Leaf necrosis induced by the insecticide carbaryl in Vitis rupestris ‘B38’

The color is the first attribute perceived by consumers and a major factor determining the quality of red wines. This depends mainly on the content of grape anthocyanins and their extraction into the juice/wine during winemaking. Furthermore, these compounds can undergo reactions that influence the chemical and sensory characteristics of the wine. Monomeric forms are prone to oxidation and adsorption on solid parts.

Climate is the major factor influencing the dynamics of the vegetative cycle and can determine the timing of phenological periods. Knowledge of the phenology of varieties, their chronological duration, and thermal requirements, allows not only for the better management of interventions in the vineyard, but also to predict the varieties’ behaviour in a scenario of climate change, giving the wine producer the possibility of selecting the grape varieties that are best adapted to the climatic conditions of a certain terroir. In 2014, Symington Family Estates, Vinhos, established two grape variety libraries in two different places with distinctive climate conditions (Douro Superior, and Cima Corgo), with the commitment of contributing to a deeper agronomic and oenological understanding of some grape varieties, in hot climate conditions. In these research vineyards are represented local varieties that are important in the regional and national viticulture, but also others that have over time been forgotten — as well as five international reference cultivars. From 2017 to 2021, phenological observations have been made three times a week, following a defined protocol, to determine the average dates of budbreak, flowering and veraison. With the climate data of each location, the thermal requirements of each variety and the chronological duration of each phase have been calculated. During maturation, berry samples have been gathered weekly to study the dynamics of sugar accumulation, between other parameters. The data was analysed applying phenological and sugar accumulation models available in literature. The results obtained show significant differences between the varieties over several parameters, from the chronological duration and thermal requirements to complete the various stages of development, to the differences between the two locations, confirming the influence of the climate on phenology and the stages of maturation, in these specific conditions.

There is an urgent need to develop protective measures for grapevines in historically significant dry-farming vineyards, particularly on Mediterranean islands.

Initial results are presented of research into the relationship between climate variability and viticulture in New Zealand vineyards. Atmospheric modelling and analytical tools are being developed to improve adaptation of viticultural practices and grape varieties to current and future climate.

L’économie cidricole française est concentrée dans les régions du grand Ouest avec environ 40% de la production nationale de pommes à cidre pour la seule région Bas-Normande où le Pays d’Auge occupe