ABSTRACT: In Southeast Brazil, the change of grape harvest from wet summer to dry winter through double-pruning management has improved the quality of wines, currently denominated winter wines. In order to better understand the influences of soil, macroclimate, and vineyard management in winter wines, we investigated seven vineyards in the states of Minas Gerais (Três Corações – TC, Três Pontas – TP, Cordislândia – COR, São Sebastião do Paraíso – SSP and Andradas – AND) and São Paulo (Itobi – ITO and Espirito Santo do Pinhal – PIN) during three consecutive growing seasons. The vineyards are located in warm temperate zones and grouped in four soil types: Acrudox in TC, AND and SSP, Hapludox in TP; Hapludult in AND and PIN; Eutrudept in ITO. The high clay content (> 35 %) observed in all soil types, associated to low evapotranspiration demand, avoided the occurrence of severe water stress, as observed by the high values of leaf and stem water potential, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, and transpiration. Differences in vigor were more related to vineyard management and did not affect grape composition. Among vineyards, parameters for berry quality from ITO, such as sugar and acidity, were more associated to high soil sand content and winter temperature. No significant differences were found in anthocyanins and total phenols of berries among vineyards, suggesting that the high thermal range and low precipitation during autumn-winter, historically observed in all municipalities, seemed to be the main factor for improvement of phenolic compounds.

Abstract Sunlight and heating influence leaf and grape metabolism and therefore wine quality. As a recent management tool, no information exists on the effects of grapevine row orientation on the wine composition of Syrah vines within the context of double pruning management, a technique used to transfer the grape harvest from the wet summer to the dry winter season. This is a first attempt to investigate the wine composition from north-south- (NS) and east-west- (EW) oriented Syrah winter vines. EW wine samples had higher total acidity, residual sugars, alcohol and color hue, whereas NS wines exhibited higher content of color intensity, anthocyanins, total phenolics, total phenolic index, ashes and pH. The identification of volatile compounds was tentatively performed and demonstrated the presence of alkanes, volatile phenols and alkyl sulfide in NS wines, while butyrolactone and beta-damascenone were found mainly in EW wines. Row orientation contributed to wine composition and could be used as a management tool for obtaining individual wine styles.

ABSTRACT: Double pruning extended the harvest season of wine grape (Vitis vinifera L.) to dry winter, enabling production of high quality wines in the southeastern Brazil. Winter harvest allows grapes to fulfill not only technological maturation, but also phenolic ripeness. Winter wines from Syrah grapes harvested from eight vineyards in southeastern Brazil during three harvests were analyzed for their chemical and aromatic composition after bottling and after ageing for 20, 30, and 42 months in bottle. Winter wines have high content of total phenolic compounds, which remained almost constant through ageing, as well as color intensity. Malvidin 3-O-glucoside stood out among anthocyanins, remaining 5-10 % after 39 months of ageing. Moreover, malvidin 3-O-glucoside-pyruvic acid was the main pyranoanthocyanin identified in winter wine. Polymerized pigments index ranged from 54 % at bottling to 80 % after 42 months of ageing. Young winter wines are rich in ester and monoterpene, as well as alcoholic volatile compounds responsible for ethereal, fruity, flowery, fresh and sweet aromas. Aged winter wines showed higher contents of furfural, geranyl ethyl ether, isoamyl decanoate, α-muurolene and α-calacorene, contributing to sweet, fruity and woody aromas. Syrah winter wines are characterized by high content of phenolic compounds and color stability, and keep good sensorial characteristics after ageing in bottle.

ABSTRACT Chardonnay cultivar has shown great potential of planting and development in sites above 900m of Brazilian southeast for sparkling wines production. The quality of this product is related to vineyard climate and management, since both affect the vine development and grape composition. In this study, three defoliation orientations (east, west and east/west face), at veraison, and a group without defoliation, were compared in order to observe the impacts of this management on the productivity, grape and base wine quality. Yield, grape components, must and base wine composition were analyzed for two years. East/west defoliation increased alcohol content and decreased acidity in base wines, while the group without defoliation increased acidity, according to the higher and lower sun exposure, respectively. Defoliation at veraison increased the incidence of bunch rots. Differences in the aromatic composition of the base wines between the harvests were identified. The east/west defoliation treatment presented more intense fruity, citrus and tropical aromas. For regions characterized by subtropical highland climate (Cwb) in the Brazilian Southeast, late defoliation is not recommended since defoliated plants were more susceptible to fungus infection at flowering and berry formation.

