Identifying physiological and genetic bases of grapevine adaptation to climate change with maintained quality: Genome diversity as a driver for phenotypic plasticity  (‘PlastiVigne’ project)

Consumers and the wine industry tend to agree on the ability of old vines to produce fruit that allows the production of wine of superior character. However, despite past and ongoing research, objective evidence of this point of view is still debated and studies on robust, specifically dedicated plots are scarce. Thus the impact of grapevine age on berry oenological potential and wine quality remains an open question. To try to objectively address the issue, a unique vineyard was established at Geisenheim University, Germany. It was planted in 1971 with cv. Riesling grafted on 5C Teleki. In 1995 and 2012, several rows were uprooted and replanted with the same rootstock/scion combination, resulting in a vineyard with alternate rows of identical plant material, but with different planting dates. The parameters of technical maturity and grape composition at harvest were analyzed during seasons 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 combining HPLC and enzymatic methods. Separate micro-vinifications were made for each age group and wine composition was analyzed by a combination of 1H-NMR and SPE-GC-MS.

In California vineyards, irrigation is considered as one of the most important decisions growers will make. Recent research has revealed that decisions of when to begin irrigation and how much water to apply have considerable consequences for final grape quality and hence wine quality. However, it is unclear whether and to what extent the average winegrape grower uses objective data to begin irrigating or to determine the amount of water to apply.

Water use efficiency is one of the most valued objectives in vine growing in mediterranean climates (de la fuente et al., 2015). Due to this, the grape growers provide different adaptation strategies according to their efficient consumption against the presumable water deficit generated under these environmental conditions. The use of non-positioned shoot systems (like sprawl, bush, etc.) Can help to achieve this objective.

There has been a shift in modern industry to implement non-destructive and non-invasive process monitoring techniques (Helmdach et al., 2013).

Iron (Fe) deficiency is one of the important nutritional disorders for grapevine growing in alkaline and calcareous soils. Although Fe is an abundant element in soil, several factors limiting its availability, particularly the high levels of calcium carbonate or bicarbonate in soil, leading to a remarkable reduction in grapevine growth and productivity. The use of Fe chlorosis-tolerant rootstocks seems to be a cost-effective and efficient way to maintain Fe balance. Morphological and physiological changes occur in plants to cope with low Fe availability, including enhancement of ferric chelate reductase activity and altering root system by increasing lateral roots and root hairs.