CLIMATE AND TERROIR CLIMATE AND TERROIR

IN IN PIEDMONT: CASEPIEDMONT: CASE--STUDY STUDY

OF LANGHEOF LANGHE’’S CUESTASS CUESTAS

Dipartimento di Scienze della TerraDipartimento di Scienze della TerraUniversitUniversitàà degli Studi di Torinodegli Studi di Torino

Simona FratianniSimona Fratianni

INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP “A TASTE OF INNOVATION: SCIENCE FACTS ABOUT PIEDMONT TERROIR”

GUARENE, 13-14 NOVEMBER 2010

InIn CuestasCuestas Langhe Langhe oneone of theof the mostmostimportantimportant vineyardsvineyardsinin the the PiedmontesePiedmontesegrapegrape--growinggrowingindustry is cultivated: industry is cultivated: the Nebbiolo. the Nebbiolo.

ThanksThanks toto the the qualityqualityof of itsits grapesgrapes, , wineswinesratedrated amongamong the the mostmostvaluablevaluable on a on a nationalnationaland and internationalinternational levellevellikelike Barolo, one of the Barolo, one of the first D.O.C.G. (D.P.R. first D.O.C.G. (D.P.R. JulyJuly 1st 1980) in 1st 1980) in ItalyItalycan can bebe producedproduced. .

VITICULTURAL AREAS VITICULTURAL AREAS

ClimateClimate andand terroirterroir

Quality and peculiarity of any wine are tightly Quality and peculiarity of any wine are tightly connected to the type of climate. Its variations connected to the type of climate. Its variations both in time and space, on the macro and both in time and space, on the macro and mesomeso--climatic scale affect the type of wine.climatic scale affect the type of wine.

MeteorologicalMeteorologicalstationsstations

According to the According to the ““European European

vineyards mapvineyards map””carried out by thecarried out by the

ComitComitééInterprofessionnel Interprofessionnel

du Vin du Vin de Champagne de Champagne

(CIVC, 1998, 2001) (CIVC, 1998, 2001) thethe area area ofof

Cuestas Cuestas LangheLanghe is is classifiedclassified as as ““cold cold

terroirterroir””..

LimitLimit dictateddictated bybythe the isothermalisothermal 1010°°CC

Temperature Temperature is the most is the most important important parameter parameter in the vine in the vine

vegetative cycle.vegetative cycle.

WinterWinter frostfrost daysdays

In all the considered stations, the minimum temperature never In all the considered stations, the minimum temperature never dropped below dropped below --1515°°C. The lowest T, C. The lowest T, --13.813.8°°C was registered at C was registered at MombarcaroMombarcaro (the highest station = 896 m) in December 1991.(the highest station = 896 m) in December 1991.

DuringDuring wintertimewintertime temperaturetemperature minimum minimum belowbelow--1515°°C C maymay damage damage thethe rootroot systemsystem (A.O.C., 2001).(A.O.C., 2001).

-15

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T (

°C)

MOMBARCARO - 896 m

Vineyard Vineyard phenologicalphenological phasesphases

BUDDINGBUDDING

EarlyEarly,,

I decade I decade AprilApril

BLOSSOMINGBLOSSOMING

EarlyEarly,,

I I decadedecade JuneJune

MATURATION MATURATION

LateLate,,

II/III II/III decadedecade

OctoberOctober

VERAISONVERAISON

MiddleMiddle earlyearly, ,

II II decadedecade AugustAugust

SpringSpring frostfrost daysdays

The The frostfrost damagedamage are are relatedrelated totothe the contentcontent in water in water bodiesbodies, so , so thatthat the the dormantdormant budsbuds are are frostfrostresistantresistant, , whilewhile the the youngyoung sproutssproutsare are damageddamaged alreadyalready belowbelow 3 3 °°CC(Crema, 2003).(Crema, 2003).

The disasters caused by spring frosts:Right: healthy bud; left: frost bud

The late frosts The late frosts will affectwill affectvegetationvegetation and and the the restrest of the of the vegetative vegetative cyclecycle..

