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

Climate change is likely to impact wine typicity across the globe, raising concerns in wine regions historically renowned for the quality of their terroir. Amongst several changes in viticultural practices, replacing some of the planting material (i.e clones, rootstocks and cultivars) is thought to be one of the most promising potential levers to be used for adapting to climate change. But the change of cultivars also involves the issue of protecting the region’s wine typicity.

The Valpolicella area (Veneto Region, Italy) is famous for its high quality wines: Amarone and Recioto, both obtained from partial post-harvest dehydrated red grapes.

When considering the application of a systemic approach to assess the intrinsic complexity of agricultural production, the following question immediately arises

Currently, climate change represents one of the major issues for the wine sector. The increasing temperature already recorded and expected in the upcoming years reduce the vegetative cycle of the grape varieties planted in Bordeaux area, affecting the physicochemical parameters of grapes and consequently, the quality of wine. From a sensory point of view, the attenuation of the fresh fruity character in some varietals is accompanied by the accentuation of dried-fruit notes [1]. As a new adaptive and ecological strategy on global warming, some winegrowers have initiated changes in the Bordeaux blend of vine varieties using late-ripening grape varieties [2]. 

The Columbia Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) of the Pacific Northwest, USA is the world’s largest officially recognized viticultural area with basalt bedrock.