Managing Vineyard Topography and Seasonal Variability to Improve Grape Quality and Vineyard Sustainability

Topography may induce variability in meteorological conditions at the meso-scale level and could influence grape quality. Understanding the impact of topography on grape ripening allows for the development of sustainable management practices that include topographical influences in their considerati...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Agronomy (Basel) 2021-06, Vol.11 (6), p.1142
Main Authors: Mania, Elena, Petrella, Fabio, Giovannozzi, Matteo, Piazzi, Mauro, Wilson, Alena, Guidoni, Silvia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
anthocyanin
Climate change
Cluster analysis
Decision making
Fruits
Global positioning systems
GPS
grape quality
Grapes
Grapevines
Influence
intercepted surface solar radiation (insolation)
Meteorological data
Microclimate
Morphology
Nebbiolo
Radiation
Rain
Ripening
Seasonal variations
slope aspect
Sustainability management
Sustainable development
Sustainable practices
temperature and rainfall time series
Topography
Vineyards
Wineries
Wineries & vineyards
Wines
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Topography may induce variability in meteorological conditions at the meso-scale level and could influence grape quality. Understanding the impact of topography on grape ripening allows for the development of sustainable management practices that include topographical influences in their consideration. This is also important for applying proactive strategies able to counter the expected changes of climate. This study was conducted on cv. Nebbiolo vineyards in North-West Italy. The topographic traits were performed in 17 vineyards within the region, which had previously been identified as belonging to different terroir units. An analysis of historical meteorological data series was also carried out to characterize the units from the meteorological point of view. The grape composition was investigated during 2012 and 2013. Based on the topography traits, a Cluster Analysis classified the 17 vineyards into four groups. Differences among groups mainly concerned insolation and heat accumulation. Topography influenced the individual components of grape quality differently depending on the seasonal weather trend. Interactions between topography and vintage were observed for a few parameters. Better understanding the grapevine reaction to external factors/site characteristics can allow for improved site and season-specific management decision making and can contribute to improving vineyard sustainability while maintaining winery objectives and wine typicity.
ISSN:2073-4395
2073-4395
DOI:10.3390/agronomy11061142