Delineation significance in viticultural zoning: examples in the Southern Côtes-du-Rhône

Climate change is causing a gap between the technological and phenolic maturity of grapes, resulting in wines with high alcohol content and low polyphenol concentration. Another phenomenon associated with high temperatures and whose effect is more pronounced if the harvest is delayed is the decrease in the acidity of the grapes, mainly in malic acid, and an increase in pH caused by the accumulation of potassium derived from the increase in temperature. Therefore, climate change and the effects it causes on the vine leads to unbalanced wines, with high alcohol content and lack of color, with green tannins, astringency and excessively low acidity if not corrected.

Infection of the grapes with Botrytis cinerea has a tremendous impact on the resulting crop yield and quality. Well-known problems that are associated with B. cinerea are specific off-flavors, poor filterability, and brownish color in white wines. The development of a B. cinerea infection strongly depends on weather conditions and is highly variable through different vintages. Typical control measures include defoliation and the use of fungicides, which involves high personnel and material costs. They also involve a great risk, especially since the effectiveness and time point of these treatments are difficult to predict.

Sono quattro i terni fondamentali di questo progetto: la sostenibilità; la conoscenza; la parte­cipazione come strumento anche di riduzione della burocrazia e il tema della coerenza delle politiche di settore e della collaborazione fra gli Enti.

The Priorat AOC, which is situated behind the coastal mountain range of Tarragona, is characterised by a Mediterranean climate that tends towards continentality and has very little precipitation during the vegetation cycle

Over the last decades, wine analysis has become an important analytical field, with emphasis placed on the development of new methodologies for characterization and elaboration control.