Impact of Climate Change on Grapevines, Berries, Wine: Present and Future

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Viticulture".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 September 2025 | Viewed by 209

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department for Sustainable Food Process (DiSTAS), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, 29122 Piacenza, Italy
Interests: winemaking; wine chemistry; grape and wine composition; minor grape cultivar; climate change

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last few decades, climate change has increasingly impacted agricultural-based production systems, including the wine sector. Although the impact of climate change on the quality of grapes and wine may be dependent on individual wine-growing areas, the most important viticultural regions of the world have reported a trend toward overly fast grape ripening, causing an excessive and/or too rapid sugar accumulation in the berries. The primary influence of this trend is related to the increase in air temperature and CO2 levels, inducing a positive effect on the plant photosynthetic rate and carbohydrate accumulation in fruits. Overly fast grape ripening leads to excessive sugar accumulation, unacceptably low total acidity and high pH, and atypical flavors in the grapes. Moreover, high grape sugar concentration causes a stress response in yeast, which can lead to fermentation processes that become inhibited and slow and unbalanced wines. The high ethanol concentration in wine increases hotness and bitterness perceptions, decreasing acidity sensations and the perception of some important aroma compounds such as higher alcohols, esters and monoterpenes.

In this context, the current Special Issue of Horticulturae welcomes articles related to the field of climate change impacts on the composition of grapes and wine, studying how their main metabolites (i.e., organic acids, sugars, polyphenols, polysaccharides, mineral and nitrogen content, etc.) are influenced as well as the main potential strategies that can be applied, both in vineyards and wineries, to mitigate the effects of climate change on grape and wine quality.

Dr. Mario Gabrielli
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • climate change impact
  • vine physiology
  • grape composition
  • wine composition
  • adaptation strategy
  • wine and grape quality

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

29 pages, 4015 KiB  
Article
A Study of Observed Climate Change Effects on Grapevine Suitability in Oltenia (Romania)
by Mihaela Licurici, Alina Ștefania Vlăduț and Cristina Doina Burada
Horticulturae 2025, 11(6), 591; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11060591 - 26 May 2025
Viewed by 83
Abstract
Viticulture represents an important agricultural sector in Oltenia, which is one of the Romanian regions most affected by temperature increases. The main purpose of the present study was to analyze the changes in climate suitability for grapevine and wine production against this climate [...] Read more.
Viticulture represents an important agricultural sector in Oltenia, which is one of the Romanian regions most affected by temperature increases. The main purpose of the present study was to analyze the changes in climate suitability for grapevine and wine production against this climate context in the region. Two specific bioclimatic indices were applied, namely the bioclimatic index and the oenoclimate aptitude index, both reflecting the cumulated influence of temperature, actual sunshine duration, and precipitation amounts on the grapevine during the growing season (1 April–30 September). The indices were calculated as average values for the period 1961–2020. In order to emphasize potential shifts in suitability, the mean, maximum, and minimum values were calculated for two distinct periods, 1961–1990 and 1991–2020. The results of the analysis underlined three distinct suitability changes: the area suitable for quality red wines shifting northwards (on average, about 30′ of latitude or 55.5 km), including the eastern part of the Getic Subcarpathians, which is not currently part of any winegrowing region; the emerging new areas suitable for quality white wine (the western part of the Subcarpathians); and a potentially overly hot climate developing in Southern Oltenia where grapevine varieties are currently grown. Thus, the development of adequate adaptation strategies for viticulture to climate change in the region should be considered in the near future. Full article
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