Terroir and precision viticulture: are they compatible?

Context and purpose of the study. Albeit standing as a fashionable research topic dual use of land as viti-voltaic still lacks of fundamental knowledge about whole canopy grapevine response to altered microclimate under panels vs open field conditions.

In the current scenario of climatic variability, even though the vine (Vitis vinifera) is a species generally considered very fertile, the process of bud differentiation is particularly influenced by the weather trend not only of the current year but also of the previous one.

The chemistry of wine is notably complex and is modified by ageing of the bottles. The composition of wines is the result of vine production (under the influence of vintage, climate and soils); yeast production (under the influence of juice composition and fermentation management); lactic bacteria production (under the influence of young wine composition and malolactic fermentation management); and of the ageing process either in vats, barrels or bottles or both. The composition is linked to the quality perceived by consumers but also to their origin, sometimes associated to the “terroir” concept.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the volatile and phenolic profiles of three red and one rosé wines stored in bottles for 30 months. Four wines were provided by a winery located in South Tyrol

This work began as an intellectual game, in order to discuss the notion of wine quality in terms of terroir and territory spatial structure. Vine and wine quality has long been questioned by scientists. Each discipline approaching it with his own tools.