Crop Load and Plant Water Status Influence the Ripening Rate and Aroma Development in Berries of Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) cv. Cabernet Sauvignon

Abstract

Wine made from grapes subjected to accelerated ripening, an increasingly frequent phenomenon occurring in many wine regions due to peaks of heat and water stress, displays higher alcohol levels and lacks balance with color and flavor compounds. Herein, the rate of sugar accumulation of grapes was manipulated by varying the crop load and irrigation regime and the development of secondary metabolites was monitored by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A 3-week delay in ripening correlated to an increase in the concentration of some monoterpenes and norisoprenoids and a greater decrease of green aroma compounds. Delayed ripening had a positive impact on the phenolic composition of grapes, displaying higher contents of total anthocyanins, total phenolics, quercetin glycosides, and polymeric pigments. A map of the chemical composition of grapes close to harvest allowed discrimination of compounds mainly responsive to delayed ripening from those driven by crop load or irrigation.

Developing a Sustainability Vision for the Global Wine Industry

“…Ripening delay: In order to move grape ripening back to cooler months, options are ranging from choosing higher elevation sites [49], altered trellising systems, delayed pruning, increased crop charges (where water permits), late ripening-inducing rootstocks, varieties and clones or specific interventions in canopy management [24,39,48,50,51]. Crop load management in conjunction with the irrigation regime can help to delay ripening and positively modify fruit composition [52].…”

Effects of Inner-Row Ground Management on the Volatomics of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ Grapes and Wines in the Region of the Eastern Foothills of the Ningxia Helan Mountains in Northwest China

“…Their concentration in wines from the GRASS treatment area was slightly higher than that of CK in 2016, while it was the opposite in 2017. Some reports showed that benzenes originating from the metabolism of amino acids in grape fruits, especially volatile phenols, were promoted by the water stress caused by crop covering, and their concentrations were further increased in the resultant wines [ 41 ].…”

Relationship between the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and yield and sugar content of wine grapes grown in Santana do Livramento, RS, Brazil

“…The entire time series of 28 growing seasons demonstrated that yield and sugar content tend to be inversely proportional. This is expected since each plant has a limited photosynthetic capacity and as yields increase, the photoassimilates have to be further partitioned between the fruits, which tend to accumulate sugars more slowly (Parker et al, 2015;Previtali et al, 2021). Nevertheless, pairwise comparison demonstrated that annual yield and sugar content (separately for red and white grape cultivars) vary above and below their trend lines without always exhibiting the same inverse relationship.…”

“…Crop load influences ripening. Lower vine yields tend to accelerate maturation (sugar accumulation rate) and consequently increase grape sugar content at harvest (Nuzzo & Matthews, 2006;Parker et al, 2015;Previtali et al, 2021). In addition to crop load, seasonal effects also have a considerable impact on yields and sugar accumulation (Keller, 2020).…”