Terroir 2012 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 High resolution climate spatial analysis of European winegrowing regions

High resolution climate spatial analysis of European winegrowing regions

Abstract

Climate strongly affects the geographical distribution of grape varieties, grapevine cultivation techniques and wine organoleptic properties. The current study aims at comparing the climatic features of European winegrowing regions. A geodatabase of 260 wine producing areas within 18 countries of the European Community was first established by means of maps collected from various sources (e.g. atlases and national wine and vine services). Within the 247 of the 260 initially delimited regions, areas actually planted with vine were identified by means of the Corine Land Cover database, for a total of 6 million of hectares. Each of the 1 km resolution pixels of the WorldClim 1950-2000 monthly climatic database located within these planted areas were used to calculate agroclimatic indices. The Huglin index, the Cool night index and the Dryness index, as described by the Multicriteria Climatic Classification system, as well as a winter freeze risk index, a spring frost risk index and a heat stress index were calculated. The use of a clustering algorithm (CLARA) with each of these 1 km resolution gridded indices resulted in the identification of six climate types: (1) sub-humid temperate, (2) sub-humid cool with very cool nights and high spring frost risk, (3) moderately dry and temperate with cool nights, (4) dry and temperate warm with temperate nights, (5) sub-humid temperate with strong frost risks, and (6) very dry and hot, with cool nights climates. Each of the 247 winegrowing regions was classified according to the type of climate that covers the largest part of its territory. Despite the clustering, the type 4 climate still exhibits a large diversity of climatic characteristics. It is located mainly within winegrowing regions located close to the Mediterranean Sea. To our knowledge the current work is the largest spatial climate analysis of winegrowing regions that have been performed so far.

DOI:

Publication date: August 26, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2012

Type: Article

Authors

Benjamin BOIS (1), Aurélie BLAIS (1), Marco MORIONDO (2), Gregory V. JONES (3)

(1) Centre de Recherches de Climatologie, UMR 6282 Biogéosciences CNRS Université de Bourgogne, 6 boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France
(2) CNR-IBIMET via Caproni 8, 50145, FLORENCE, Italy
(3) Department of Environmental Studies, Southern Oregon University, 97520, 101A Taylor Hall, Ashland, OR, U.S.A

Contact the author

Keywords

Climate, Vitis vinifera, European viticulture, WorldClim, agroclimatic indices

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2012

Citation

Related articles…

Influence of grape withering on corvina and corvinone aroma composition

AIM:Valpolicella is a wine region located in Italy north-east, famous for the production of dry and sweet red wines from withered grapes, including Amarone and Recioto. The aim of this study is to understand the influence of the withering process on Corvina and Corvinone wines aroma profiles. METHODS:Wines were produced with a standard red wine winemaking protocol with Corvina and Corvinone grapes from different Valpolicella vineyards and vintages. In consideration of the local traditional practice of post-harvest withering of the grapes, wines from each vineyard were obtained from either fresh and withered grapes. Wines were analysed by Solid Phase Extraction and Solid Phase Micro Extraction gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

Applicability of grape native yeasts to enhance regional wine typicity

The universalization in wine production has been restricting the imprint of terroir in regional wines, resulting in loss of typicity. Microbes are the main driving force in wine production, conducting fermentation and originating a myriad of metabolites that underly wine aroma. Grape berries harbor an ecological niche composed of filamentous fungi, yeasts and bacteria, which are influenced by the ripening stage, cultivar and region. The research project GrapeMicrobiota gathers a consortium from University of Zaragoza, University of Minho and University of Tours and aims at the isolation of native yeast strains from berries of the wine region Douro, UNESCO World Heritage, towards the production of wines that stand out in the market for their authenticity and for reflecting their region of origin in their aroma.

AOC valorization of terroir nuances at plot scale in Burgundy

In the highly competitive global wine market, Burgundy has a long-established reputation to maintain. The vine and wine sector in Burgundy is based on a five-level ranking of AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) wines and of the plots where the grapes are grown.

Sviluppo di una metodologia di tracciabilità e definizione dell’impronta petrochimica in suoli e vini della Sicilia occidentale nella piana di Marsala (TP)

I risultati delle ricerche condotte in un vigneto sperimentale di Marsala (TP), scelto per omogeneità di fattori bio-agronomici (età, tecniche colturali, potenzialità vegetativa e produttiva)

Fertilization with Seaweed (Laminaria japonica) on the characteristics of the bunch and the quality of the grape must of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’

The objective of the present work was to study the influence of the foliar application of seaweed (Laminaria japonica), on the bunch and on the must in the ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ grape. The experiment was carried out in the years 2021/2022, in a 21-year-old commercial vineyard, in the municipality of “Dom Pedrito” – “Rio Grande do Sul” (RS). A completely randomized experimental design was used, with 4 treatments and 4 replications (7 plants per replication). The treatments were: T1- control treatment; T2- Exal Powder 5 g L-1; T3- Hidro Exal 15 ml L-1; T4- Exal Powder 5 g L-1+ Hidro Exal 15 ml L-1.