Cultivation site effect on the quality of Moscato di Pantelleria

In 1997 and 1999, sixteen cultivation sites of cv. Muscat of Alexandria different for pedological conditions, altitude and exposition were selected through all Pantelleria isle. In 1997 in each site, described and classified according to USDA Soil Taxonomy and FAO Soil Classification methods, grapes, collected at technological ripening, were microvinificated, following a standard procedure which allowed to obtain the naturally sweet wine DOC Moscato di Pantelleria. Wines, five months after vinification, were analysed by gaschromatography. Moreover they were described by sensorial analysis using a non structured parametric card. In 1999, grape maturation trend was observed in the same cultivation sites, At harvest time, productive parameters were collected for the vines of each site; furthermore grapes of each site were collected and microvinificated and the main juoce parameters were determinated.
The different pedological substrates, but above all, the expositions, summarised in some landscape units, determined important differences in the accumulation process which delayed up to 40-50 days the ripening among the early and late sites. Wines produces in the early sites presented a particular sensorial profile either in quantity and in quality, with sensorial descriptors linked to citrus, white flowers and green legumes, while in wines produces with grapes of late sites, sensorial descriptors were linked to fruit jam and stone fruits. Different mixture of wines coming from the two different origins resulted in complex and elegant wines.