Terroir 2004 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Climatic potential to produce grapes for wine-making in the tropical north region of Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Climatic potential to produce grapes for wine-making in the tropical north region of Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Abstract

The tropical north region of Minas Gerais State is one of the least developed of Brazil and viticulture could be an alternative to develop its agriculture zone. The objective of this work was to evaluate the wine grape production climatic potential of that region. The evaluations were carried out employing the Multicriteria Climatic Classification System (Geoviticulture MCC System), that utilizes three reference climatic indexes (Dryness Index – DI, Heliothermal Index – HI and Cool Night Index – CNI). This study integrates the concept of viticultural climate with intra-annual variability, that corresponds to the regions that, under natural climate conditions, change viticultural climate class as a result of the time of the year at which grapes can be produced – a definition to be used for regions with a hot climate where it is possible to have more than one grape harvest per year. Three locations – Pirapora (17º 21’S, 44º56’W, 489m), Montes Claros (16º43’S, 43º52’W, 647m) and Diamantina (18º15’S, 43º36’W, 1297m) – and two potential production cycles along the year – October-March (summer period) and April-September (winter period) – were evaluated. The results showed that in the summer period Pirapora and Montes Claros presented monthly average maximum temperature values (Tmax) varying from 29,4 ºC to 31,7 ºC, average minimum temperatures (Tmin) between 17,7 ºC and 20,4 ºC, and precipitation (P) varying from 76,8 mm to 223,8 mm, representing a ‘humid, very warm and with warm nights’ class of viticultural climate, according to MCC System. This climatic condition is similar to the summer period condition of the Brazilian San Francisco Valley (9º23’S, 40º29’W, 371,7m) grape-growing region, although with a higher DI. For the winter period, those two regions presented Tmax between 27,1ºC and 31,7ºC, Tmin between 12,1ºC and 18,2ºC, and P between 1,8 mm to 51,4 mm representing a ‘moderately dry, warm and with temperate nights’ according MCC System. Otherwise, the Diamantina summer period presented Tmax values between 24,4ºC and 25,3ºC, Tmin varying from 15,6ºC to 17,3ºC and P values between 99,2mm and 261,2mm, representing a ‘humid, temperate warm and with temperate nights’ viticultural climate. In the winter period, Diamantina Tmax values varied from 20,9ºC to 24,0ºC, Tmin varied between 11,8ºC and 15,9ºC and P varied between 7,8mm and 58,1mm. These values represent a ‘subhumid, temperate and with cool nights’ viticultural climate. Based on those results it can be concluded that the north region of Minas Gerais State has a great climatic potential to became a grape-growing for wine-making region, specially on the winter period, when the region viticultural climate presents conditions where vine will potentially face a certain level of dryness, an heliothermal global regime between temperate warm and warm, and with cool to temperate nights. The viticultural climate with intra-annual variability of the region, that offers a potential to produce grapes in the tropical winter period, represents a particular condition in relation to the world classic geoviticulture. The climatic groups of the regions with possibility to produce in the non classic periods of the year must be considered in the context of the tropical viticulture climate, presenting a distinct seasonal thermic evolution dynamic.

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2004

Type: Article

Authors

M.A.F Conceição (1) and J. Tonietto (2)

(1) Brazilian Agriculture Research Company (Embrapa), Grape and Wine National Research Center, Tropical Viticulture Experimental Station, PO Box 241, 15700-000, Jales, SP, Brazil
(2) Brazilian Agriculture Research Company (Embrapa), Grape and Wine National Research Center, PO Box 130, 95700-000, Bento Gonçalves, RS, Brazil

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2004

Citation

Related articles…

Downscaling of remote sensing time series: thermal zone classification approach in Gironde region

In viticulture, the challenges of local climate modelling are multiple: taking into account the local environment, fine temporal and spatial scales, reliable time series of climate data, ease of implementation and reproducibility of the method. At the local scale, recent studies have demonstrated the contribution of spatialization methods for ground-based climate observation data considering topographic factors such as altitude, slope, aspect, and geographic coordinates (Le Roux et al, 2017; De Rességuier et al, 2020). However, these studies have shown questions in terms of the reproducibility and sustainability of this type of climate study. In this context, we evaluated the potential of MODIS thermal satellite images validated with ground-based climate data (Morin et al, 2020). Previous studies have been encouraging, but questions remain to be explored at the regional scale, particularly in the dynamics of the massive use of bioclimatic indices to classify the climate of wine regions. The results at the local scale were encouraging, but this approach was tested in the current study at the regional scale. Several objectives were set: 1) to evaluate the downscaling method for land surface temperature time series, 2) to identify regional thermal structure variations. We used weekly minimum and maximum surface temperature time series acquired by MODIS satellites at a spatial resolution of 1000 m and downscaled at 500 m using topographical variables. Two types of analyses were performed:

