Effect of different canopy managements on microclimate and carbon allocation in Vitis vinifera cv Chardonnay

The components and the methodology for characterization of the terroir in Spain have been described by Gómez-Miguel et al.

The spatial distribution of powdery mildew is often heterogeneous between neighboring plots, with higher disease pressure in certain places

Much has been already written regarding the gluthationylate (GSH-) and cisteinylate (Cys-) precursors of 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol (3MH) since the discovery of their presence in grapes and juices.

Vineyard exposure to wildfire smoke can contaminate grapes due to the uptake of smoke-derived volatile phenols.

Wine quality is strongly linked to climate. Quality scores are often driven by climate variation across different winegrowing regions and years, but also influenced by other aspects of terroir, including variety. While recent work has looked at the relationship between quality scores and climate across many European regions, less work has examined New World winegrowing regions. Here we used scores from three major rating systems (Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator) combined with daily climate and phenology data to understand what drives variation across wine quality scores in major regions of the Western US, including regions in California, Oregon and Washington. We examined effects of variety, region, and in what phenological period climate was most predictive of quality. As in other studies, we found climate, based mainly on growing degree day (GDD) models, was generally associated with quality—with higher GDD associated with higher scores—but variety and region also had strong effects. Effects of region were generally stronger than variety. Certain varieties received the highest scores in only some areas, while other varieties (e.g., Merlot) generally scored lower across regions. Across phenological stages, GDD during budbreak was often most strongly associated with quality. Our results support other studies that warmer periods generally drive high quality wines, but highlight how much region and variety drive variation in scores outside of climate.