Vinhos de talha: to pitch or not to pitch

Initial results are presented of research into the relationship between climate variability and viticulture in New Zealand vineyards. Atmospheric modelling and analytical tools are being developed to improve adaptation of viticultural practices and grape varieties to current and future climate.

The use of barrels is a practice that improves the quality of wines. The porous structure of wood favors the accumulation of microorganisms that can deteriorate the quality of wines so that barrel cleaning and sanitizing treatments are essential. The burning of sulphur discs has been the most common practice in winemaking because ots biocide effect. Nevertheless, its effectiveness is still insufficient and it is harmful for human health.

In recent years, developing more efficient and sustainable viticulture management has been essential due to the impact of climate change in semiarid regions. For this reason, the use of recycled organic mulching (ROM) in the vineyard has become an interesting strategy to cope with water stress, isolated soil from extreme temperatures and improving soil humidity, control the presence of weeds and therefore reduce the inputs of herbicides and improve soil fertility. This work aimed to analyse the effect of three different organic mulches [straw (S), grape pruning debris (GPD) and spent mushroom compost (SMC)] and two traditional soil management techniques [herbicide (H) and interrow (IN)] on weed coverage and the spontaneous plant communities’ presence. Data sampling was collected throughout the vine vegetative cycle of 2021 in La Rioja, Spain. The different soil management techniques had a clear effect on weed coverage and his development during the vine vegetative cycle. SMC and H were the treatments with the highest and the lowest coverage percentage, respectively. IN had a delayed weed emergence at the beginning of the vine vegetative cycle, but finally it reached maximum values nearby SMC. GPD and S had similar effects on weed emergence, reaching 25-30% of the maximum coverage values. A total of 29 herbaceous species were identified during the vegetative cycle, some of them very isolated and occasional. Principal component analysis (PCAs) showed a good association between spontaneous species and treatments, furthermore, specific species-treatment associations were found. Moreover, three clear groups of herbaceous communities were identified by cluster analysis. This study provides interesting information about the effect of different alternative soil management on herbaceous plant coverage and weed species communities which could contribute to making more sustainable viticulture.

The need to combine multimodal data for complex samples is due to the different information captured in each of the techniques (modes).

Over the next 25 years, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2013) predicts a ~20% increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration compared to the current level. Concurrently, temperatures are steadily rising. Grapevines, known for their climate sensitivity, will show changes in phenology, physiological processes and grape compositions in response. Investigating eco-physiological processes provides insights into the response of field-grown grapevines to elevated CO2 conditions. A Free Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) facility was established in the Rheingau region of Germany. Two grapevine varieties (Vitis vinifera L., cvs. Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon) were planted, with the VineyardFACE comprising three rings with ambient atmospheric CO2 (approx. 400 – 420 ppm from 2014 to 2023, aCO2) and three rings with elevated CO2 concentration (+20% to ambient; eCO2).