Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Agroclimatic characterisation of the Portugese wine denominations of origin using a compound index

Agroclimatic characterisation of the Portugese wine denominations of origin using a compound index

Abstract

Aims: This study aims to: (1) characterize the agroclimatic conditions of the Portuguese Denominations of Origin, using a compound index that combines thermal and soil water balance conditions and a high-resolution climatic dataset (~1 km spatial resolution); (2) categorize the main grapevine varieties as a function of this compound index.

Methods and Results: The 50 protected denominations of origin (DOs)/ sub-regions in mainland Portugal are considered in the analysis. The Huglin and dryness indices are computed based on a high-resolution dataset over mainland Portugal and for a baseline period (1981–2015). Principal component analysis is applied to the time-mean spatial patterns of the aforementioned bioclimatic indices and only over the planted vineyard cover areas in each region. This methodology enables the identification of a compound index that can be used to assess the agroclimatic conditions of a given DO / sub-region. Moreover, a set of 44 main grapevine varieties in Portugal is used for assessing their growth conditions. A categorization of these varieties in terms of their current agroclimatic growing conditions is also analyzed based on GIS methods.

Conclusions: 

The present study highlights a wide diversity of agroclimatic conditions in the Portuguese DOs. This heterogeneity contributes to a vast number of different terroirs in the country, which is an important added-value for the winemaking sector, particularly under the ongoing climate change. Furthermore, it is shown that the main grapevine varieties in Portugal are also growing in very different agroclimatic conditions, which enables their categorization based on their current growing bioclimatic conditions.

Significance and Impact of the Study: The results of this study are not only useful for a detailed characterization of the agroclimatic conditions of the Portuguese DO, where there is a considerable lack of meteorological observations, but are also of utmost relevance when planning climate change adaptation measures and risk reduction strategies in the Portuguese winemaking sector. The variety-specific information may also be very helpful for varietal selection, mostly because information of climatic suitability for most of the Portuguese grapevine varieties is still incipient.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: March 17, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type: Video

Authors

João A. Santos1*, Mónica Santos1, André Fonseca1, Helder Fraga1, Gregory Jones2

1Centre 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
2Center for Wine Education, Linfield College, McMinnville, Oregon

Contact the author

Keywords

Denominations of Origin, Huglin Index, Dryness Index, Compound Index, bioclimatic zoning, Portugal

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Data integration via modeling for adaptation to climate change and efficiency breeding in grapevine

Climate can greatly affect grape yield and quality (van Leeuwen et al., 2024). Growing suitable cultivars in a given region and or breed environmental resilient cultivars are essential for maintaining viticulture sustainability, particularly in the face of climate change (Wolkovich et al., 2018).

Read More

Impacts of the projected changes in temperature under scenarios of climate change on vine phenology of three red varieties cultivated in Rioja (Spain)

Grapevine is one of the crops that may suffer more negative impacts
under climate change, due not only to changes in temperature but also due to water available. Some of the most direct effects of climate variability on grapevines are the changes in the onset and timing of phenology events and changes in the length of the growing season, which may have further effects on grape quality. The aim of this research was to analyze the changes in vine phenology of some red varieties (Tempranillo, Grenache and Carignan) cultivated in Rioja Oriental (Rioja DOCa), under different climate change scenarios.

Read More

Novel contribution to the study of mouth-feel properties in wines

In general, there is a well-established lexicon related to wine aroma and taste properties; however mouth-feel-related vocabulary usually includes heterogeneous, multimodal and personalized terms. Gawel et al.
(2000) published a wheel related to mouthfeel properties of red wine. However, its use in scientific publications has been limited. The authors accepted that the approach had certain limitations as it included redundant and terms with hedonic tone and some others were absent. It is of high interest to generate a mouth-feel lexicon and finding the chemical compound or group of compounds responsible for such properties in red wine. In the present work a chemical fractionation method has been developed.

Read More

A browser application for comprehensive 3-dimensional LC × LC × IM – MS data analysis to study grape and wine polyphenols

The analysis of structurally diverse proanthocyanidins in grapes and wine is challenging. Comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LC×LC) and ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) are increasingly used to address the challenges associated with the analysis of highly complex samples such as wine and grapes

Read More

Cordon height and deficit irrigation practices interact to affect yield and fruit quality of Cabernet Sauvignon and petite Sirah grown in a hot climate

Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah are the top red wine cultivars in CA, however, the hot climate in Fresno is not ideal for red Vitis Vinifera, particularly for berry color development. Mechanical pruning and irrigation were studied previously to significantly affect grapevine yield performance and berry quality. But there is lack of studies on cordon height and irrigation on mechanical pruned vineyard system.

Read More