Effects of environmental factors and vineyard pratices on wine flora dynamics

El tema que me corresponde tratar en esta mini conferencia sobre “Caracterización vitivinícola de las Malvasías en Canarias”, es por razones obvias la parte que atañe a la Isla de La Palma.

The objective of this work is to study the vulnerability of vineyard soil to compaction.

Winegrowing regions recognized as protected designations of origin (PDOs) are closely tied to well defined geographic locations with a specific set of pedoclimatic attributes and strictly regulated by legal specifications. However, climate change is increasingly threatening these regions by changing local conditions and altering winegrowing processes. The vulnerability to these changes is largely heterogenous across different winegrowing regions because it is determined by individual characteristics of each region, including the capacity to adapt to new climatic conditions and the sensitivity to climate change, which depend not only on natural, but also socioeconomic and legal factors. Accurate vulnerability assessments therefore need to combine information about adaptive capacity and climate change sensitivity with projected exposure to new climatic conditions. However, most existing studies focus on specific impacts neglecting important interactions between the different factors that determine climate change vulnerability. Here, we present the first comprehensive vulnerability assessment of European wine PDOs that spatially combines multiple indicators of adaptive capacity and climate change sensitivity with high-resolution climate projections. We found that the climate change vulnerability of PDO areas largely depends on the complex interactions between physical and socioeconomic factors. Homogenous topographic conditions and a narrow varietal spectrum increase climate change vulnerability, while the skills and education of farmers, together with a good economic situation, decrease their vulnerability. Assessments of climate change consequences therefore need to consider multiple variables as well as their interrelations to provide a comprehensive understanding of the expected impacts of climate change on European PDOs. Our results provide the first vulnerability assessment for European winegrowing regions at high spatiotemporal resolution that includes multiple factors related to climate exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity on the level of single winegrowing regions. They will therefore help to identify hot spots of climate change vulnerability among European PDOs and efficiently direct adaptation strategies.

The viticultural regions of the world have the advantage of a remarkable diversity of landscapes which are the reflection of the winegrowers’ capacity to adapt to the different geomorphological and climatic specificities of the terroirs, more generally speaking, this aesthetic and heritage aspect of the terroir is also part and parcel of the notion of sustainable viticulture.

Retsina is a wine deeply rooted in Greek tradition but often misunderstood, largely due to the poor quality associated with past production. Historically, pine resin was used to seal wine transport containers, and over time, its distinctive aroma led to its intentional incorporation into winemaking.