ABSTRACT: The quality of sparkling wine reflects the climate and management of vineyard, since these factors affect grape development, berry composition, and base wine composition. ‘Chardonnay’ vines were subjected to five in-row spacing distances (0.5; 0.75; 1.0; 1.50; and 2.0 m) combined with and without shoot thinning. For each in-row spacing, vines were thinned to 5, 8, 10, 15, and 20 shoots per plant. Vegetative growth, yield, berry composition and base wine composition were analyzed for two years. Vines with decreased in-row spacing, presented fewer clusters and malic acid content in berries, mostly related to the shading effect. Shoot thinning increased bud fruitfulness and decreased leaf area per meter, leaf area per plant, and leaf layer number. In-row spacing from 1.5 m to 0.5 m showed promising results for the Southeast Brazil with higher yield per hectare and sufficient acidity to provide freshness in sparkling wines.

ABSTRACT The sunlight and heating effects on leaves and grapes are directly influenced by row orientation in vineyards. Row orientation studies have not been addressed under double pruning management, a technique used to transfer the wine grape harvest from wet summer to dry winter season in Brazilian Southeast. Effects of grapevine row orientation (north/south - NS and east/west - EW) of vertically trellised and shoot positioned Vitis vinifera L. Syrah grafted onto 1103 Paulsen were investigated in the South of Minas Gerais State. The vegetative vigor was increased in NS oriented vines, probably due to high photosynthesis as suggested by the highest leaf starch accumulation. The leaf and stem water potential were slight affected by row orientation. NS orientation increased the cluster weight, but cluster number and yield per vine were not affected by treatments. Berries from NS oriented vines also showed the highest values of anthocyanins and total phenols. Under NS orientation there was a reduction on tartaric acid and soluble sugar in berries probably diluted by increased cluster weight. This study showed that vineyard under NS orientation improved grapevine vigor and promoted better phenolic maturity in wine grapes harvested during the winter season than EW orientation.

Abstract This exploratory work aims to identify the potential inhibitors of lactic bacterial growth and to propose enological practices to guarantee the occurrence of spontaneous malolactic fermentation (MLF) in wines from traditional and double-pruning management harvests in southeast Brazil. One white wine from a summer harvest and one red wine from a winter harvest that failed to complete MLF were utilized as comparative models to identify inhibitor compounds to lactic bacteria. Wine composition, alcoholic-fermentation temperature and bacterial strain contribute to the success or failure of MLF. Temperatures below 12 °C during alcoholic fermentation decrease lactic bacterial metabolism and may impair the bacteria’s growth after yeast cells lysis. A must pH below 3.2 in a summer harvest impairs bacterial growth, and the association of low pH with a free-SO2 concentration above 10 mg L-1 may inhibit MLF. For grapes with a high sugar content, harvested in the winter cycle, enologists should keep the alcohol content below 15% and control the alcoholic-fermentation temperature.

ABSTRACT Grape juices have been valued due to their potential health benefits, which have demanded increased grape productivity and quality. Five grape cultivars grown in Brazil, Isabel Precoce, Carmem, Violeta, Concord and Bordo were evaluated in 2013 and 2014 seasons for bioactive components and also for juice processing quality traits. Production cycle was the longest for Carmem but lower and similar for Violeta, Isabel, Bordo and Concord. Isabel showed higher productivity (5.4 kg∙plant-1) but lowest soluble solids content (16.9 °Brix), anthocyanins (26.7 mg∙100 g-1) and total phenolics (110.7 mg∙100 g-1). The highest anthocyanins contents were observed in Violeta (189.9 mg∙100 g-1) and Bordo (133.8 mg∙100 g-1). These cultivars were also rich in phenolics (356.1 and 239.5 mg∙100 g-1, respectively). The highest anthocyanin and total phenolics concentrations were found in Violeta juice (2.68 and 6.33 g∙L-1) followed by Bordo (1.44 and 2.86 g∙L-1). Isabel juice had the lowest content, 0.14 and 1.29 g∙L-1, respectively. Biogenic amines were found at low concentrations only in the juices. Putrescine and spermidine were the major amines detected in juices. Phenylethylamine was detected only in Bordo juice from 2013 season and tryptamine was detected only in 2014 season. Blends were preferred over varietal juices except for Carmem.

