The effects of climate change on wine composition and winemaking processes
Vincenzo Gerbi, Camilla De Paolis
Abstract
Wine is a complex beverage and its composition and final quality are related on numerous factors, including climate change. The viticulture and wine industry are strongly affected by climate change, with impacts on grapevine vegetative behavior and consequences on grape musts and wine composition. The increasing trend of temperature has influence on grapevine phenology and metabolism, as well as water availability, with effects on grape both primary and secondary metabolites. Climate change has created the necessity of oenological strategies to obtain quality wines, particularly higher temperatures and water stress are able to affect sugar and acidic content, impacting, not only the harvest time, but also final product quality, with the increase of ethanol as one of the direct consequences. That impacts the sensory profile, reducing fruity notes and amplifying unpleasant ones. Moreover, aroma and their precursors are influenced by climate change. Nowadays in winemaking one of the most challenging objectives is the production of wines with reduced alcohol content. Different strategies are developing, which consider interventions in the pre-fermentation phase, or during alcoholic fermentation, or on the wine after fermentation. This review examines the effects of climate change on wine composition and possible strategies in winemaking processes to produce low-alcohol-content wines.