Sustaining wine identity through intra-varietal diversification

With contemporary climate change, cultivated Vitis vinifera L. is at risk as climate is a critical component in defining ecologically fitted plant materiel. While winegrowers can draw on the rich diversity among grapevine varieties to limit expected impacts (Morales-Castilla et al., 2020), replacing a signature variety that has created a sense of local distinctiveness may lead to several challenges. In order to sustain wine identity in uncertain climate outcomes, the study of intra-varietal diversity is important to reflect the adaptive and evolutionary potential of current cultivated varieties. The aim of this ongoing study is to understand to what extent can intra-varietal diversity be a climate change adaptation solution. With a focus on early (Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Grolleau, Pinot noir) to moderate late (Chenin, Petit Verdot, Cabernet franc) ripening varieties, data was collected for flowering and veraison for the various studied accessions (from conservatory plots) and clones. For these phenological growing stages, heat requirements were established using nearby weather stations (adapted from the GFV model, Parker et al., 2013) and model performances were verified. Climate change projections were then integrated to predict the future behaviour of the intra-varietal diversity. Study findings highlight the strong phenotypic diversity of studied varieties and the importance of diversification to enhance climate change resilience. While model performances may require improvements, this study is the first step towards quantifying heat requirements of different clones and how they can provide adaptation solutions for winegrowers to sustain local wine identity in a global changing climate. As genetic diversity is an ongoing process through point mutations and epigenetic adaptations, perspective work is to explore clonal data from a wide variety of geographic locations.

Metabolomic discrimination of grapevine water status for Chardonnay and Pinot noir

Water status impact in viticulture has been widely explored, as it strongly affects grapevine physiology and grape chemical composition. It is considered as a key component of vitivinicultural terroir. Most of the studies concerning grapevine water status have focused on either physiological traits, or berry compounds, or traits involved in wine quality. Here, the response of grapevine to water availability during the ripening period is assessed through non-targeted metabolomics analysis of grape berries by ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry. The grapevine water status has been assessed during 2 consecutive years (2019 & 2020), through carbon isotope discrimination on juices from berries collected at maturity (21.5 brix approx.) for 2 Vitis vinifera cv. Pinot noir (PN) and Chardonnay (CH). A total of 220 grape juices were collected from 5 countries worldwide (Italy; Argentina; France; Germany; Portugal). Measured δ13C (‰) varied from -28.73 to -22.6 for PN, and from -28.79 to -21.67 for CH. These results also clearly revealed higher water stress for the 2020 vintage. The same grape juices have been analysed by Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) and Liquid Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (LC-qTOF-MS), leading to the detection of up to 4500 CHONS containing elemental compositions, and thus likely tens of thousands of individual compounds, which include fatty acids, organic acids, peptides, phenolics, also with high levels of glycosylation. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that up to 160 elemental compositions, covering the whole range of detected masses (100 –1000 m/z), were significantly correlated to the observed gradients of water status. Examples of chemical markers, which are representative of these complex fingerprints, include various derivatives of the known abscisic acid (ABA), such as phaesic acid or abscisic acid glucose ester, which are significantly correlated with higher water stress, regardless of the variety. Cultivar-specific behaviours could also be identified from these fingerprints. Our results provide an unprecedented representation of the metabolic diversity, which is involved in the water status regulation at the grape level, and which could contribute to a better knowledge of the grapevine mitigation strategy in a climate change context.

Short-term relationships between climate and grapevine trunk diseases in southern French vineyards

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

Vineyards and clay minerals: multi-technique analytical approach and correlations with soil properties

Purpose of this research is to quantitatively assess the mineral component of vineyard soils, with particular attention to the mineralogical analysis of clays, which represent an element of high importance in the vineyard culture as well as in general agriculture. An X-ray diffraction (XRD) / thermogravimetric (TG) multi-technique analytical approach was developed, tested on soil samples taken from vineyards around the world. This codified analytical procedure was necessary to obtain precise qualitative and quantitative mineralogical data, globally comparable to distinguish the geopedological identity of the vineyards. Soil samples from vineyards of various locations were analysed, in very different geological conditions. The bulk-rock quantitative phase analysis (QPA) was obtained by the Rietveld method while the detailed composition of the clay-sized fraction was determined by modelling of the oriented X-ray diffraction patterns. The research provided a precise classification of the mineral component of soils, distinguishing the mineral phases of the clays and the so-called mixed-layer clay minerals. We found that the content in mixed layers can be directly correlated with the water retention and the cation exchange capacity ​​of the soil, while the presence of other clayey minerals and phyllosilicates in this research did not affect this CEC parameter, which codes the fertility level of the soils. The study demonstrates that terroir, in particular soils formed in complex or very different geological conditions, can only be effectively interpreted by properly analysing its mineral phases, in particular the mixed-layer clay component. These are characteristic abiotic ecological indicators, which may have specific eco-physiological influences on the plant.