The Centre for Desertification Research (CIDE, UV-CSIC-GVA) has conducted a study demonstrating that orienting vine growth westwards, through an innovative adaptation of the traditional vertical trellis system, enhances the composition of both grapes and wine. This study, recently published in open access by the journal OENO One, suggests that this method may be an effective adaptation strategy to counter the rising temperatures associated with climate change.
The research confirms that grape and wine composition improves by leaning the vine shoots westwards on a trellis system oriented north-south –the most common vineyard alignment in Spain. This orientation intensifies wine colour and improves grape phenolic ripeness by optimising the exposure of leaves and grape clusters to sunlight, resulting in improved flavour, colour and freshness on the palate.
This arrangement of vine shoots allows vineyards to adapt to the harsher conditions brought on by climate change without requiring changes in plant materials or cultivation location. This adaptation can be implemented using a foldable trellis system that is compatible with vineyard mechanisation, developed by CIDE’s Water and Crops research team.
"With grapes that have a higher phenolic content, this system enables longer ageing processes, leading to the production of high-end, high-quality wines", explains Diego Intrigliolo Molina, a CSIC researcher at CIDE and co-author of the study. “Additionally, it helps mitigate the negative effects of water stress by reducing radiation exposure on vines during peak evaporation demand hours”, he adds.
The trial was conducted over two consecutive seasons in a deficit-irrigated vineyard of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Bobal vineyard in Requena (Valencia), under a temperate-warm climate.
Adaptation strategies
In recent years, both science and viticulture have explored field strategies to counter the adverse effects of climate change on grape composition, including early harvesting, vineyard relocation, genetic modification of plant material and experimenting with different field management approaches.
The CIDE team’s research focuses on canopy management, specifically the advantages of leaning the vertical shoot positioning by 30° to the west. Following the application of this system, the aromatic analysis of west-oriented vineyards yielded wines with higher concentrations of esters –fermentation aromas– and higher alcohol content than wines produced using other management techniques.
The study highlights the potential of this new technique to regulate radiation exposure across different crops and environmental conditions, thereby adapting grape composition and wine quality to climate change demands.
Alongside CIDE –a joint centre of the University of Valencia (UV), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Valencian Government (GVA)–, scientists from the Institute of Food Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (FoodUPV) and the Valencian Institute for Agricultural Research (IVIA-GVA) contributed to this study.
References:
Raúl Ferrer-Gallego, Ignacio Buesa, María J. García-Esparza, Inmaculada Álvarez, Diego S. Intrigliolo, Juan Miguel Ramírez-Cuesta, Victoria Lizama. Effects of grapevine canopy leaning on grape composition and wine quality of ‘Bobal’. Vol. 58 No. 3 (2024): OENO One. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20870/oeno-one.2024.58.3.8014
