The growing environment is defined by hot, dry conditions, tempered by sea breezes moving inland from the coast, while high solar radiation drives canopy development and fruit composition. Together, these factors shape both ripening dynamics and wine style, producing structured red wines with clear varietal and regional identity.

Within this context, Principi di Butera, part of the Zonin1828 group, has embarked on a major operational rehabilitation—focused on vineyard recovery, water management and long-term sustainability.

Site conditions

Leading the transition is Paolo Tealdi, a Piedmont-born winemaker with extensive experience across the Langhe and Monferrato, appointed estate director in 2023.

“We’re on calcareous hill formations at 250–350 metres above sea level, only about 10 kilometres from the sea,” Tealdi explains. “That gives us constant natural ventilation, strong light, and a meaningful day–night temperature variation—factors that help keep ripening balanced.”

Compared to northern Italy, he notes, vine phenology runs earlier.

“Sicily’s mild winters mean we see an advance of roughly one month compared with the north. This year, even with late pruning, the canopy was already well developed by March.”

Summer conditions then slow the pace.

“High temperatures and prolonged dry periods limit vegetative growth. Harvest typically runs from early August for sparkling wine bases—where acidity is critical—through to early October for still red wines.”

Climate variability has added further complexity.

“When I arrived in 2023, vineyard condition was poor and required extensive recovery work. But the site potential was immediately clear. The task was to rebuild the vineyard system and translate that potential into consistent, identifiable wines.”

A tight team, vineyard to winery

Tealdi works closely with Gianluca Peirano, the estate’s viticulture manager and a long-time collaborator from Piedmont. Their approach is based on communication and joint decision-making.

“Gianluca and I are on the same page. I trust his experience, which is critical—especially in a climate like this, where conditions can force quick decisions.”

Together, they have restructured the estate’s operations: 125 hectares of vineyards, partial replanting with indigenous varieties including Nero d’Avola, Grillo and Inzolia, a full upgrade of irrigation infrastructure with systems designed for fertigation, winery workflow adjustments, and a gradual shift toward more sustainable vineyard practices.

Sustainability as an operating framework

For Tealdi, sustainability is not a buzzword, but an operating vision made tangible through through daily management choices.

“We’ve implemented phytoremediation systems, rainwater recovery, cover cropping, and composting of winemaking residues,” says Tealdi. “We also grow wheat, almonds and olives for agritourism, all within the estate. The goal is an integrated agricultural model where inputs and outputs are connected.”

In Sicily’s climate, water management is central. Summer drought can last for months, and vine water stress may occur as early as June. Under these conditions, irrigation decisions directly affect vine balance, yield stability and wine quality.

Using decision support to manage irrigation

To support irrigation planning, the estate has used the Vintel® decision-support system since 2018. Today, it is fully integrated into vineyard management.

“We don’t irrigate to push yields,” Tealdi says. “The objective is to maintain the vine’s physiological balance. Vintel® helps us identify when intervention is necessary—and when it isn’t.”

The irrigation module is the most actively used component. It allows the team to anticipate water stress, compare seasons, and estimate vine water requirements at different phenological stages.

“In 2023, we had virtually no rainfall from March through October. In 2024, rainfall continued until May. In that kind of variability, experience alone isn’t enough. You need objective data to make clear decisions.”

Precision where it matters most

Tealdi’s objective is clear: produce wines that reflect their Sicilian origin while remaining consistent, balanced and genuinely enjoyable to drink. Vineyard management decisions—from pruning to harvest timing—are made with defined quality targets and long-term vineyard performance in mind.

“Technology doesn’t replace the technician,” he says. “It helps us make better decisions—especially when climate becomes unforgiving.”

As Principi di Butera continues to expand its presence in international markets, the priority is building a resilient production model—one that can adapt to climate variability while remaining sustainable and maintaining wine quality year after year.

“True sustainability means making quality wines today without compromising our ability to do the same tomorrow. And to get there, every drop counts.”

