Impact of water stress on the phenolic composition of cv. Merlot grapes, in a typical terroir of the La Mancha region (Spain)

The influence of climatic conditions on the development of the vine and on the quality of the wines no longer needs to be demonstrated at the scale of the vineyard, by the regional climatic characteristics, determining on this scale the viticultural potentialities (Huglin, 1978; Branas, 1946; Riou et al ., 1994); but also on a local scale, at the level of the basic terroir unit (Morlat, 1989), by the landscape differentiation of the natural environment inducing climatic variability within the same vineyard, and partly explaining differences in functioning of the vine, in connection with the processes of maturation and the quality of the wine (Becker, 1977 and 1984; Morlat, 1989 and Lebon, 1993a). According to these authors, the climatic diversity in a wine region constitutes in addition to the edaphic component, an important component of characterization of the Basic Terroir Units (UTB).

Context and Purpose. Management of plant-parasitic nematodes in perennial cropping systems such as wines grapes is challenging.

In the context of global warming, water scarcity is becoming an increasing issue worldwide. However, the reference method to characterize vine water deficit is based on water potential measurement, which is a destructive and discontinuous method. The current climatic context emphasizes the need for more precise and more continuous vineyard water use measurements in order to optimize irrigation and vine water deficit monitoring.

Winemaking is a globally significant industry in the field of food technology (218 mhL of wine estimated for 2024 harvest) [1], which activity produces tons of by-products annually, including pomace (pulp, stems, seeds, skins), lees, organic acids, CO2, and water [2].

Lo studio è stato condotto in vigneti commerciali di Vitis vinifera cv Nebbiolo localizzati in Piemonte, Italia del Nord-Ovest, intorno alla sommità di una collina. L’obiettivo dello studio è stato di determinare come l’esposizione del vigneto possa influenzare il comportamento vegetativo della vite, il manifestarsi delle fasi fenologiche, e la cinetica di maturazione dell’uva con particolare riguardo all’accumulo di antociani e flavonoli.