Projected effects of climate change on Tempranillo and Chardonnay varieties in La Mancha Designation of Origin

Abstract

Climate is one of the components of terroir that most influences grape growth and development. Vines might suffer significant impacts under climate change, although they can be different depending on the variety and location. The aim of this study was to analyze vine phenology and grape composition variability related to weather conditions in La Mancha Designation of Origin, in Spain, and potential changes caused by climate change. The research focuses on the Tempranillo and Chardonnay varieties. Phenological dates and grape composition at ripening were evaluated for the period 2000-2019 and related to climatic variables. This information was used to project the potential variations under different emission scenarios (Representative concentration pathways RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) for 2050 and 2070. An advance in phenology is projected under climate change, for the two varieties, in agreement with that observed in years with different weather conditions. The advance for 2050 could be of 6, 11, 9, and 8 days for Tempranillo and 4, 9, 9, and 10 days for Chardonnay, respectively, for bud break, flowering, veraison, and maturity under the RCP4.5 scenario, and up to 50% higher under the PCP8.5 scenario. This advance in the phenological timing will imply ripening under warmer conditions, which could affect grape quality. A decrease in titratable acidity in both varieties is projected due to the increasing temperatures, which would have negative implications for the two varieties, and anthocyanin concentrations in Tempranillo are projected to suffer changes due to variations in temperature and in water deficits. The research presents a novelty for La Mancha DO, where there is no previous analysis in this respect. This is the first study in this vinegrowing region in which projections are made on the potential changes for aforementioned vine cultivars, whose response is analyzed for expected warmer conditions in relation to those observed in cooler areas.

Influence of weather conditions and projected climate change scenarios on the suitability of Vitis vinifera cv. Carignan in Rioja DOCa, Spain

“…Thus, the changes in the phenolic compounds that could be expected would be mainly associated to water availability. The effects of water deficits on anthocyanins and phenolic compounds have been previously confirmed in other red varieties such as Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon or Tempranillo (Castellarin et al 2007;Fernandes de Oliveira et al 2013;Chacón-Vozmediano et al 2021) and the results also agree with the decrease in berry mass associated to water stress at ripening observed by Fernandes de Oliveira and Nieddu (2016) in Carignan. In the study case, berry weight was mainly influenced by water availability during the ripening period (which reached very low values-below 5% of SWC in most of the analysed years), but also in the period FS-V, which were also quite low.…”

“…The concentration of anthocyanins increased with the accumulated temperatures during the ripening period, and even under the warmer conditions suffered in the years 2011, 2012 or 2017, the increase continued. This fact contrasts with the effect of heat accumulation on other varieties like for Tempranillo observed under warm conditions (Chacón-Vozmediano et al 2021), which indicate that they had not reach the maximum value. The ratio Ant/PVAD in those years was not smaller than in cooler years.…”

Macabeo (Viura) grape response to climate variability in areas located at different elevations in the Rioja Designation of Origin

“…In this respect, Barnund et al 28 indicated an expected higher effect on Chardonnay than on Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon or Tempranillo. However, under warmer conditions than those existing in the study area, Chacón‐Vozmediano et al 29 projected higher negative effects in Tempranillo compared to Chardonnay. In order to deepen this knowledge, the aim of this work was to evaluate the response of the white cultivar occupying higher surfaces in the study area (Macabeo, known in La Rioja by the synonym Viura).…”

“…44 However, in the coolest area, the effect of water availability was less important than that of temperature, and in addition it was the available water during ripening that favours an increase in acidity. In this respect, Chacón et al 29 found that, for Chardonnay, both titratable acidity and malic decreased with increasing water deficits, but when the combined effect of temperature and available water was analysed the effect of water was hidden. Nevertheless, water deficits during ripening were smaller than those recorded before, and smaller in that area located at higher elevation.…”

Sustainable Management of Grapevine Trunk Diseases in Vineyard: Deliver Biocontrol Agents and Associated Molecules

“…For instance, some rootstocks are described to promote the plant protection against pathogens and abiotic stress (drought, waterlogging, adaptation to different soils, nutrients intake, etc. ), and to influence the scion vigor and grape composition (Gindro et al 2003;Marchi 2001;Monteiro et al 2013;Larignon et Dubos, 1997;Chacón-Vozmediano et al 2021;Yıldırım et al 2018), but there is no specific cultivar or clone resistant to grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) (Bertsch et al 2013).…”