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L’article Every Drop Counts : How Paolo Tealdi Is driving the sustainable turnaround of Principi di Butera in Sicily est apparu en premier sur Vintel®.

In France, sanitary pressure has reached record levels. Cognac vintages 2023 and 2024 made it clear: downy mildew is striking earlier every year. Mild winters and frequent rain boost contamination risks and make vineyard operations harder to conduct.

And the pressure isn’t just biological. Regulation is tightening too. Active substances are being withdrawn, and allowed spray doses are shrinking. Growers must now rethink protection strategies and adapt them to both the new climate conditions and the rulebook.

Three levers: practices, optimal spraying, and data

How do we respond? By working on three fronts.

• Cultural practices such as leaf removal and careful nitrogen management improve canopy aeration and limit vigor, making vines less susceptible.
• Optimized spraying is also crucial: precise sprayer calibration and targeted applications boost efficiency while reducing inputs.
• Technology brings the final lever, helping growers anticipate risks instead of reacting to them.

Decision support: the grower’s co-pilot

Decision Support Tools (DSTs) analyze agronomic and weather data to deliver clear answers. Is the vineyard at risk of downy mildew in this moment? When will the next contamination event strike? By modeling vine growth and pathogen cycles, these tools highlight critical windows for action.

“With the climate becoming more unpredictable, DSTs are turning into essential allies — especially when paired with accurate weather forecasts. Cross-checking several sources of data sharpens decision-making.”
— Nathalie Poppe, Technical Manager, Phloème Conseil

Vintel®: seeing the invisible

Among crop protection tools, Vintel® is making its mark. It combines phenological models, epidemiological simulations, and treatment performance analysis. Its edge? The ability to “see the invisible.” By estimating pathogen development before symptoms appear — from winter egg maturation to first infections — Vintel® gives growers a head start.

Drawing on weather station data and forecast models, it helps pinpoint the best moment to spray and renew coverage, saving time and inputs while increasing effectiveness.

Innovation meets experience

Of course, no tool replaces the grower’s eye. But they can enrich it.

“Vintel® stands out for its ability to anticipate symptom emergence and track winter egg maturation. It helps growers fine-tune their protection plans. Experience remains essential — but DSTs bring valuable support alongside it.”
— Nathalie Poppe, Technical Manager, Phloème Conseil

A new roadmap for vineyard protection

Climate change and regulations are rewriting the rules of vineyard management. The only sustainable path combines good vineyard practices, precise treatments, and technological innovation. By blending field experience with digital precision, the wine industry has the keys to building durable protection strategies — and safeguarding vineyards for the next generation.

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L’article Fighting vine fungal diseases in times of climate change est apparu en premier sur Vintel®.

Phenology is the study of recurring events in the life cycle of plants and animals and how these cycles are affected by seasonal changes or environmental factors. Examples of phenological events in the plant world are flowering and bud-burst and in the animal world, egg hatching and insect emergence.

In agriculture, the timing of plant phenological events is a crucial driver of agroecosystem functioning and productivity. Not only phenology determines the length of the productive season and its synchronization with favorable climate conditions, but its knowledge is necessary to time and optimize agricultural practices.  For example, the impact of water stress varies according to the different crop phenological stages. For this reason, irrigation may be scheduled depending on this variable. Crop phenology is also important for fertilization scheduling, pest management, and harvesting operations, to name a few.

Due to the key role of phenology in crop management, it is important to understand how the yearly cycle of plants unfolds and how it is affected by its environmental drivers.

Grapevine phenology

Similarly to other crops, grapevine develops following a well-defined yearly cycle, marked by phenological events.

In temperate zones with cold winters, grapevines actively grow from March/April  to October/November, i.e., “the growing season.”. A cultivar’s ability to successfully ripen fruit during the growing season is critical, and most wine grape cultivars require 155–200 frost-free days to reach harvest maturity. Additionally, some post-harvest frost-free days are required for the vines to build up reserve carbohydrates prior to dormancy.

