Productivity, quality, and thermal needs of the Piedirosso vine: four years of observations

According to the last IPCC report, the scale of recent climate changes are unprecedented over many centuries. Each of the last four decades has been successively warmer than any decade since 1850. Projections for the future foresee that temperature could reach +3.3°C to +5.7°C under the most pessimistic scenario. It is also projected that every region will face more concurrent and multiple changes in climatic impact-drivers. The frequency of extreme climate events is also likely to increase, as well as the occurrence of indirect constraints. These evolving climatic conditions are alrealdy affecting and will continue to affect the suitability of traditional wine grape production areas, but also create opportunities in new locations.

As the quality and typicity of wine are influenced by the climate, it is essential to have a good knowledge of climate variability, especially with regard to temperature, which has a great impact on vine behavior and grape ripening.

The Texas High Plains AVA is one of eight officially recognized wine regions in Texas, established in 1993. Six local wineries, including the second-largest in Texas, are supported by approximately 50 vineyards, which are also major suppliers of grapes to Texas wineries outside the region.

Oak tannin extracts are commonly used to improve wine properties. The main polyphenols found in oak wood extracts are ellagitannins¹ that release ellagic acid upon hydrolysis and comprise numerous structures². Moreover, oak tannin extracts contain other compounds giving a complex mixture. Consequently, the official OIV method based on gravimetric analysis of the tannin fraction adsorbed on polyvinylpolypyrrolidone is not sufficient to describe their composition and highlight their chemical diversity.

The wine production is an important activity in many Ibero-American countries. The wine producer regions of these countries configure a large use of different climate types and viticultural climates.