Climate influence on the grapevine phenology and anthocyanins content in wines from the Skopje vineyard area, Republic of Macedonia

Variations in average growing season and ripening season temperatures within the Walla Walla Valley American Viticultural Area are related to elevation and regional and local topography.

Climate change presents a significant challenge for actual viticulture. In this context, recovering minority grape varieties can be a crucial strategy to ensure resilience, particularly those capable of maintaining quality and aromatic complexity under water stress.

Planting vineyards in cooler climates has been used over recent years as
a strategy to counter the climatic shifts caused by climate change. A move towards higher altitudes in hilly and mountainous wine regions may provide a solution to deleterious effects that increased ambient temperatures have on wine quality. Until now, the influences of higher altitudes and their climates, as well as their effect on vine growing cycles, still holds a lot of scientific uncertainty. The transnational EU-funded project REBECKA (Interreg V-A IT-AT: ITAT1002, duration: 2017-2019) has the objective to develop a regional valuation method to rate the suitability for viticulture in South Tyrol (Italy) and Carinthia (Austria). Preliminary surveys were performed regarding the effects of altitude on ripening performance of the cultivar Pinot Noir.

Alcoholic fermentation plays a crucial role in the winemaking process. In addition to producing ethanol, it results in the formation of various secondary metabolites that significantly influence the wine’s characteristics.

Hydrogen sulfide and methanethiol are recognised as two of the most significant contributors to reductive off-flavours in wine.