Contribution of terroir for grapes andwinter wines quality with cv. Syrah

Abstract

High quality wines are being produced in Brazil southeastern region from grapes harvested in the dry winter season through the management of double pruning. This technique consists to prune the vines at the end of winter (August or September) to develop the vegetative cycle, where all clusters are removed. The production cycle begins after a second pruning, carried out in January, to allow the harvest during the winter period (July or August). The present study was divided into two chapters and aimed to better understand the influences of the soils and the macroclimate on the performance of the Syrah grapevine growing under double pruning management, as well as on the quality of the berries (chapter 1) and the wines (chapter 2). The study was carried out in seven scattered vineyards in Minas Gerais (Três Corações - TC, Três Pontas - TP, Cordislândia - COR, São Sebastião do Paraíso - SSP and Andradas - AND) and São Paulo (Itobi - ITO; Espírito Santo do Pinhal - ESP) during three consecutive harvests. Climate, soil, vine vigor, vine ecophysiology and grape and wine composition in each site were analyzed. It was possible to observe the influence of soil and climate characteristics on the composition of berries and wine. Beyond the effects of soil and climate, the human factor, especially in deciding the date of harvest, had a great influence on the composition of berries and wine. Therefore, the data obtained in this study will help winegrowers to better understand grape and wine composition in this new winegrowing region, and in the future to seek the geographical indication for winter wines.