
Effect on the grape and wine characteristics of cv. Tempranillo at 3 production levels
Abstract
The vineyard has experienced a general increase in yields mainly due to the elevated use of technology which caused a quality loss of grapes in more than one case. A large percentage of the Spanish vineyard is covered by a Denomination of Origin which limits the productive level of the vineyards as one of its regulations. The maximum production limit is a variable characteristic of each vineyard and is not usually regulated by agronomic criteria, and this explains the fact that each vineyard can reach high quality with a totally different yield from that set by the Denomination of Origin.
This study aims to evaluate the effect of three different and theoretical production levels on the grape and wine quality during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. For this, an early yield estimation method (in fruit set) has been used, and subsequent productive adjustment at the beginning of veraison to 5000 Kg. ha-1, 7000 Kg. ha-1 and 9000 Kg. ha-1 in a Tempranillo variety’s vineyard under the Denomination of Origin Ribera del Duero.
The results show that the production level adjustment methodology is quite accurate, with few differences noticed between the theoretical estimated yield and the actually obtained. On one hand, the parameters that define the grape’s composition are very similar among the three productive levels studied. However, the wine quality witness some statistically significant differences in the phenolic composition and colour. In the same way, the organoleptic analysis has shown different wine profiles during the years of study. The wines from the different yields have not been valued by the consumer tasting panel in a linear way according to the crop load.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to the financial support of the Junta de Castilla y León (Spain), ITACyL, and the VISOSTEC project (FEADER funds). The authors thank the Solterra Wine Company for its contribution by their helpful in the vineyard operations and the grapes.
DOI:
Issue: ICGWS 2023
Type: Poster
Authors
1 Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL). Valladolid, España.
2 Information Technology Group. Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Wageningen. Gelderland. Netherlands.
3 Instituto Andaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraria y Pesquera (IFAPA-Las Torres). Sevilla. España.