The stages in the growth cycle

The grape starts its annual growth cycle in the spring with bud-break which begins around March when daily temperatures begin to surpass 10 °C. In pruned vines, the start of this cycle is marked by a “bleeding” of the vine when sap exits the cuts left over from pruning the vine. Leaf unfolding follows shortly after bud-break.

Depending on temperatures, approximately 2 months after bud-break, flowering begins with small flower clusters appearing on the tips of the young shoots. This is usually occurring in May. The flowers then start to grow in size with individual flowers becoming observable, pollination takes then place.

The stage of fruit set follows flowering almost immediately at the beginning of June, when the fertilized flower begins to develop a seed and grape berry to protect the seed.

Following fruit set, the grape berries are green and hard to the touch. They have very little sugar and are high in organic acids. They begin to grow to about half their final size when they enter the stage of veraison, which occurs around the end of July. Veraison corresponds to the onset of fruit maturation and starts  with  an  abrupt softening  of the berry, followed  by sugar loading and acid degradation. In red and black cultivars the biosynthesis of anthocyanin results in berry skin colouring.  The weather during this phenophase is crucial for berry quality and future wine aromatic profile.

At the end of maturation, usually around September, grapes are harvested to be transformed in wine, in the wine making process, or to be eaten as table grapes.  The time of harvest depends on a variety of human and environmental factors. Indeed, this decision very much depends on the subjective evaluation of grape ripeness which in turns depends on the production objectives of the grower/winery The threat of detrimental weather or disease can also play a role in the time table. The balance of all these factors affect the timing of harvest.

Finally, in October /November, senescence takes place, involving chlorophyll break down, leaf colouring and leaf fall. Dormancy, or inability to grow in warm conditions, sets in at the end of September and deepens until it is released by chilling temperatures and long photoperiod. Grapevines are then ready to resume growth and start a new season.

Phenology prediction for a better vineyard management

The precise monitoring of these stages on the scale of a vineyard is essential in ensuring a successful technical management. It provides the means for ascertaining the developmental status of the grapevine and hence to decide when and how to conduct technical operations.

Irrigation

A precise knowledge of phenological phases is crucial to have an effective irrigation strategy in the vineyard.

Indeed, the effect of water deficit on berry growth varies according to the phenological phase during which it is applied. Research shows that it is greater when it is applied during berry formation (between flowering and veraison) when can limit cell division and expansion and decrease the final size of berries and total yield. Similarly, a stress applied at the time of flower bud differentiation can negatively impact fruitfulness and production the following year.

Phytosanitary treatments

Many diseases respond to specific weather conditions, and attack their host during specific vulnerability windows, which often correspond to particular phenological phases. For example, grey mould (botrytis cinerea) penetrates into senescing flowers at the end of flowering but only develops at a later stage, between veraison and harvest. Powdery mildew on the other hand, can produce primary infections on green  parts only before veraison, due to its inability to penetrate old and thickened leaf tissue. To optimize phytosanitary planning the prediction of phenological vulnerability to specific diseases is thus crucial

Cover crop management

A precise and informed management of cover crop can benefit vineyards and grape quality in many ways. However in order to avoid excessive competition between the cover crop and the grapevine the vigor of the cover crop should be limited during the period where water is a limiting factor for grapevine growth, which corresponds to specific phenological phases.

Harvest

The precise knowledge of the phenological status of grapevine allows to assess the relative ripeness levels of the parcels and characterize the current vintage to decide  when harvest should take place, given the oenological objectives of the grape grower. For example, in a vineyard dedicated to the production of dry whites or spumante-style wine, harvest might be conducted relatively early to ensure high levels of acidity and freshness.

To time these operations so that they are conducted during the right phenological phase, phenology modelling comes to the aid of on-field monitoring. Phenological models use the relationship between weather variables and plant development to simulate and predict plant phenology so that growers can plan their technical operations effectively.

