terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Mesoclimate impact on Tannat in the Atlantic terroir of Uruguay

Mesoclimate impact on Tannat in the Atlantic terroir of Uruguay

Abstract

The study of climate is relevant as an element conditioning the typicity of a product, its quality and sustainability over the years. The grapevine development and growth and the final grape and wine composition are closely related to temperature, while climate components vary at mesoscale according to topography and/or proximity to large bodies of water. The objective of this work is to assess the mesoclimate of the Atlantic region of Uruguay and to determine the effect of topography and the ocean on temperature and consequently on Tannat grapevine behavior. For this purpose, an automatic weather station and a network of 19 temperature sensors were installed in 2018 in plots of a commercial vineyard in contrasting topographic situations. Nine sensors correspond to Tannat plots. Based on the climatic data for 2018-19 and 2019-20 growing seasons, bioindicators for grapevine were calculated and relationships between site topography and plant response were analyzed. Temporal climate variability between the two growing seasons is explained by rainfall and spatial variability was associated with plots’ topography. Altitude was the main feature that statistically differentiated the plots’ temperature. The effect was observed on thermal amplitude, Cool Night Index, number of days above 30 °C and maximum summer temperature. During the summer of the warmest growing season (2019-20), at 14:00 LH the average thermal difference was -1.7 °C in favor of higher altitude (140 masl) compared to lower altitude (70 masl). The main factor conditioning this result was the ocean proximity and exposure to sea breeze air circulation. Plots in higher elevations favored grapes with higher malic acid content, while lower elevations showed berries with higher amounts of secondary metabolites. This study provides knowledge about Tannat behavior under ocean condition and in a complex region which could be of value to adapt sustainable viticulture techniques.

DOI:

Publication date: May 31, 2022

Issue: Terclim 2022

Type: Article

Authors

Ramiro Tachini1, Milka Ferrer1, Valérie Bonnardot2, Martin Fanzone3 and Mercedes Fourment1

1Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República Oriental del Uruguay. Montevideo, Uruguay
2University Rennes 2, LETG-UMR 6554 CNRS, Rennes, France
3Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Mendoza, Argentina

Contact the author

Keywords

mesoclimate, South America, Oceanic wine region, Tannat, grape composition

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terclim 2022

Citation

Related articles…

Metabolic response of vitis vinifera and interspecific vitis sp. varieties to heat stress, water deficit and combined stress, using a metabolomic approach

As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, climate projections indicate an increased likelihood of heat waves and drier conditions in canada. these changes pose significant challenges to grapevine cultivation, particularly during critical growth stages such as new plantings. interspecific hybrid grape varieties, developed through different breeding programs that combine vitis vinifera with more robust species like v. riparia and v. labrusca varieties, are often touted for their potential resilience to environmental stress.

Climate change impacts: a multi-stress issue

With the aim of producing premium wines, it is admitted that moderate environmental stresses may contribute to the accumulation of compounds of interest in grapes. However the ongoing climate change, with the appearance of more limiting conditions of production is a major concern for the wine industry economic. Will it be possible to maintain the vineyards in place, to preserve the current grape varieties and how should we anticipate the adaptation measures to ensure the sustainability of vineyards? In this context, the question of the responses and adaptation of grapevine to abiotic stresses becomes a major scientific issue to tackle. An abiotic stress can be defined as the effect of a specific factor of the physico-chemical environment of the plants (temperature, availability of water and minerals, light, etc.) which reduces growth, and for a crop such as the vine, the yield, the composition of the fruits and the sustainability of the plants. Water stress is in many minds, but a systemic vision is essential for at least two reasons. The first reason is that in natural environments, a single factor is rarely limiting, and plants have to deal with a combination of constraints, as for example heat and drought, both in time and at a given time. The second reason is that plants, including grapevine, have central mechanisms of stress responses, as redox regulatory pathways, that play an important role in adaptation and survival. Here we will review the most recent studies dealing with this issue to provide a better understanding of the grapevine responses to a combination of environmental constraints and of the underlying regulatory pathways, which may be very helpful to design more adapted solutions to cope with climate change.

Preliminar study of adsorption of unstable white wine proteins using zirconium oxide supported on activated alumina by atomic layer deposition method

A common problem in wineries is haze formation after bottling, mainly caused by unstable proteins present in white wine. The most used material to eliminate these proteins is bentonite.

Zonazione aziendale nel territorio del Chianti classico e valorizzazione dei vini

Nell’ambiente del Chianti Classico è stato applicato un progetto di zonazione aziendale con l’objettivo di valorizzare le produzioni dei diversi vigneti. In particolare sono stati individuati sette siti, sottoposti a studio particolareggiato per un triennio.

The Pampa and the vineyard: gaucho´s natural and symbolic aspects in the identity´s constitution of “Vinhos da Campanha”’s terroir – RS/Brasil

The wine region of “Vinhos da Campanha” is located in southern Brazil, on the Uruguay borderline. The colonization’s process in the region was characterized by territorial disputes between Portuguese