Articles
CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS ON RIPENING PROCESS AND WINE COMPOSITION IN OLTENIA’S VINEYARDS FROM ROMANIA
Article number
931_4
Pages
47 – 54
Language
English
Abstract
Climate change has a big impact on viticulture and vinification from many viticulture areas.
For example, in Oltenia, a viticulture region in the south-west of Romania, the observed warming has influenced changes in viticulture and winemaking practices.
In viticulture, these changes regard the precociousness of the vegetation cycle of the vine and, especially, the growing up and increase in the ripening process of grapes.
The research made by the Department of Enology – Faculty of Horticulture, from Craiova University, have shown that in the 1st decade of the XXI century in the vineyards from Oltenia area, the grapes are reaching the absolute maturity 10-15 days earlier, than in the 1950s and 1960s.
At the same time, important changes occurred in the main parameters of the grapes composition: sugars contents and total acidity with an overall increase of sugars content of the grapes at absolute maturity (over all vine cultivars, 12-20 g/L), while the total acidity of the grapes, at the same stage of maturity, decreased with 0.75-1.8 g/L tartaric acid.
The increase in sugar content and the decrease of the total acidity have different effects in the different wines produced in the region.
For red wines these changes have been favourable for quality.
Another positive effect from a changing climate for red wines is an over 100 mg/kg increased content in grapes anthocyanins.
For white grapes, the decrease in acidity has a negative influence upon the balance of the taste of white wines, and is one of the main factor that leads to the limitation of extension in the culture of some white cultivars.
For example, in Oltenia, a viticulture region in the south-west of Romania, the observed warming has influenced changes in viticulture and winemaking practices.
In viticulture, these changes regard the precociousness of the vegetation cycle of the vine and, especially, the growing up and increase in the ripening process of grapes.
The research made by the Department of Enology – Faculty of Horticulture, from Craiova University, have shown that in the 1st decade of the XXI century in the vineyards from Oltenia area, the grapes are reaching the absolute maturity 10-15 days earlier, than in the 1950s and 1960s.
At the same time, important changes occurred in the main parameters of the grapes composition: sugars contents and total acidity with an overall increase of sugars content of the grapes at absolute maturity (over all vine cultivars, 12-20 g/L), while the total acidity of the grapes, at the same stage of maturity, decreased with 0.75-1.8 g/L tartaric acid.
The increase in sugar content and the decrease of the total acidity have different effects in the different wines produced in the region.
For red wines these changes have been favourable for quality.
Another positive effect from a changing climate for red wines is an over 100 mg/kg increased content in grapes anthocyanins.
For white grapes, the decrease in acidity has a negative influence upon the balance of the taste of white wines, and is one of the main factor that leads to the limitation of extension in the culture of some white cultivars.
Authors
C. Baduca Campeanu, G. Beleniuc, V. Simionescu , L. Panaitescu , L. Grigorica
Keywords
grape, wine, composition
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