West Romania regional climate variability and the influence on grapevine yield and wine characteristics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59463/4fjgtr29Abstract
Climate variability is increasingly influencing grapevine growth, yield stability, and wine composition across European viticultural regions. This study aimed to assess the relationships among climatic indicators, phenological development, yield, and oenological traits in four white grape cultivars — `Chardonnay`, `Fetească Regală`, `Sauvignon Blanc`, and `Italian Riesling`— grown under the temperate-continental conditions of Western Romania over three consecutive vintages (2022–2024). Field trials were conducted on experimental plots representative of the Banat terroir. Climatic parameters (average temperature, rainfall, growing degree days, and Huglin Index) were recorded at the Timișoara Meteorological Station. Yield, sugar concentration (°Brix), titratable acidity (TA), and total phenolics (TPh.) were determined at harvest following standard OIV methods. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to identify key associations between environmental and oenological variables. Significant inter-annual variability was observed across cultivars. Warmer and drier conditions in 2023 and 2024 were associated with higher sugar accumulation and lower acidity, while the cooler, wetter 2022 season resulted in reduced yields and delayed ripening. PCA revealed that temperature-related indices (GDD, Huglin) clustered with °Brix and phenolic content, while rainfall was negatively correlated with ripeness indicators. Among cultivars, `Chardonnay` and `Fetească Regală` demonstrated strong adaptability to thermal variation, whereas `Sauvignon Blanc` was sensitive to rainfall excess and `Italian Riesling` performed best in cooler microclimates. The findings highlight the major role of climatic parameters in modulating grape and wine quality under continental transitional conditions. The integration of precise climatic monitoring with adaptive vineyard management—particularly harvest timing and canopy control—can sustain varietal typicity and ensure resilience to ongoing climate change.
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