: The changing climate of wine growing regions worldwide is placing great pressure on the resources for sustainable viticulture. Many vineyards in hot climate zones base their businesses on European grape varieties traditionally grown in regions with abundant water resources. It is therefore necessary for the global wine industry to investigate grape varieties that are indigenous to hot climates. The eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus is one such place, with more than 10 indigenous grape varieties that grow well in a hot climate without irrigation. Consumer studies have demonstrated that wines made from these Cypriot varieties are equally, if not more, acceptable than wines made from more traditional European grapes; therefore, the potential for their use in other hot wine growing regions is promising.

Highlights

The world’s wine growing regions are experiencing rapid climate change. Jones et al (2005) reported on climate data from 1950-1999 and found that wine growing regions in Europe and the United States had experienced significant increases in growing season temperatures
Grape growing regions have traditionally been classified by various methods, such as Mean January/July Temperatures (MJT), Growing Season Temperature (GST), Growing Degree Days (GDD), Huglin Index (HI), Spring Index (SI), and Biologically Effective Degree Days (BEDD) (Coombe and Dry, 1988; Hall and Jones, 2010; Jarvis et al, 2017; Cameron et al, 2020)
For this study Mean January Temperature (MJT) and GDD were used (Table 2), and when these classifications are applied to Cypriot vineyards, we can see that the area analysed for this study is very hot according to Coombe and Dry (1988)

Summary

Introduction

The world’s wine growing regions are experiencing rapid climate change. Jones et al (2005) reported on climate data from 1950-1999 and found that wine growing regions in Europe and the United States had experienced significant increases in growing season temperatures. Jones et al (2005) reported on climate data from 1950-1999 and found that wine growing regions in Europe and the United States had experienced significant increases in growing season temperatures. The area-averaged mean temperature for 2019 was 1.52 °C above the 1961–1990 average, while mean maximum temperatures were 2.09 °C above average and mean minimum temperatures were 0.95 °C above average It was the driest year on record, with a nationally averaged rainfall of 277.6 mm, which is 40 % below the 1961‐1990 average (Australian Bureau of Meterology, 2020). This far exceeds the previously reported increase in average temperatures, which has been approximately 1 °C since the middle of the 20th Century (Webb, 2011)

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