PIWIs’ variation in drought response under semi-controlled conditions 

Tartrates are salts of tartaric acid that occur naturally in wine and lead to sediments that cause consumers’ rejection. There are currently different treatments to prevent its occurrence, with cold stabilization being the most traditional and well-known method.

The main challenge of regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) research is to isolate the factors that come with RDI, the direct effect of plant water status from the indirect ones like increased radiation and temperature changes on the cluster zone. This study aims to isolate the effects of vine water status from the effects of increased radiation on the phenolic composition of grapes subjected to RDI.
A three-year study on an RDI experiment where radiation was controlled was implemented in a commercial vineyard of Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile. Four RDI treatments based on partial evapotranspiration (ET) irrigation were established. Irrigation treatments were 100% ET, 70% ET, 50-100% ET (50% ET before veraison and 100% ET afterward), and 35-100% ET (35% ET before veraison and 100% ET afterward).

Climate change results in erratic weather conditions, which may lead for many crops including grapevine, to a reduced production and products of lower quality. Concerning grapevine, climate change results in shorter growing seasons and dates for budbreak, flowering and fruit maturity occur earlier in many regions. It also leads to an increase of various pests and diseases, as well as the vectors responsible for disease distribution.

Wineries of Beaumes-de-Venise area make their best red wines with grapes from the “Triassic terroir”. This « terroir » is characterized by soils from the Triassic period. These specific soils are complex and quite heterogeneous. They originate from an eventful geological history to keep in mind to understand soils geographical distribution.

The wine sector is greatly threatened by climate change, but is also one of its contributors.