Characterization of different South American varieties: yield, berry maturity and wine composition

Abstract

Autochthonous varieties, called ‘criollas’, are highly cultivated in South America. For instance, in Peru or Chile they are used for making Pisco. In Argentina, they represent 33% of the grapevine cultivated area. Surprisingly, research to characterize their attributes for winemaking has been scarce. In this study, we aimed to study agronomical and enological characteristics of a group of criollas and some genetically related European varieties (e.g. progenitors: Listán Prieto and Muscat of Alexandrie). These varieties were already planted at the INTA grapevine germplasm collection in Mendoza. Many of these varieties are not currently cultivated in commercial vineyards, and have been recently genotyped with their parental relationship assigned. From 2012 to 2017 pruning weight and yield were measured, grapes were harvested, wines made and chemical and sensorial analyses performed. During 2013, 2016, and 2017 seasons, we evaluated berry ripening (Brix, pH, and acidity), berry weight, berry and wine composition. On red cultivars, color intensity and polyphenol content was also measured. High variability was found among cultivars in yield components, especially in berry weight (from 1.3 g in Criolla chica to 5.16 g in Criolla grande). Color intensity is weak in most of the criollas studied, but two varieties presented similar phenol content than European ones. Aromatic compounds will be analyzed in the near future in varieties showing a Muscat-type flavor. Overall, the results showed that there is a group of criollas that presents interesting characteristics in terms of wine quality.