Terroir 2014 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2014 9 Grape growing climates, climate variability 9 Harvest dates, climate, and viticultural region zoning in Greece

Harvest dates, climate, and viticultural region zoning in Greece

Abstract

Climate is clearly one of the most important factors in the success of all agricultural systems, influencing whether a crop is suitable to a given region, largely controlling crop production and quality, and ultimately driving economic sustainability. Today many assessments of a region’s climate comes from a combination of station and spatial climate data analyses that facilitate the evaluation of the general suitability for viticulture and potential wine styles, allows for comparisons between wine regions, and offers growers a measure of assessing appropriate cultivars and sites.

This research combines a spatial climate analysis in Greece with a temporal station and harvest date analysis in important Greek wine regions. The results show predominately warm to hot climate suitability in Greece, comparable to many other regions worldwide. While many viticulture regions have one primary class of suitability, variability of climate within regions can be significant, with some regions containing two to four climate classes, typically based on elevation or distance to the coast, making them suitable for a greater range of cultivars. For the temporal analysis the eight locations studied had marked differences in their general climatic characteristics, mainly between mainland and island areas. While trends varied for the regions, the general response was for greater increases in minimum temperatures compared to maximum temperatures, which resulted in significant trends in growing degree-days in most locations.

Harvest dates trended earlier in five out of the eight regions, and were mainly driven by changes in minimum temperatures. Significant trends in climate parameters and viticulture–climate relationships were more evident for island regions when compared to mainland locations. Moreover, areas with late ripening varieties were shown to be less sensitive to climate changes.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: July 31, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2014

Type: Article

Authors

Jon Anderson (1), Paraskevi Dimou (2), Gregory V. Jones (1), Dionissios Kalivas (2), George Koufos (3), Theodoros Mavromatis (4), Stefanos Koundouras (5), and Nikolaos M. Fyllas (6)

(1) Department of Environmental Studies, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR, USA 
(2) Department of Land Resources and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece 
(3) Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, Mitilini, Greece 
(4) Department of Meteorology-Climatology, School of Geology, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece 
(5) Laboratory of Viticulture, School of Agriculture, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece 
(6) Department of Ecology and Systematics, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Athens, Greece 

Contact the author

 

Keywords

Greece, climate, viticulture, wine, harvest dates

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2014

Citation

Related articles…

Multivariate characterization of Italian monovarietal red wines using FTIR spectroscopy

The assessment of wine authenticity is of great importance for consumers, producers and regulatory agencies to guarantee the geographical origin of wines and grape variety as well. Since mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy with chemometrics represent a suitable tool to ascertain the wine composition, including features associated with the polyphenolic compounds, the aim of this study was to generate MIR spectra of red wines to be exploited for classification of red wines based on the relationship between grape variety and wine composition. Several multivariate data analyses were used, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Discriminant Analysis (DA), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Soft Intelligent Modelling of Class Analogy (SIMCA).
Read More

Is it relevant to consider remote sensing information for targeted plant monitoring?

An experiment was carried out to test the relevance of using satellite images (NDVI) to define locations of plant monitoring systems.

Read More

EFFECTS OF LEAF REMOVAL AT DIFFERENT BUNCHES PHENOLOGICAL STAGES ON FREE AND GLYCOCONJUGATE AROMAS OF SKINS AND PULPS OF TWO ITALIAN RED GRAPES

Canopy-management practices are applied in viticulture to improve berries composition and quality, having a great impact on primary and secondary grape metabolism. Among these techniques, cluster zone leaf removal (defoliation) is widely used to manage air circulation, temperature and light radiation of grape bunches and close environment. Since volatiles are quantitatively and qualitatively influenced by the degree of fruit ripeness, the level of solar exposure, and the thermal environment in which grapes ripen, leaf removal has been shown to affect volatile composition of grape berries [1].

Read More

METHYL SALICYLATE, A COMPOUND INVOLVED IN BORDEAUX RED WINES PRODUCED WITHOUT SULFITES ADDITION

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is the most commonly used additive during winemaking to protect wine from oxidation and from microorganisms. Thus, since the 18th century, SO₂ was almost systematically present in wines. Recently, wines produced without any addition of SO₂ during all the winemaking process including bottling became more and more popular for consumers. A recent study dedicated to sensory characterization of Bordeaux red wines produced without added SO₂, revealed that such wines were perceived differently from similar wines produced with using SO₂ and were characterized by specific fruity aromas and coolness1,2.

Read More

Evaluation of Polarized Projective Mapping as a possible tool for attributing South African Chenin blanc dry wine styles

Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA) According to the Chenin blanc Association of South Africa, there are three recognized dry wine styles, Fresh and Fruity (FF), Rich and Ripe Unwooded (RRU), and Rich and Ripe Wooded (RRW), classically attributed with the help of sensory evaluation. One of the “rapid methods” has drawn our attention for the purpose of simplifying and making style attribution for large sample sets, evaluated during different sessions, more robust. Polarized Projective Mapping (PPM) is a hybrid of Projective Mapping (PM) and Polarised Sensory Positioning (PSP). It is a reference-based method in which poles
(references) are used for the evaluation of similarities and dissimilarities between samples.

Read More