ABSTRACT In the Brazilian Southeast, the production of high quality wines is attained by a new management approach called double pruning. This management changes the harvesting of wine grape (Vitis vinifera L.) from wet summer to dry winter through a two pruning procedures carried out during the year. The first pruning is done during the winter to induce a vegetative cycle (all clusters are removed) and a second pruning is done during the summer to induce the reproductive cycle. In this study, ten different rootstocks were compared in order to optimize yield and wine quality of Syrah vines conducted under autumn-winter season by double pruning approach. Syrah grapevines grafted onto ‘Rupestris du Lot’ and ‘IAC 766’ showed the highest pruning weight, while ‘110 Richter’ and ‘161-49 Courdec’ induced the lowest cane vigor. The average production of two seasons identified ‘IAC 766’, ‘Kober 5BB’ and ‘Rupestris du Lot’ as the most productive rootstocks. In both seasons, the grape quality was more influenced by the plant development status than by rootstocks. ‘Syrah’ wine from vigorous and high yielding rootstocks, ‘IAC 766’ and ‘Rupestris du Lot’, showed satisfactory wine phenolic composition and alcohol/acidity balance. This study showed that vigorous rootstock increased yield without compromising grape and winter wine quality of Syrah grapevines subjected to double pruning management in the Brazilian Southeast.

ABSTRACT O comportamento agronômico da videira Chardonnay, indicada para a produção de vinhos espumantes, está relacionado ao manejo do vinhedo e às condições edafoclimáticas da região de cultivo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar dois tipos de poda (Cordão Royat e Guyot Duplo) no desenvolvimento vegetativo e produtivo da videira Chardonnay, em região de elevada altitude no Sudeste Brasileiro. Foi utilizado o clone 96 da cultivar Chardonnay, enxertado sobre o porta-enxerto 1103 Paulsen, e sustentado em espaldeira, em um vinhedo comercial localizado a 1.280 m de altitude em Divinolândia (SP). Durante os ciclos de produção de 2014 e 2015, foram avaliados vigor vegetativo, fertilidade de gemas, produção e composição físico-química das bagas. A poda do tipo Royat induziu maior vigor vegetativo e aumentou a fertilidade das gemas, o número de cachos e a produtividade da videira Chardonnay quando comparada à poda Guyot. Apesar do aumento de produtividade, não houve efeito do tipo de poda na qualidade final da uva. Portanto, a escolha do sistema de poda em função das características genéticas da cultivar e sua interação com o ambiente pode proporcionar maior rentabilidade ao vinhedo. Para o cultivo da Chardonnay no Sudeste Brasileiro, com a finalidade de se obterem vinhos espumantes, o sistema Royat é o mais indicado.

ABSTRACT The agronomical responses of Chardonnay, a variety indicated for sparkling wine production, is influenced by the vineyard management and the edaphoclimatic conditions of the region. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two pruning types (Royat and double Guyot) on vegetative and reproductive development of Chardonnay vine growing at high altitude in the Brazilian southeastern region. The experiment was carried out in a commercial vineyard located at 1,280 m of altitude in Divinolândia, São Paulo State, Brazil. The Chardonnay vines (clone 96), grafted onto 1103 Paulsen rootstock and trained in a vertical shoot positioning trellis system, were assessed. Vegetative vigor, bud fruitfulness, production and physicochemical composition of grapes were evaluated during 2014 and 2015 growing seasons. The Royat pruning induced higher vegetative vigor and increased the bud fruitfulness, the cluster number and the productivity of Chardonnay vine when compared to Guyot pruning. Even though the increase on yield was observed, there was no effect of pruning type on grape final quality. Therefore, the choice of pruning method in function of variety genetic characteristics and their interaction with environment can optimize the vineyard profitability. In the Brazilian southeast, the Royat system is the most suitable one to grow Chardonnay for sparkling wines production.

