Grape harvest and yield responses to inter-annual changes in temperature and precipitation in an area of north-east Spain with a Mediterranean climate

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of temperature and precipitation trends and their impact on grape harvests in the Penedès region (NE Spain). It includes analyses of maximum, minimum and mean daily temperatures (for both the growing and ripening seasons) and daily rainfall (for the hydrological year, the growing season and each phenological stage) for three observatories in the immediate area. We analysed a series of factors: beginning and end harvest dates; the day on which a given potential alcoholic degree was reached; and yield for several varieties of grape grown in the area in relation to climatic variables. Maximum temperatures increased at all the observatories, with greater values being recorded in recent years (1996-2009) than in previous decades (1960s-2000s): we observed increases in average growing season temperatures of 0.11°C per year for the period 1996-2009 vs 0.04°C per year for the period 1960-2009 at Vilafranca del Penedès. These temperature changes were due mainly to increases in maximum temperatures and an increase in the incidence of extreme heat (number of days with T > 30°C). Crop evapotranspiration also increased significantly during the same period. The Winkler index also increased, so the study area would correspond to region IV according to that climatic classification. There were no significant trends in annual rainfall but rainfall recorded between bloom and veraison decreased significantly at the three observatories, with the greatest decrease corresponding to the period 1996-2009. The dates on which harvests started and ended showed a continuous advance (of between -0.7 and -1.1 days per year, depending on the variety), which was significantly correlated with the average mean and maximum daily growing season temperatures (up to -7.68 days for 1°C increase). Winegrape yield was influenced by the estimated water deficit (crop evapotranspiration minus precipitation) in the bloom-veraison period; this value increased due to a reduction in precipitation and an increase in evapotranspiration. Yield may have been reduced by up to 30 kg/ha for each millimetre increase in the estimated water deficit. Under these conditions, new strategies need to be followed in this area in order to maintain grape quality and yield.

Qualitative Assessment of the White Wine Varieties Grown in Dealu Bujorului Vineyard, Romania

“…Critical conditions (frost, fog persistent, hoary frost, spring frosts) adversely affect growth and fruition of the grapevine, resulting in a decreased production both in terms of quantitative and qualitative values. (Webb et al, 2007;Pop, 2010;Camps and Ramos, 2011;Santos et al, 2012). Most of the authors argue that for determining the quality of a wine, some characteristics should be taken into…”

Global change and viticulture in the Mediterranean region: a case of study in north-eastern Spain

“…Dry conditions would concentrate sugar content during berry ripening due to drought stress (Nadal & Lampreave, 2007). Moreover, under water def icit conditions a noticeable reduction of grape yield and quality has been observed in some wine regions in Catalonia (Ramos et al, 2008;Camps & Ramos, 2012). It is an unexpected result having detected the largest influence of climate in October because the vintage ends in mid-October; however, October is the rainiest month in the Priorat County and in the rest of the littoral and pre-littoral ranges of Catalonia (Martín-Vide et al, 2008).…”

“…In the last two decades, winemakers have started measuring phenol concentration in order to increase their knowledge of phenolic maturity and in consequence, to harvest at the optimal stage of ripeness. Among the many factors influencing the fruit ripening process (e.g., grape varieties, soil materials, agronomic practices and overall environment conditions), climate seems to be the most important with regard to grape composition and wine quality (Tonietto & Carbonneau, 2004;Ramos et al, 2008;Camps and Ramos, 2012). Climate change may shift the suitability of vineyards to cooler lands, i.e., to higher altitudes and latitudes (Hannah et al, 2013) and to coastal areas (Fraga et al, 2014).…”

Multivariate clustering of viticultural terroirs in the Douro winemaking region

“…These elements were selected for their direct influence on grapevine growth and wine characteristics. The first two elements (thermal and hydric conditions) are strongly connected with grapevine yield and wine quality attributes (Agosta et al, 2012;Camps and Ramos, 2012;Kizildeniz et al, 2015). Grapevines require optimum temperatures and sufficient solar radiation throughout its growth cycle (Failla et al, 2004;Sadras and Moran, 2013).…”

“…Sunlight, heat and water demands influence grapevine yields and are responsible for a balanced grape ripening (e.g. Bindi et al, 1996;Jones and Davis, 2000;Camps and Ramos, 2012;Fraga et al, 2015). Soil is another important terroir element, crucial for water and nutrient uptake, which may also influence berry quality attributes (Morlat and Jacquet, 2003;Renouf et al, 2010).…”