Vintel, predict your vineyard phenology and plan your viticultural operations

To make vineyard management easy, ITK has developed a smart digital solution: Vintel®. The Decision Support System (DSS) Vintel® helps to manage irrigation and nitrogen fertilization in real time according to vine water and nitrogen needs, by taking into account the phenological phase of your vineyard, which is predicted using phenological models.

If you want to know more about  Vintel® see here.

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L’article Grapevine phenology est apparu en premier sur Vintel®.

Nestled in the heart of Puglia, in the south of Italy, Masseria Altemura lies halfway between two seas, enjoying cool sea breezes from the Ionian and saline air the Adriatic.

The estate, acquired by the Zonin1821 group in 2000, covers 140 hectares of vineyards set in a unique terroir.  The soils, a blend of rock and clay, paired with a Mediterranean climate—hot, dry summers and mild winters—create the perfect environment for high-quality viticulture. The estate hosts a variety of prestigious grape varieties, including local gems like Aglianico and Primitivo.

Since 2005, the estate has been under the watchful eye of Antonio Cavallo, the vineyard manager and winemaker. A native of Puglia with a degree in Agricultural Sciences from Bologna, Antonio brings a no-nonsense mix of traditional know-how and scientific curiosity to his work. “My goal,” he says, “has always been to let the native varieties speak for themselves—while giving them the right tools to do it.” explains Antonio “It’s about taking everything into account: from the climate and soil to the style of wine —every detail guides our decisions in the vineyard.”

Antonio gives us a picture of the estate vineyards: “Around 70% of the vineyards are planted with reds, with Primitivo making up about half of our production. We also grow Aglianico and Malvasia Nera. For white grapes, we have Malvasia, Fiano, Moscato, and Falanghina.” Yields vary depending on the variety: “For Primitivo, we are around 70-80 quintals per hectare, while for Fiano and the rosé production, yields are a bit higher, around 110.”

  “My goal, has always been to let the native varieties speak for themselves—while giving them the right tools to do it “.

A changing climate

Like many growers across southern Europe, Antonio has watched the local weather patterns slip out of sync. “Rain is coming at the wrong times, and it’s not just a few days—it’s entire seasons that look nothing like they used to,” he says. Take spring 2023, for example:  humid, wet, and unpredictable, it ushered in one of the worst downy mildew seasons in recent memory of the region, which is not usually exposed to high disease pressures. “But luckily we were not affected” Antonio says “We were prepared. We acted fast, monitored closely, and protected the fruit.”

Warmer winters are also accelerating vine growth. “This year Moscato budded in early March,” he says  “and within two weeks we were at two leaves. This precocity makes vines vulnerable to spring frost damage—a risk that used to be rare here.”

« This (phenological) precocity makes vines vulnerable to spring frost damage—a risk that used to be rare here. »

An irrigation strategy tailored to each variety

According to Antonio, the key to resilience is precision. Masseria Altemura uses a drip system which is triggered only when vines are exposed to real water stress—what is called ‘rescue irrigation.’ It’s a system designed for a region where the dry, hot summers can quickly turn punishing. “The idea isn’t to irrigate routinely,” he explains, “but to act when the vines actually need it—and in a way that fits the character of each variety.”

The Mediterranean climate—with its long, dry, and sun-soaked summers—offers both a challenge and an opportunity for viticulture. In the ripening season, when rainfall is scarce, irrigation becomes not just a support, but a strategic tool. “At that point, the vines rely almost entirely on us,” says Antonio. “And that means we can adjust irrigation to obtain a certain wine style.”

At Masseria Altemura, irrigation isn’t about simply quenching thirst—it’s a fine-tuned balancing act. Strategies are tailored to each grape variety, guided by the wine style they aim to achieve and informed by weather patterns and lessons from previous harvests. “If one year we ended up with overly tannic musts or yields that were too low, the following season we make adjustments to ease a bit more the water stress,” Antonio explains.

