Chemical and sensory characteristics of Gaglioppo wines obtained from grapes grown under two different water regimes

Climate change can affect the crops production capacity and modify the water requirements in the different regions of the world. In particular, in southern Europe and in the Mediterranean region the vegetative cycle of plants will take place in a warmer and drier period, with the consequent increase in vegetative activity, transpiration rate, and water consumption. In the case of vine, the rationalization of water resource needs a deep knowledge of the complex relationships between climate, soil, water availability and grape variety, in order to preserve the high quality regional wine productions. In the Cirò DOC area (Calabria), the effect of irrigation, prolonged until maturity, on the polyphenolic content of the grapes was studied with the Gaglioppo red grapes variety, in order to verify whether a moderate post-veraison water supply could favour the completion of phenolic maturation. Two different water regimes were compared in the vineyard, and the physicochemical composition, the polyphenolic and aromatic profiles and the sensory characteristics of the resulting wines were studied. The study confirmed that the climatic variability of the different vintages can influence both the vegetative-productive activity of vines and the effect of water supplies.