The use of local knowledge relating to vineyard performance to identify viticultural terroirs in Stellenbosch and surrounds

A total of 52 volatile compounds were measured in varietal Cabernet Sauvignon wines from four sites in Santa Catarina State (Brazil), over two consecutive vintages (2004 and 2005).

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).

Throughout the growing season, grapevine frequently encounters environmental challenges associated with heat and light radiation stress, especially during the ripening stage, thereby constraining the yield and quality of berries. MYB24 has been previously proposed to control light responses during late fruit ripening stages, and it has been found to require the co-factor MYC2. We have generated transcriptomic data from grapevine leaves transiently co-transformed with MYB24 and MYC2. Differential expression analysis revealed 179 up-regulated genes (URGs). Considering tissue specificity, where MYB24 is specifically and highly expressed in flowers and late-ripening berries, the expression of these URGs was explored using a previously published Berry Development Atlas gathering berry development data of cv. ‘Pinot Noir’ and ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ in different vintages.

Climate change and its consequences are becoming an increasing challenge for viticulture. The breeding of new grapevine varieties that are better adapted to the changing conditions offers a possible solution.

Yield estimation is very important for the wine industry since provides useful information for vineyard and winery management. The early yield estimation of the grapevine provides information to winegrowers in making management decisions to achieve a better quantity and quality of grapes. In general, yield forecasts are based on destructive sampling of bunches and manual counting of berries per bunch and bunches per vine.