Terroir 2010 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Successful technology transfer of the early defoliation technique in cv. Mandó, an autochthon variety from south-east Spain

Successful technology transfer of the early defoliation technique in cv. Mandó, an autochthon variety from south-east Spain

Abstract

In the old-world viticulture autochthonous varieties are an important inheritance because they can provide wines with authenticity and distinction. Cultivar Mandó is an almost extinguished variety from the south-east of Spain with very large and tight clusters. In addition, it is quite late-season ripening. Celler del Roure winery is using Mandó grapes for premium quality wine production. The winery commonly employs cluster thinning to reduce crop level and, at harvest, only the fully healthy clusters are picked. Indeed, around 50 %of the initial crop is then not used for wine-making. The aim of this study was to asses the usefulness of early defoliation as a possible tool to reduce cluster compactness, improving fruit composition and reducing the labor costs associated with cluster thinning. With this in mind, an experiment was conducted with cv. Mandó in deficit irrigated vines trained with a divided Lyra system. Control (C), un-defoliated vines, were compared with de-foliation carried out either; just before anthesis (phenological phase H, (Def-H)), at flowering (phenological phase I, (Def-I)) or at fruit set (phenological stage J, (Def-J)). In all the defoliation treatments, leaves from the first eight nodes, including laterals, were removed. The experimental design was a complete randomized block with three replicates per treatment and 24 experimental vines per experimental plot. As an average for all defoliation treatments, fruit set, berry weight and yield were reduced by 44, 16 and 45 %, respectively. Defoliation increased berry soluble solids concentration only in the Def-H treatment. On the other hand, berry acidity was only decreased in the Def-H treatment. In the ED and LD defoliation treatments, leaf pulling improved berry quality determined with a berry tasting panel. In agreement, berries from the ED and LD also had higher total phenolics, anthocyanins and tannins concentration. Results obtained were judged positively by the winery owners and defoliation, particularly at stage J, will be now more widely conducted in the vineyards planted with the Mandó variety. This is because the detrimental effects of defoliation on yield were similar to the crop reduction previously needed when cluster thinning and selection had to be carried out. The research is indeed an example of a successful transfer of a research technique under commercial situations.

DOI:

Publication date: December 3, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2010

Type: Article

Authors

I. Gómez (1), J. Revert (2), M.D. Esteve (3), M.D. Climent (3) and D.S. Intrigliolo (4)

(1) Tresge Wine Consulting S.L., Ctra. Malilla 25-20
46026 Valencia, Spain
(2) Celler del Roure SL. Ctra. Les Alcusses, Km 2.5
46640 Moixent, Valencia, Spain
(3) Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. Dept Quimica, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia, Spain
(4) Instituto Valenciano Investigaciones Agrarias. Centro Agricultura Sostenible. Apartado oficial 46113, Moncada, Valencia, Spain

Contact the author

Keywords

Berry taste, yield, total soluble solids, phenolics

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2010

Citation

Related articles…

Exploring the impact of grape pressing on must and wine composition

Pressing has a relevant impact on the characteristics of the must and subsequently on white wines produced [1]. Therefore, the adequate management of pressing can lead to the desired extraction of phenols and other grape compounds (i.e. Organic acids), aromas and their precursors, allowing the production of balanced wines [2]. This aspect is especially important to sparkling wine where the acidity and pH, and the content of phenols affect its longevity and the expected sensory character.

How to make a mineral wine? Producers’ representations vs. scientific data

In this video recording of the IVES science meeting 2023, Jordi Ballester (Centre des sciences du goût et de l’alimentation, CNRS, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France) speaks on how to make a mineral wine, producers’ representations vs. scientific data. This presentation is based on an original article accessible for free on OENO One.

WINE WITHOUT ADDED SO₂: OXYGEN IMPACT AND EVOLUTION ON THE POLYPHENOLIC COMPOSITION DURING RED WINE AGING

SO₂ play a major role in the stability and wine during storage. Nowadays, the reduction of chemical input during red winemaking and especially the removing SO₂ is a growing expectation from the consumers. Winemaking without SO₂ is a big challenge for the winemakers since the lack of SO₂ affects directly the wine chemical evolution such as the phenolic compounds as well as its microbiological stability.

REGULATION OF CENTRAL METABOLISM IN THE LEAVES OF A GRAPE VINES VA- RIETAL COLLECTION ON A TEMPERATURE CLINE

Grape (Vitis vinifera) is one of the world’s oldest agricultural fruit crops, grown for wine, table grape, raisin, and other products. One of the factors that can cause a reduction in the grape growing area is temperature rise due to climate change. Elevated temperature causes changes in grapevine phenology and fruit chemical composition. Previous studies showed that grape varieties respond differently to a temperature shift of 1.5°C; few varieties had difficulties in the fruit development or could not reach the desired Brix level.

Is the consumer ready for innovative fruit wines?

AIM: Wine consumption in the last fifteen years showed a decrease in Europe [1]. New alternatives of wines appeared on the market. Those beverages are obtained by blending wines and fruit juices or flavoring wines with artificial or natural aromas and have medium alcohol content (from 8 to 10.5%) [2]. Recently, an innovative fruit wine has been proposed obtained by co-fermenting grape must and kiwi juice [3] whose potential attractiveness to consumers should be exploited. However, differences in product acceptability and perception, as well as the individuals’ willingness to consume and pay could change in function of subjects socio-demographic characteristics. The target group selected is represented by young adults (18-35 years old) consumption groups.