ItIt shouldshould bebecheckedcheckedespeciallyespecially in in MayMay((shootshoot periodperiod), ), ifif T <3T <3°°C. C.

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FROST DAYS

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THERMAL SUM 10°C HUGLIN INDEX WINKLER INDEX

°C

THERMAL LIMIT

Vine needs to accumulate a certain amount of useful Vine needs to accumulate a certain amount of useful temperature degrees (GDD = Growing Degree Days) temperature degrees (GDD = Growing Degree Days) beyond the threshold of 10beyond the threshold of 10°°C/day.C/day.

ThermalThermal sumsum

ColdCold zone zone <1371 <1371 °°CC

ColdCold temperate zone > 1648temperate zone > 1648°°CC

WarmWarm temperate zone temperate zone (1372(1372--1647 1647 °°CC))

ViticulturalViticultural stationsstations

AAt leastt least 10001000°°C from April to September (C from April to September (FribourgFribourg, 1989, 1989))

PrecipitationPrecipitation

SpringSpring precipitationprecipitation valuesvalues > 300 mm > 300 mm plasmoparaplasmopara viticolaviticola

WinterWinter precipitationprecipitation valuesvalues > 100 mm > 100 mm storagestorage

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Winter Precipitation Spring Precipitation

mm

winter threshold min 100 mm spring threshold max 300 SpringSpring < 300 mm< 300 mmWinterWinter >100 mm>100 mm

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P (mm) Tav (°C)

BELVEDERE LANGHE

Dry periodDry periodThe The vinevine isis a a xerophilousxerophilous plantplant, , itit needsneeds a a waterwater--poorpoor soilsoil..

AllAll the the stationsstations havehave a dry a dry periodperiod in the in the summersummer. . ThisThis isis a a climaticclimatic peculiaritypeculiarity in in PiedmontPiedmont and and itit meansmeans thatthatthe the LangheLanghe area area isis suitablesuitable forfor viticultureviticulture..

DRY DRY PERIODPERIOD

Amman Amman indexindex (AI = (AI = P*TP*T/E) /E) hashas highlightedhighlighted the the differencedifferencebetweenbetween the the continentalcontinental stationsstations ((MombarcaroMombarcaro, , PrunettoPrunettoand and FeisoglioFeisoglio), ), wherewhere the the viticultureviticulture isis limitedlimited toto the best the best exposedexposed slopesslopes and the more and the more mediterraneanmediterranean stationsstations((DoglianiDogliani, La Morra, Belvedere , La Morra, Belvedere LangheLanghe, , RodelloRodello, , TreisoTreiso, , RoddinoRoddino, Mango and , Mango and SomanoSomano) ) wherewhere itit isis practicedpracticed..

The The limitlimit of of viticultureviticulture isis aroundaround 600 m and the 600 m and the vinevineNebbiolo Nebbiolo isis notnot performedperformed in the in the easterneastern and and southernsouthernpartpart of the of the LangheLanghe area (yellow area (yellow horizontalhorizontal lineslines). ).

MeteorologicalMeteorologicalstationsstations

Nebbiolo Nebbiolo cultivationcultivation

limitlimit

The The climateclimate doesdoes notnot directlydirectly contributecontributetoto the the determinationdetermination of the of the terroirterroir butbut ititisis stillstill the the mostmost importantimportant physicalphysical factorfactorthatthat limits and limits and conditionsconditions the the vinevine’’s s cultivationcultivation and and growthgrowth..

ClimaticClimatic changechange

In the In the lastlast yearsyears a a markedmarkedincreaseincrease in in temperaturestemperatureshashas beenbeen recordedrecorded, , particularlyparticularly in the in the minimum minimum valuesvalues(0.7(0.7°°C/50y in C/50y in PiedmontPiedmont).).

IfIf thisthis trend trend willwill bebeconfirmedconfirmed, in the , in the comingcomingyearsyears the the vineyardsvineyardscultivationcultivation limits limits couldcouldrise rise significantlysignificantly..

Thank you Thank you for your for your

attentionattention!!