The performance of Syrah grapevine under protected cultivation with different plastic films was evaluated during 2012 and 2013 seasons in South of Minas Gerais State. Agronomical and physiological measurements were done on eight years old grapevines, grafted onto ‘1103 Paulsen’ rootstock cultivated under uncovered conditions, covered with transparent and with diffuse plastic films. Both plastic covers induced the highest shoot growth rate and specific leaf area. The diffuse plastic induced greater differences on leaf area, pruning weight and leaf chlorophyll content as compared to uncovered vines. Grapevines under diffuse plastic also had the lowest rates of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and transpiration. Leaf starch, glucose and fructose contents were not affected by treatment, but leaf sucrose was reduced by transparent plastic. The leaf and stem water potential were higher under diffuse plastic. In 2013, grapevines under diffuse plastic showed the highest yields mainly due to decreased rot incidence and increased cluster weight. Furthermore, berries under diffuse plastic showed the highest anthocyanins concentration. The use of diffuse plastic induces more agronomical benefits to produce Syrah grape under protected cultivation.

The change of grape (Vitis vinifera) harvest from summer to winter through double pruning management has improved the fine wine quality in southern Brazil. High altitude, late cultivar and grafting combination all need to be investigated to optimize this new viticulture management. For this purpose, this study was carried out during the 2011 and 2012 growing seasons in a high altitude region of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, using eight grafting combinations for five year old Cabernet Sauvignon vines. The stem water potential, photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance were not affected by rootstock type. The rootstocks IAC 766 and 101-14 induced, respectively, the highest and lowest vegetative vigor in Cabernet Sauvignon, as shown by leaf area and pruning weight. In the 2011 growing season, the leaf chlorophyll contents were increased in IAC 766, whereas vines grafted onto 101-14 accumulated more leaf starch, probably due to reduced vegetative and reproductive growth. In general, rootstocks K5BB, 1045P, SO4 and IAC 766 had the highest yield as compared to 1103P and 101-14. Berries from the grapevine with the highest yield did not differ in pH, total soluble solids and acidity. The rootstocks did not influence the anthocyanins and total phenols in both growing seasons. Quality parameters were better in the 2011 than in the 2012 growing season due to better climatic conditions, mainly less rainfall. The best performance of Cabernet Sauvignon was achieved when grafted onto K5BB, 1045P, SO4 and IAC 766 rootstocks.

