Influence of pedoclimatic factors on grapevine performance and berry ripening: Preliminary results of Chardonnay grown in Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy

¹ Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Pomology and Viticulture Section, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 29122 Piacenza, Italy
² ESA, International Vintage Master, Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Ecole Supérieure d'Agricultures, 55 rue Rabelais, Angers 49007, France

Abstract

The concept of terroir is widely used in the wine industry, and many studies are undertaken to better understand the influence of local terrain features on produced wines. In this context, this study monitored nine Chardonnay plots in the Fruili wine region of Italy to gather information on grapevine growth and berry ripening. The study objective was to define viticulture potentialities allowing to identify future strategies for the production of a “single vineyard” Chardonnay wine at the Vie di Romans estate, Italy. During the growing season of 2017, relations were studied between terrain features and field observations on vine phenology and grape ripening. Stem water potential and gas exchange measurements were also effectuated. Results show that there are significant differences between the studied plots. Earliness of the grapevine cycle between the plots has been less evident to determine than the variation in berry characteristics. The latter were linked with identified pedoclimatic units, but the effect of the cultural practices should not be overlooked. The study should be perceived as a first monitoring campaign, highlighting the important differences between study plots. Further investigation in the following seasons should give a more accurate perception of individual plot characteristics and their impacts.