Climatic zoning and viticulture in Galicia (North West Spain)

The european union has estimated that energy consumption for wine production is about 1,750 million kwh per year, of which 500 million kwh is attributable to italy. In recent years, Italy has emerged as the world’s leading wine producer with about 50 million hectoliters per year. About 20 percent (9.8 million hectoliters) of Italian wine is marketed after refermentation according to the Charmat-Martinotti method.

The capture and valorization of fermentative CO2 have been developed for several years by the company w platform for internal uses, notably in the cellars: inerting, cooling, reduction of water consumption, extraction, with aroma valorization. In a context of climatic warming during the vegetative cycle, grapes are currently harvested with a significant sugar concentration, a phenomenon that is expected to intensify in the coming decades. The high alcohol content of the resulting wines goes against the demand of customers who are seeking high-quality wines with less alcohol.

The wine sector is of great relevance and tradition in Mediterranean countries, however, it may be most susceptible to climate change. In recent years, wine production is facing changes worldwide, both at environmental as well as commercial levels, due to global warming and the shift in consumers’ preferences. Wine growers and wine makers are in search of solutions that allow to face these new challenges. One of the most promising initiatives in the long term is the introduction of new plant materials, specifically intraspecific hybridizations between premium varieties that may improve traditional germplasm in its adaptation to climate change. These inter-varietal crosses have the potential to generate quality wines, whilst maintaining the regional typicity, and constitute an attractive alternative for the consumer due to their sensory attributes. In this study, we have evaluated wines from 29 intraspecific Garnacha x Tempranillo hybrids in two different locations, with the aim to assess their oenological potential and sensory attributes. Thirteen of the selections were white and 16 were red. Microvinifications were conducted with two or three replications depending on grape availability. Conventional oenological parameters were determined for all wines. The sensory evaluation and hedonic scores were given by five experts. Red selections obtained higher quality scores than white ones. Among the white selections with higher quality scores, GT-41 Varea and GT-159 Varea outstand, due to their high total acidity and high malic acid content. Regarding red selections, GT-57 Varea and GT-57 UR were perceived as higher in quality, highlighted for their moderate alcoholic and high anthocyanin content. Our results indicate that intraspecific hybridization may be a powerful tool for adapting traditional cultivars to climate change in Rioja.

Grapevine, Vitis vinifera, requires grafting on Phylloxera tolerant rootstocks of American origin in most viticultural areas of the world. The most commonly used species in rootstock creation are V. berlandieri, V. riparia and V. rupestris. Rootstocks not only provide tolerance to Phylloxera but assure the supply of water and mineral nutrients to the scion. The objective of this work was to determine to what extent rootstocks of different parentages alter the mineral composition of petioles of grapevine.

Comprehensive evaluation of grape composition at winery receiving areas often requires multiple measurements to ensure representativeness, as well as the use of analytical techniques that are time-consuming and involve sample preparation.