'Bordô' grapevines (Vitis labrusca) have great relevance to viticulture due to the quality they can impart to wines and juices. However, this cultivar has high variation in yield, ranging from 6 to 11 t ha-1. The use of clones with superior genetic potential related to scions currently marketed may increase crop profitability and revitalize its cultivation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the agronomical responses of twelve clones of the Bordô cultivar selected over a period of 15 years according to yield and quality. The vineyard was planted in 2008. Grape plants were grafted onto '1103 Paulsen' rootstock and trained on vertical shoot positioning. The agronomical evaluations, performed in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons, covered the duration of their phenological cycles, shoot growth, yield per plant, estimated total yield and physicochemical characteristics. Differences were found between clones in terms of phenology, yield components, and berry composition. Clone 6 had the lowest yield, averaging 5.0 t ha-1 whereas clone 13 was the most productive with 14.9 t ha-1. Based on the most productive vineyards in the region (10.8 t ha-1), the adoption of more productive clones can generate an increase in yield of around 38 %.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de doses crescentes de duas formulações de fosfito de potássio, sobre a severidade do míldio da videira, produtividade e características físico-químicas de uvas Merlot. Foram avaliadas duas formulações de fosfito de potássio (Phi A e B), nas doses 0, 1,2, 2,5, 3,7 e 5,0 g L-1 de P2O5, comparadas com um fertilizante foliar e fungicidas, nas safras de 2009/2010 e 2010/2011. Observou-se efeito linear das doses de fosfito sobre a redução da severidade do míldio, nas duas safras. A maior dose de Phi A proporcionou controle médio de 60,5% e a de Phi B de 57,7%, semelhante ao controle pelos fungicidas (64,3%) e pelo fertilizante foliar (53,3%). Na primeira safra, Phi B proporcionou maior produtividade e, na segunda, não diferiu do tratamento com o fungicida. Os tratamentos somente produziram efeito sobre teor de sólidos solúveis, pH e acidez total titulável do mosto na segunda safra. Phi B e fungicidas proporcionaram os maiores teores de compostos fenólicos solúveis totais das cascas, porém, não produziram efeito sobre os teores de antocianinas. A aplicação de fosfito de potássio aumenta o teor de sólidos solúveis totais e o pH, reduz a acidez total titulável das bagas, não afeta o teor de antocianinas e é alternativa eficaz para o controle do míldio da videira, com resposta similar à proporcionada por fungicidas.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of increasing doses of two formulations of potassium phosphite, on the severity of downy mildew of grapevine, yield and on physicochemical characteristics of Merlot grapes. Two formulations of potassium phosphite (Phi A and B) were evaluated at the doses 0, 1.2, 2.5, 3.7 and 5.0 g L-1 of P2O5, in comparison with a foliar fertilizer and fungicides, during the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 crop seasons. There was a linear effect of phosphite doses on the reduction of the downy mildew severity, in the two crop seasons. The Phi A highest dose provided an average control of 60.5%, and Phi B, 57.7%, similar to the control by the fungicides (64.3%) and fertilizer (53.3%). In the first harvest, Phi B provided a greater productivity, while, in the second, it did not differ from the treatment with fungicides. Treatments only affected soluble solids, pH and total acidity of the grape must in the second season. Phi B and fungicides provided the highest levels of total soluble phenolic compounds at the grape peel, however, had no effect on the levels of anthocyanins. Potassium phosphite application increases total soluble solids and pH, reduces total titratable acidity of the berries, does not affect anthocyanin contents, and it is an effective alternative for the control of downy mildew, with response similar to that of fungicides.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência de porta-enxertos sobre as características agronômicas, ecofisiológicas e qualitativas da videira 'Syrah' manejada por meio da técnica da dupla poda. As videiras foram enxertadas nos porta-enxertos 'SO4', '110 Richter' e '1103 Paulsen', e sustentadas em sistema espaldeira sem irrigação. Foram avaliadas as características ecofisiológicas, de produção e de composição físico-química das bagas maduras em três safras (2007, 2008 e 2010). Os porta-enxertos não exerceram influência sobre o potencial hídrico de base, que apresentou valores próximos a -0,2 MPa, o que indica que não houve restrição hídrica no solo ao final da maturação (junho). Também não houve diferença significativa quanto à produção. O porta-enxerto '1103 Paulsen' conferiu menor vigor, menor taxa fotossintética e melhores resultados de maturação, para as safras com menores precipitações. Os porta-enxertos '110 Richter' e 'SO4' apresentaram maior vigor nas condições meteorológicas de 2010 e as maiores taxas fotossintéticas para o mesmo período. As condições meteorológicas tiveram efeito significativo na maturação tecnológica e fenólica, com os melhores resultados para os anos mais secos. O porta-enxerto '1103 Paulsen' fornece melhor equilíbrio entre vigor e produção, o que aumenta a qualidade da uva.

The objective of this work was to evaluate rootstock influence on agronomical, ecophysiological and qualitative characteristics of 'Syrah' vines managed by double pruning. Grapevines were grafted onto 'SO4', '110 Richter' and '1103 Paulsen' rootstocks and trained in vertical shoot position, with no irrigation. Ecophysiological characteristics, yield and composition of ripe grapes were evaluated in three crop seasons (2007, 2008 and 2010). Rootstocks did not affect pre-dawn water potential, with values close to -0.2 MPa, indicating that there was no soil water deficit at the end of ripening (June). There was also no significant effect of rootstocks on yield. The rootstock '1103 Paulsen' induced lower vegetative growth, lower photosynthetic rate and the best results for berry maturation for crop seasons with lower amount of rainfall. The rootstocks '110 Richter' and 'SO4' showed higher vigor under the meteorological conditions of 2010 and the greatest photosynthetic rates in the same period. Meteorological conditions significantly affected technological and phenolic ripeness, with best results observed in drought years. The '1103 Paulsen' rootstock provides better balance between vigor and yield, increasing grape quality.