Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Future projections for chilling and heat forcing for European vineyards

Future projections for chilling and heat forcing for European vineyards

Abstract

Aims: The aims of this study were: (1) to compute recent-past thermal conditions over European vineyards, using state-of-the art bioclimatic indices: chilling portions and growing degree hours; (2) to compute future changes of these thermal conditions using a large ensemble of high-resolution climate models.

Methods and Results: To assess grapevine chilling and forcing conditions, chilling portions (CP) and growing degree-hours (GDH) indices were computed for the baseline period (1989–2005) and for the future RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios (2041–2060), using several regional-global climate model chains. These calculations also considered model uncertainties and biases. These indices were extracted to the current location of vineyards, in Europe and CP-GDH delimitations were assessed. For the baseline period, higher CP values were found in north-central European regions, while lower values tend to occur on opposed sides of Europe (east-west). Regarding forcing, southern European wine regions currently display the highest GDH values. Future projections depict lower CP in southwestern Europe (-45%) and higher CP (+30%) in Eastern Europe. For GDH, most of Europe is projected to have greater values (up to +30%). 

Conclusions: 

These changes may bring limitations to some of the world’s most important wine producers, such as Spain, Italy and Portugal. Nevertheless, a timely planning of appropriate adaptation measures may aid mitigating future yield/quality losses and improve the future sustainability of the winemaking sector. 

Significance and Impact of the Study: Temperature is a fundamental factor affecting plant growth and development rates. Grapevines have thermal thresholds for adequate growth, physiological development and phenology. Given the future projections for Europe, it is evident that grapevine productivity may be particularly vulnerable to climatic change.  As such, it become imperative to study how future temperature conditions will affect vineyards in Europe, namely the chilling and heat forcing conditions.

DOI:

Publication date: March 17, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type: Video

Authors

Helder Fraga* and João A. Santos

Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, CITAB, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, UTAD, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal

Contact the author

Keywords

Climate change, chilling, head forcing, viticulture, Europe 

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

WINE RACKING IN THE WINERY AND THE USE OF INERT GASES: CONTROL AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE PROCESS

Atmospheric oxygen (O₂) generates oxidation in wines that affect their physicochemical and sensory evolution. The O₂ uptake in the different winemaking processes is generally considered to be negative for the sensory characteristics of white and rosé wines. Wine racking is a critical point of O₂ uptake, as the large surface area of the wine exposed during this operation and the inability to maintain an effective inert gas blanket over it.
The aim was to study the uptake of O₂ during the racking of a model wine as a reference and to compare with purging the destination tank with different inert gases.

French wine sector facing climate change (part. 2) : the implementation of the national strategy

This summary follows this made by Hervé Hannin et al. Entitled “French wine sector facing climate change (part. 1) : a national strategy built on a foresight and participatory approach “. The french wine sector has taken a collective approach to the issue of climate change, and has officially submitted its strategy to the minister of agriculture in 2021. This industry policy is the result of multidisciplinary work carried out through the “laccave” project (metaprogramme accaf, inrae) and its prospective study designed to anticipate climate change in the french wine industry (aigrain p. Et al., 2016). French wine professionals decided to structure a strategy to deal with climate change du in particular to the presentation made at the 2016 OIV congress in Brazil.

How small amounts of oxygen introduced during bottling and storage can influence the metabolic fingerprint and SO2 content of white wines

The impact of minute amounts of headspace oxygen on the post-bottling development of wine is generally considered to be very important, since oxygen, packaging and storage conditions can either damage or improve wine quality. This is reflected in the generalised use of inert bottling lines, where the headspace between the white wine and the stopper is filled with an inert gas. This experiment aimed to address some open questions about the chemistry of the interaction between wine and oxygen, crucial for decisions regarding optimal closure. While it is known that similar amounts of oxygen affect different wines to a variable extent, our knowledge of chemistry is not sufficient to construct a predictive method.

Effect of non-wine Saccharomyces yeasts and bottle ageing on the release and generation of aromas in semi-synthetic Tempranillo wines

Explore the variability and contribution of non-wine Saccharomyces yeasts and bottle aging on the release and generation of aromas of semi-synthetic Tempranillo wines, together with an in-depth study of the capacity of these strains to provide good fermentative and oenological qualities

Evolución de los compuestos fenólicos durante el envero y la maduración en la DO Tarragona

La evolución de los contenidos en las pieles de compuestos fenólicos (fenólicos totales, antocianos totales, antocianos individuales por HPLC, catequinas y proantocianidoles) a lo largo