Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Projections of vine phenology and grape composition of Tempranillo variety In Rioja DOCa (Spain) under climate change

Projections of vine phenology and grape composition of Tempranillo variety In Rioja DOCa (Spain) under climate change

Abstract

Aims: Some of the most direct effects of climate variability on grapevines are the changes in the onset and timing of phenological events and in the length of the growing season, which may affect grape quality. The aim of this research was to analyze the projected changes in vine phenology and on grape composition of the Tempranillo variety in Rioja DOCa under different climate change scenarios.

Methods and Results: Three zones of Rioja DOCa, located at different elevations and with different climatic conditions were compared. For the analysis, vine phenology referred to flowers separated and veraison (stage H and M, according to Baillod and Baggiolini) and maturity defined based on the date at which 13ᵒ were reached, were analysed in the three zones for the period between 2008 and 2018. Grape composition at maturity, including variables related to acidity and polyphenol content was also evaluated for the same period. The weather characteristics for the places where the plots were located were also analysed using data of different meteorological stations belonging to the Rioja government. The thermal requirements to reach each phenological stage were evaluated and expressed as the GDD accumulated from DOI=60, which were considered to predict the changes under future climatic conditions. The analysis was done for the future conditions predicted by 2050 and 2070 under two Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios –RCP4.5 and RCP8.5-, which were simulated based on an ensemble of 10 models.

An advance of the phenological stages was predicted, higher for veraison and maturity than for floraison. The advance of the stage H, M and maturity for the three zones by 2050 could be up to 5, 8, and 12 days, respectively under the RCP4.5 emission trajectory, and up to 8, 12 and 15, respectively under the RCP8.5 emission trajectory. The predicted advances indicate that the differences in timing that already exists between zones will be maintained or even increase, which will imply reaching maturity in the second half of August in the warmer area and in earlier September in the coolest one. Grape acidity could suffer a decrease with increasing temperature, while anthocyanins could decrease by the increase of temperature but increase due to the higher expected water deficit, and these changes could differ among zones. In addition, due to the advance in the phenology a decoupling between anthocyanins and sugars could result, which suggest the need of applying new management techniques to maintain grape quality.

Conclusion: 

The Tempranillo variety cultivated in Rioja DO may suffer significant changes in phenology and in grape composition under climate change, affected both by increasing temperatures and higher water deficits. However, differences were found between zones within the Rioja DOCa.

Significance and Impact of the Study: The study allowed quantifying the differences in the impact that climate change may produce in phenology and in grape composition in zones with different climatic conditions, which may be taken under consideration to identify potential areas in which the Tempranillo variety may suffer lower impacts under climate change.

DOI:

Publication date: March 17, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type: Video

Authors

María Concepción Ramos1*, Fernando Martínez de Toda2

1Department of Environment and Soil Sciences-Agrotecnio, University of Lleida, Spain
2ICVV- Institute of Grapevine and Wine Science (University of La Rioja, CSIC, Government of La Rioja), Logroño, Spain

Contact the author

Keywords

Acidity, anthocyanins, berry weight, polyphenols, soil characteristics, available water content

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Impact of winemaking practises on the formation of pinking

The pinking is a phenomenon that can occur in white wine produced with white grape causing the color change from yellow to red-salmon hue. Even if its appearance is highly variable and dependent to the vintage, the wines from certain grape varieties, such as Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Trebbiano di Lugana, have been identified to be more susceptible to the pinking.

Applications of FTIR microspectroscopy in oenology: shedding light on Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall composition and autolytic capacity

Many microbial starters for the alcoholic and malolactic fermentation processes are commercially available, indicated for diverse wine styles and quality goals. The screening protocols cover a wide range of oenologically relevant features, although some characteristics could also be studied using underexplored powerful techniques. In this study, we applied Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy [1,2] to compare the cell wall biochemical composition and monitor the autolytic process in several wine strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Foldable lyre as an alternative to improve yield and oenological potential of grapes for a sustainable viticulture

Actually, many countries around the world are studying different strategies for adapting winegrowing regions to climate changes, focusing on a sustainable viticulture.

Biodiversity in the vineyard agroecosystem: exploring systemic approaches

Biodiversity conservation and restoration are essential for guarantee the provision of ecosystem services associated to vineyard agroecosystem such as climate regulation trough carbon sequestration and control of pests and diseases. Most of published research dealing with the complexity of the vineyard agroecosystems emphasizes the necessity of innovative approaches, including the integration of information at different temporal and spatial scales and development of systemic analysis based on modelling. A biodiversity survey was conducted in the Franciacorta wine-growing area (Lombardy, Italy), one of the most important Italian wine-growing regions for sparkling wine production, considering a portion of the territory of 112 ha. The area was divided into several Environmental Units (EUs), defined as a whole vineyard or portion of vineyard homogenous in terms of four agronomic characteristics: planting year, planting density, cultivar, and training system. In each EU a set of compartments was identified and characterised by specific variables. The compartments are meteorology, morphology (altitude, slope, aspect, row orientation, and solar irradiance), ecological infrastructures and management. The landscape surrounding EU was also characterised in terms of land-use in a buffer zone of 500 m. For each component a specific methodology was identified and applied. Different statistical approaches were used to evaluate the method to integrate the information related to different compartments within the EU and related to the buffer zone. These approaches were also preliminarily evaluated for their ability to describe the contribution of biodiversity and landscape components to ecosystem services. This methodological exploration provides useful indication for the development of a fully systemic approach to structural and functional biodiversity in vineyard agroecosystems, contributing to promote a multifunctional perspective for the all wine-growing sector.

Zonazione e vitigni autoctoni nel sud della Basilicata: metodologie integrate per la caratterizzazione di ambienti di elezione di biotipi storici finalizzati a vini di territorio nella DOC “Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri”

I territori della DOC “Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri”, a Sud della regione Basilicata, si caratterizzano per una elevata biodiversità autoctona autoselezionatesi su ambienti ecologicamente ben definiti,