Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Greek and Cypriot grape varieties as a sustainable solution to mitigate climate change

Greek and Cypriot grape varieties as a sustainable solution to mitigate climate change

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this report is to present evidence on the potential of Greek and Cypriot grape varieties to serve as a sustainable solution to mitigate climate change.

Methods and Results: The work provides a review of recent works involving Greek and Cypriot varieties’ performance under high temperatures and increased dryness.

Conclusions: 

Climate change could threaten the existing balance between local environmental conditions and vitivinicultural production systems over the majority of wine producing areas. The subsequent decrease in the suitability of the current winemaking regions will require, apart from short-term adjustments in vineyard management, the adaptation of plant material by the use of late-ripening and drought resistant varieties and clones. Greek and Cypriot grape cultivars appear to grow well under dryland conditions, and additionally they mature their crop later than most of the well-established international varieties. However limited evidence exists regarding the direct effects of high daytime temperatures and drought especially on the quality of their grapes. This information would greatly assist grape growers in improving cultivar selection and adjusting management decisions.

Significance and Impact of the Study: Indigenous grapevine varieties of the semiarid viticultural regions of Greece and Cyprus have received much less attention compared to other grapes native to Mediterranean areas and therefore deserve to be better studied as a sustainable solution in the context of climate change. However, substituting existing varieties will change the “identity” of (mainly) European wine appellations, therefore the effectiveness of any strategy depends on both the willingness of grape growers and consumers to accept new varieties and also on the flexibility of current legislation.

DOI:

Publication date: March 25, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type: Video

Authors

Stefanos Koundouras*

School of Agriculture, Aristotle University, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

Contact the author

Keywords

Plant material, grapevine, adaptation, temperature, drought

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Remote sensing applications in viticulture: recent advances and new opportunities

Remote sensing applications in viticulture have been a research theme now for nearly two decades, becoming a valuable tool for vineyard management. Metrics produced using remotely sensed images of vineyards have yielded relationships with grape quality and yield that can help optimise vineyard performance

Meso-scale geostatistical analysis: a method for improving experimental design

The growing region of Barolo DOCG certified wines is topographically complex. The region is famous for this complexity and for the associated terroir driven Nebbiolo grapes and wines derived distinctly from this varietal. Although it is recognized that the Barolo area is unusual topographically and it is assumed that this unusual topography lends to the inherit terroir, the specifics of this relationship are less well defined.

DNA and type of grain: which factor does better explain sensory differences of sessile and pedunculate oaks?

Sessile oak and pedunculate oak have shown several differences of interest for enological purposes. Tannic and aromatic composition among sessile oak or pedonculate oak has been well studied. Sessile oak is generally more aromatic than pedunculated, while the later is more tannic. This scientific point of view is rarely applied to classify oak in cooperages. Most coopers use the type of grain to distinguish wide and thin grain.

Viticultural zoning of central chile based on bioclimatic indexes and the impact of climate warming

Climate is considered one of the main factors that determines the aptitude of a specific location for growing grapes and producing high quality wine, being in that sense one of the main elements defining the concept of terroir

Late pruning, an alternative for rainfed vine varieties facing new climatic conditions

In Chile there is a dry farming area known as a traditional wine region, where varieties brought by the Spanish conquerors still persist. These varieties, in general, are cultivated under traditional systems, with low use of technical and economic resources, and low profitability for their grapes and wines. In this region, as in other wine grape growing areas, climatic conditions have changed significantly in recent decades. In particular, the occurrence of spring frosts, when bud break has already begun, have generated significant losses for these growers.