Precise water management is essential—not only to maintain the vine’s vegetative balance, but to shape wine style itself. “Every variety reacts differently to water, to stress, to the rhythm of the season” Antonio emphasizes. “Understanding the water behavior of each variety is key to striking the right balance between vigor and ripening, and create good wines”.

Over time, they’ve built detailed irrigation profiles for each grape. For example, white varieties are protected from excessive water stress to preserve their freshness and minerality. “For reds, we can stress a bit more, but it depends,” he says. “Negroamaro, for example, has very little resilience to drought—once it’s stressed, it hardly recovers. So, we make sure it never crosses that stress threshold. Primitivo, on the other hand, has delicate skins, so we pay very close attention not to water in excess in the last two weeks before harvest, to avoid berry splitting.”

“Everything comes back to knowing how each variety behaves under pressure,” Antonio adds. “That knowledge is what lets us guide the vine—and the wine—in the right direction.”

« Understanding the water behavior of each variety is key to striking the right balance between vigor and ripening, and create good wines. »

From manual to digital

Such precision might seem difficult to achieve, but for years, the estate has been fine-tuning its water management practices with monitoring tools like the pressure chamber. This device measures leaf water potential—the pressure needed to draw water from a leaf—providing a direct indicator of the vine’s hydration status. Unlike soil moisture sensors, this method offers a plant-centered perspective, especially valuable in viticulture. Yet, it’s a technique that demands experience and manual effort, requiring daily dedication to maintain consistent monitoring.

“When I first arrived in 2005,” Antonio recalls, “given the size of the estate, measuring leaf water potential throughout the summer meant having one person working full-time for three straight months.”

That’s why, since 2018, the estate has adopted Vintel®, a decision support system for precision irrigation. Vintel® offers daily simulations and forecasts of leaf water potential, making vineyard monitoring more accessible and strategic. From the beginning, it proved to be an ideal partner for Masseria Altemura’s approach. The platform is powered by multifactorial agronomic models that consider soil, climate, grape variety, and winemaking objectives, tailoring its recommendations accordingly.

Thanks to this integration, the estate now benefits from highly accurate water stress forecasts, drastically reducing the need for manual measurements. The result is a streamlined, time-efficient process that doesn’t compromise on quality.

“Today, thanks to Vintel®, we can simulate and forecast leaf water potential with precision,” Antonio explains. “We only use the pressure chamber to confirm the data. It lets us work more efficiently—and with greater peace of mind.”

« Today, thanks to Vintel®, we can simulate and forecast leaf water potential with precision [..] . It lets us work more efficiently—and with greater peace of mind. »

Innovation, Sustainability, and Terroir

Masseria Altemura stands as a prime example of how thoughtful agronomic management and innovation can meet today’s viticultural challenges—enhancing the potential of a unique terroir while ensuring sustainability and resilience.

That path, however, hasn’t always been smooth. “In the beginning, there was a lot of trial and error,” Antonio admits. “It took time and effort to calibrate the DSS, to define irrigation strategies and the water response profiles of each variety.”

And each year, the challenge begins anew.  As climate patterns shift and conditions evolve, strategies must be constantly reassessed. What worked one year may no longer apply the next. But at Masseria Altemura, years of field experience, combined with a data-driven approach, have shaped a resilient and adaptable system—one that not only navigates uncertainty but showcases the full potential of Apulian viticulture.

Today, thanks to Vintel®’s predictive power, Antonio can finally step away from the vines for a few days, even during the peak of summer. A short break, perhaps, but one that was once unthinkable.

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L’article Masseria Altemura: where terroir and innovation meet to create resilient viticulture est apparu en premier sur Vintel®.

In 2022 and 2023, the region recorded historically low rainfalls, with less than 250 mm per year —making Perpignan’s climate more akin to that of Tunis than southern France. Even in 2024, with about 400 mm of rain, the figures remained below average, which typically ranges between 500 and 650 mm. The cumulative deficit over three years has been unprecedented.

