Viticulture and Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) wine production in island territories are increasingly exposed to tourism expansion and real estate development, processes that reshape land-use dynamics and intensify competition for land and labour. This study examined how these territorial pressures affected Madeira's PDO wine production between 2009 and 2024 using municipal-level data. An unbalanced panel dataset was analysed through robust econometric techniques, including Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) and Prais-Winsten PCSE estimators, complemented by a Random Forest model used for methodological triangulation. The empirical framework distinguished between tourism intensity, which captures scale-driven territorial pressure, and tourism-agriculture integration, reflecting local value-chain linkages between tourism and viticulture. The results showed that higher tourism intensity and real estate development were negatively associated with PDO wine production, consistent with increasing competition for land and labour in geographically constrained island contexts. In contrast, tourism-related enterprises and the density of viticulture establishments were positively associated with production, suggesting the presence of demand-side synergies between tourism activity and local wine production. Overall, the findings revealed the coexistence of competing territorial dynamics in which tourism development simultaneously generates market opportunities while intensifying structural pressures on viticulture. These results underscore the importance of integrated territorial planning and coordinated governance strategies capable of balancing tourism expansion with the long-term sustainability of PDO viticulture in island regions.
This study investigated the influence of grape cultivars on wine composition under the climatic conditions of Manisa in Turkey. The climatic data indicated that it was a notably warm and dry year, with above-average temperatures during the vegetation period and substantially reduced precipitation, particularly in summer. These conditions considerably affected the ripening of grapes and the chemistry of wine. Eleven grape cultivars (four white and seven red) were vinified under standardized conditions to isolate cultivar-driven effects. Significant differences among cultivars were observed for all physicochemical parameters ( p ≤0.05). The alcoholic strengths ranged from 11.57 to 15.85% ABV, while titratable acidity varied between 4.65 and 6.52 g/L. The organic acid composition varied noticeably among cultivars, with ‘Sauvignon Blanc’ and ‘Bornova Misketi’ showing comparatively higher malic acid concentrations, while ‘Merlot’ exhibited a higher lactic acid concentration. Phenolic profile revealed substantially higher concentrations of phenolic acids, flavanols, flavonols, stilbenes, and anthocyanins in red wines. Multivariate analysis confirmed that grape cultivar was a major source of variation in wine composition, with phenolic compounds, particularly anthocyanins and flavanols, representing the main variables responsible for sample discrimination. ‘Cabernet Mitos’ was strongly associated with high polyphenol and anthocyanin contents, whereas white cultivars were more closely related to acidity-related variables. Overall, the results highlighted the importance of cultivar selection in determining wine composition under warm and dry growing conditions. Despite the limitation of being based on a single harvest, these findings may contribute to future studies and the development of viticultural strategies aiming to improve wine quality and enhancing adaptation to projected climate change in Mediterranean wine-producing regions.
Viruses are one of the most important biotic factors affecting grapevines and the wine sector around the world. In Brazil, three viruses are the most important. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the presence of grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV-3), grapevine virus A and grapevine virus B (GVA and GVB are implicated in the etiology of the grapevine rugose wood complex), on agronomical parameters of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ vines and metabolic profiles of grapes and wines. Viruses reduced the yield and sugars and increased total acidity in grapes. The anthocyanins and flavan-3-ols were reduced in grapes from diseased vines, while trans-resveratrol, flavonols and caftaric acid increased in these grapes. Viruses reduced the most prominent anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavon-3-ols and caftaric acid in wines from diseased vines, while increased taxifolin and trans-resveratrol. The volatile compounds were reduced in wines from diseased vines. Multivariate analysis showed that phenolic and volatile compounds in wines presented the highest percentage of discrimination among diseased and healthy vines.
