Terroir 2008 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Using ΔC13 to assess viticultural and oenological suitability for Sangiovese of different pedoclimatic conditions in Chianti

Using ΔC13 to assess viticultural and oenological suitability for Sangiovese of different pedoclimatic conditions in Chianti

Abstract

A two years trial was carried out in Chianti (Central Italy) to assess at the detailed scale the viticultural and oenological suitability for Sangiovese of different pedoclimatic conditions, by means of the ΔC13 measured in the must sugars. Six plots placed in two specialised vineyards in similar geomorphological conditions were investigated. The plots differed for morphological position: summit, backslope and footslope. The soils of the vineyards were similar, except for structure, porosity and related hydropedological characteristics. Soil water content and temperature were measured at different depths. Measurements were replicated every one/two weeks. Soil characterization included macroporosity quantification by image analysis.
The yield, phenological phases, and chemical analysis of grapes were determined. The isotopic ratio 13C/12C was measured in the must sugar upon harvesting. Grapes of each plot were collected for wine making in small barrels. The wines obtained were analysed and submitted to a blind organoleptic testing.
The results demonstrated that almost all plots had rather high amounts of transpirable water, even during the driest time of the year; however, the response of Sangiovese was influenced by site hydropedology. The soils in morphological positions receiving and holding more water produced significant worst results in the moister 2005, than during the drier 2006. The drier soils yielded the best results in both years, but more prominently in 2005. Vines of the plots having a lower soil water availability produced relatively higher values of ΔC13, as well as a better oenological and organoleptic result. The ΔC13 test confirmed the limited stress conditions in the two vineyards, despite yields in the two years ranged from 2 to 8 kg per plant. This result highlighted the pedoclimatic limitations of the studied sites in obtaining high quality wine.

DOI:

Publication date: December 8, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2008

Type: Article

Authors

Edoardo A.C. COSTANTINI (1), Sergio PELLEGRINI (1), Pierluigi BUCELLI (1), Paolo STORCHI (2), Nadia VIGNOZZI (1), Roberto BARBETTI (1), Stefano CAMPAGNOLO (1)

(1) CRA – Research centre for Agrobiology and Pedology, Florence, Italy
(2) CRA – Research unit for Viticulture, Arezzo, Italy

Contact the author

Keywords

carbon isotopes, hydropedology, porosity, land evaluation, terroir

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2008

Citation

Related articles…

Identification and quantification of c-glucosidic ellagitannins and their derivative in red wine aged in oak barrels

The C-glycosidic ellagitannins constitute a subclass of hydrolyzable tannins of remarkable structural diversity. In this work we first achieved the hemisynthesis of flavano-ellagitannins, then we used them to develop a new efficient detection and quantification procedure for the C-glycosidic ellagitannins as well as flavano-ellagitannins.

Evaluation of viticultural suitability of Arezzo Province (Tuscany)

Dans une région comme la Toscane, zone dans laquelle sont produits certains des meilleurs vins italiens et du monde, la province d’Arezzo a actuellement une importance relativement marginale

Spectral features of vine leaves are influenced by their mineral content

The reflectance spectra of vegetation carry potentially useful information that can be used to determine chemical composition and discriminate between vegetation classes. If compared with analytical methods such as conventional chemical analysis, reflectance measurement provides non-destructive, economic, near real-time data. 

Terroir effects on the response of Tempranillo grapevines to irrigation in four locations of Spain: agronomic performance and water relations

We report the effects of different drip irrigation treatments on the agronomic performance and water relations of Tempranillo grapevines, pruned to a bilateral cordon

Variety and climatic effects on quality scores in the Western US winegrowing regions

Wine quality is strongly linked to climate. Quality scores are often driven by climate variation across different winegrowing regions and years, but also influenced by other aspects of terroir, including variety. While recent work has looked at the relationship between quality scores and climate across many European regions, less work has examined New World winegrowing regions. Here we used scores from three major rating systems (Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator) combined with daily climate and phenology data to understand what drives variation across wine quality scores in major regions of the Western US, including regions in California, Oregon and Washington. We examined effects of variety, region, and in what phenological period climate was most predictive of quality. As in other studies, we found climate, based mainly on growing degree day (GDD) models, was generally associated with quality—with higher GDD associated with higher scores—but variety and region also had strong effects. Effects of region were generally stronger than variety. Certain varieties received the highest scores in only some areas, while other varieties (e.g., Merlot) generally scored lower across regions. Across phenological stages, GDD during budbreak was often most strongly associated with quality. Our results support other studies that warmer periods generally drive high quality wines, but highlight how much region and variety drive variation in scores outside of climate.