According to the French Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM), despite some improvement late in 2024, groundwater levels remain alarmingly low as of March 2025.

For winegrowers, the impact has been severe, with yields dropping by as much as 30 to 50% in some areas, leaving the entire industry vulnerable. Given these challenges, sticking to traditional methods is no longer an option. Winegrowers must now evaluate every factor that influences their success and adapt practices and strategies to the changing climate.

The Importance of the first irrigation

Aurélie Mercier, Technical Director at Domaine Cazes (Advini group) in Roussillon, emphasizes that irrigation decisions must be based on multiple sources of information. “ “With water restrictions and drought conditions persisting for the past three years, we cannot afford to waste a single drop. To ensure efficient irrigation, we integrate a variety of tools and methods, including Vintel®’s decision support system (DSS), the pressure chamber, soil tensiometers, and visual indicators such as shoot length and apex monitoring. The key is cross-referencing these data sources to make well-informed decisions.”

At Domaine Cazes, where 100 hectares out of 300 are irrigated, the timing of the first irrigation is crucial. In 2024, for the first time, irrigation was triggered before budbreak due to historically low soil water reserves. “The soil was completely dry, no sap was dripping from pruning cuts and growth was blocked. “ . This lack of soil moisture can cause harmful conditions known as “delayed spring growth“, where dehydrated dormant buds struggle to reconnect with the vine’s vascular system. Without sufficient sap flow to repair winter embolisms and rehydrate buds, shoots may experience stunted growth, wilting, and, in severe cases, fruit abortion. By irrigating before budbreak, Domaine Cazes aimed to restore soil moisture early enough to prevent these issues and support healthy vine development.

“In 2024, for the first time, irrigation was triggered before budbreak. The soil was completely dry, no sap was dripping from pruning cuts and growth was blocked. “

With increasing restrictions on water use, precision becomes even more critical. “Due to water restrictions we can irrigate only five hectares per day, meaning the same plot will not receive irrigation more than once in 2-3 weeks. This means that we need to adjust our irrigation frequency and volume based on what is practically feasible and optimize our choices” says Mrs. Mercier.

The Role of Decision Support Systems Tools like Vintel® provide a significant advantage by modeling soil water availability, vine stress, and helping viticulturists anticipate depletion trends. “One of the most valuable features of Vintel® is its ability to track the dynamics of water loss in the soil’s Available Water Content (AWC). This allows us to plan and avoid critical stress levels,” explains Mercier.

“Due to irrigation restrictions, we can irrigate only five hectares per day, meaning the same plot will not receive irrigation more than once in 2-3 weeks. This means that we need to adjust our irrigation frequency and volume based on what is practically feasible”.

The key to a successful strategy

By comparing data from Vintel® with real-time field measurements, Domaine Cazes has been able to refine its irrigation strategy to meet both wine production goals and quality standards, even in challenging years. Whether producing structured red wines or fresh white wines, fine-tuning irrigation ensures the right balance between vine water stress and grape quality, allowing the domaine to maintain both high-quality yields and steady production despite the tough conditions.

For those starting with decision support system and Vintel®, Aurélie Mercier advises comparing multiple data sources at the beginning and calibrating models using pressure chambers to adjust parameters to match simulations in each reference plot, ensuring the accuracy of future predictions.

“With Vintel®, I can monitor changes in soil moisture in real time, which helps me anticipate each plot’s water needs and plan interventions more effectively”.

In the face of increasing climate unpredictability, leveraging technology and real-time monitoring is no longer an option—it is a necessity. Vintel® provides the insights needed to navigate these challenges, ensuring that each drop of water contributes to both vineyard sustainability and wine quality.

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L’article Turning data into drought resilience: the winning strategy of Domaine Cazes est apparu en premier sur Vintel®.

