Terroir in Slovak viticulture area

Le concept AOC permet, par une délimitation précise, la mise en valeur de terroirs particulièrement adaptés à la viticulture. Seuls les terroirs ainsi identifiés peuvent produire des vins portant le nom de l’AOC. Le nom de cette AOC ne peut être utilisé que pour des vins issus de terroirs compris dans l’aire d’appellation, sous peine de sanctions pénales. La délimitation ainsi opérée participe à la protection du nom de l’AOC. A l’inverse, le terroir délimité n’est pas protégé.

In the context of climate change and for the sustainable exploitation of Mediterranean vineyards, it is necessary to use new strategies to adapt to the new climatic conditions.

Climate change results in erratic weather conditions, which may lead for many crops including grapevine, to a reduced production and products of lower quality. Concerning grapevine, climate change results in shorter growing seasons and dates for budbreak, flowering and fruit maturity occur earlier in many regions. It also leads to an increase of various pests and diseases, as well as the vectors responsible for disease distribution.

The increasing frequency of heat waves during grape ripening presents challenges for the production of high-quality wine grapes. This underscores the significance of developing effective irrigation and canopy management techniques to optimize both yield and grape quality.
A field experiment was carried out during 2021 and 2022 using Manto negro wine grapes to study the effect of two irrigation strategies and different light exposure levels on grape quality. In a four-block experimental vineyard at Bodega Ribas in Mallorca, two irrigation treatments—moderate and severe deficit irrigation—were implemented. Within each irrigation plot, three light exposure treatments were randomly assigned, encompassing exposed clusters from pea size, non-exposed clusters, and shaded clusters after softening.

Compactness is a complex trait of V. vinifera L. and is defined ultimately by the portion of free space within the bunch which is not occupied by the berries. A high degree of compactness results in poor ventilation and consequently a higher susceptibility to fungal diseases, diminishing the quality of the fruit. The easiness to conceptualize the trait and its importance arguably contrasts with the difficulty to measure and quantify it. However, recent technical advancements have allowed to study this attribute more accurately over the last decade. Our main objective was to explore the underlying genetics determining bunch compactness by applying updated phenotyping methods in a collection of V. vinifera L. cultivars with a wide genetic diversity.