Evaluation of grape and wine quality according to harvest date, in a tropical region in Northeast Brazil

The Northeast region of Brazil is characterized by a semi-arid climate, has produced tropical wines since twenty years ago. The region is located at 09º 09’ South, 40º 22’ West, 365.5 m. In the region it’s possible to harvest grapes for winemaking process two or three times by year, depending of the cultivar. The aim of this study was to evaluate differences between grape and wine characteristics, according to the production seasons. It was evaluated three cultivars recently introduced in the region (‘Alfrocheiro’, ‘Deckrot’ and ‘Tempranillo’), produced in December 2006 and June 2007. The vines were planted in December 2004 in a grid spacing of 3 x 1.5 m, trellis system adopted was pergola, grafted on rootstock IAC-313 (‘Golia’ x Vitis cinerea), and have been irrigated by drippers. Significant differences were found for the grape and wine compositions according to the harvest date. The grapes from the first semester presented low pH and total solid soluble (ºBrix) and high acidity than grapes harvested in the second semester. The wines produced in the first semester had low alcohol and high acidity levels than wines from second semester. Normally, the commercial wines are made by mix between wines produced from different seasons in the year. ‘Tempranillo’ wines presented good quality and could be used by the wineries. It’s necessary to continue studying and determining the influences of the seasons on grape and wine quality, and the responses of new cultivars introduced in the region to allow the production of high quality and typical wines.