In warm arid viticultural regions, excessive solar radiation and high temperatures during ripening increasingly compromise berry composition and wine quality. These effects are expected to intensify under climate warming. In hail-prone areas such as Mendoza, Argentina, anti-hail nets are widely adopted for crop protection and may also offer an opportunity for vineyard microclimate modulation. This study evaluated the effects of commercial anti-hail nets on canopy microclimate, yield, and wine composition in a Vitis vinifera L. cv. 'Malbec' vineyard over three consecutive seasons. Three treatments were compared: an uncovered control (CO), a moderate symmetrical shading treatment using standard anti-hail nets providing 17% radiation exclusion on both canopy sides (M1), and an intensified asymmetrical configuration combining 17% shading on the east side with reinforced 50% shading on the west side (M2). Anti-hail nets significantly buffered the canopy microclimate by reducing leaf temperature and the accumulation of hours above 35 degrees C during peak thermal periods. Shading intensity was the main factor associated with observed vine responses. Moderate shading (M1) preserved yield stability while improving the sugar-acid balance and enhancing wine chromatic characteristics during the 2017 season. In contrast, intensified west-side shading (M2) promoted excessive vegetative vigor, increased the pruning weight-to-yield ratio, and reduced wine chromatic expression, indicating that excessive radiation attenuation may limit color-related ripening processes. Overall, moderate differential shading could potentially be an effective multifunctional strategy to mitigate thermal stress while preserving wine typicity in arid viticultural regions. Em regi & otilde;es vitivin & iacute;colas quentes e & aacute;ridas, a radia & ccedil;& atilde;o solar excessiva e as temperaturas elevadas durante a matura & ccedil;& atilde;o t & ecirc;m vindo a comprometer a composi & ccedil;& atilde;o das uvas e a qualidade dos vinhos no contexto das altera & ccedil;& otilde;es clim & aacute;ticas. Em zonas propensas & agrave; ocorr & ecirc;ncia de granizo, como Mendoza, Argentina, as redes antigranizo s & atilde;o amplamente utilizadas para prote & ccedil;& atilde;o da produ & ccedil;& atilde;o e podem igualmente contribuir para a modula & ccedil;& atilde;o do microclima da can & oacute;pia. O presente estudo avaliou os efeitos de redes antigranizo comerciais sobre o microclima da can & oacute;pia, o rendimento e a composi & ccedil;& atilde;o das uvas e dos vinhos numa vinha de Vitis vinifera L. cv. 'Malbec' ao longo de tr & ecirc;s vindimas consecutivas. Foram comparados tr & ecirc;s tratamentos: um controlo sem cobertura (CO), um sombreamento sim & eacute;trico moderado com redes padr & atilde;o proporcionando 17% de exclus & atilde;o da radia & ccedil;& atilde;o em ambos os lados da can & oacute;pia (M1) e uma configura & ccedil;& atilde;o assim & eacute;trica intensificada, combinando 17% de sombreamento no lado leste com 50% no lado oeste (M2). As redes antigranizo atenuaram o microclima da can & oacute;pia, reduzindo a temperatura foliar e a acumula & ccedil;& atilde;o de horas acima de 35 degrees C durante os per & iacute;odos t & eacute;rmicos cr & iacute;ticos. A intensidade do sombreamento foi o principal fator associado & agrave;s respostas da videira. O sombreamento moderado (M1) manteve o rendimento e favoreceu um equil & iacute;brio mais adequado entre a & ccedil;& uacute;cares e acidez, bem como melhores caracter & iacute;sticas crom & aacute;ticas nos vinhos. Em contraste, o sombreamento intensificado no lado oeste (M2) promoveu maior vigor vegetativo, aumentou a raz & atilde;o peso da lenha de poda/rendimento e reduziu a express & atilde;o crom & aacute;tica dos vinhos. De modo geral, o sombreamento diferencial moderado mostrou potencial como estrat & eacute;gia multifuncional para mitigar o stress t & eacute;rmico sem comprometer a tipicidade dos vinhos em regi & otilde;es vitivin & iacute;colas & aacute;ridas.
Environmental contamination and biodiversity loss associated with the use of conventional phytosanitary products in crops has driven the search for sustainable alternatives. Ozone is a powerful disinfectant with proven applications in the agri-food chain. In recent years, water ozonation systems have been developed for agricultural sprayers, yet research on their effectiveness remains limited. This study evaluated the viability of ozonated water (OW) for grapevine disease control and its impact on plant microbiota. Six application strategies were tested in two vineyards of the ‘Albariño’ cultivar, assessing disease severity and microbial communities in leaf and berries. Disease incidence was generally low, except for downy mildew, which was prevalent. Consequently, the efficacy of OW was only assessed against this disease. While conventional treatments effectively controlled downy mildew, OW treatments failed, resulting in significant yield losses. Microbial analysis allowed to identify 400 fungal and 270 bacterial genera. Overall, plants treated with conventional products exhibited lower microbial abundance, highlighting the detrimental impact of chemical products on biodiversity. In conclusion, although OW is beneficial for the microbial communities compared to conventional products, it is not recommended for controlling downy mildew in regions with high disease pressure.