Vineyard irrigation and climate change

In addition to areas traditionally considered as “dry” during the growing season, new regions are increasingly showing the need of irrigation. The climate change underway is leading to an increase in temperatures and a reduction in rainfall in the summer period, increasing water stress in vineyards, which could potentially undermine both yield and grape quality. These changes will make it necessary to implement irrigation in viticultural areas for which drought is a new phenomenon. The increase in temperatures will also cause a reduction in the water resources available, making it necessary to decrease the water footprint by using deficit irrigation strategies which optimize water use efficiency.

Such practices are already routinely adopted in viticultural areas with limited rainfall throughout the production season. Indeed, irrigating with small amounts of water has the effect of reducing growth and canopy size, limiting transpiration losses and therefore maintaining production and quality at reduced water inputs. However, particular care must be exerted, as the line between moderate and excessive water stress is very thin and crossing it might lead to incomplete/unbalanced ripening and deteriorate the polyphenolic and aromatic profile of wines. For this reason, a deficit irrigation strategy needs to be carefully planned and its effects need to be continuously monitored.

What is deficit irrigation in viticulture

Deficit irrigation maximizes the efficiency of water use, by concentrating limited seasonal water supplies to drought-sensitive crop growth stages. Outside these periods, irrigation is limited or even unnecessary if rainfall provides a minimum supply of water. Water application is therefore inferior to the actual water needed for maximum growth. While this inevitably results in plant drought stress and some production loss, it maximizes productivity for a given amount of water and stabilizes yields.

For grapevine, the effect of water deficit on fruit growth varies according to the period during which it is applied. Research shows that it is greater when it is applied during berry formation (between flowering and veraison) when can limit cell division and expansion and decrease the final size of berries and total yield. Similarly, a stress applied at the time of flower bud differentiation can negatively impact fruitfulness and production the following year.

Fruit quality is also sensitive to water stress, depending on its levels. Whereas moderate stress can increase sugar concentration and anthocyanins and phenol compounds in berries (thereby enhancing wine color and aroma), excessive stress and high temperatures could cause a photosynthetic limitation reducing the accumulation of sugar. Finally, water stress can impact on acid content in grapes in interaction with temperature. This effect is particularly pronounced after veraison, when rapid acid degradation due to high temperatures and water stress can result in dull wines lacking freshness and crispness.

Using Vintel for deficit irrigation: an experimental study during the Italian drought of 2022

It is now clear that under climate change, the key to viticultural sustainability will be the adoption of smarter and more precise water management strategies. For that, it is crucial to have a complete vision of the water status of vineyards and its evolution over the production season. New technologies provide us with different tools that can support informed irrigation choices, and optimize water use during drought. One of these tools is the irrigation DSS Vintel, which uses accurate plant-soil models to simulate vineyard water status, and give irrigation recommendations, day by day according to production objectives.

A recent study by the university of Udine, Italy, has highlighted that Vintel can indeed help plan and optimize irrigation to preserve production and quality in areas hit by summer drought, which is becoming more and more frequent. Vintel  has been chosen by the University of Udine within the European project “Aquavitis” as a tool to conduct trials on the effects of water availability  and the impacts of climate change on the vineyards of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, in North-Eastern Italy.

Indeed, in the spring-summer of 2022 Northern Italy has experienced one of the worst droughts in the last 70 years, with precipitations reaching a historical minimum and rivers running almost dry. The drought has resulted in water restrictions and has hit hard the agricultural sector, as low river levels made irrigation difficult.

Paolo Sivilotti, the researcher who supervised the trials explains : ” The test was conducted in 2021 and 2022 near Udine. It analysed the response of Pinot gris, a typical variety from the region, to three different water treatments: no stress, moderately stressed, severely stressed. ” To monitor and maintain these water stress levels over the season, Mr. Sivilotti used Vintel, which simulates predawn water potential as an indicator of plant water status.

Using Vintel, water potential was mantained at:

• No stress : -0.2 MPa over the whole season
• Moderate stress : -0.35 MPa between flowering and harvest
• Severe stress : -055 MPa between flowering and harvest

” What was really interesting was to see whether a deficit irrigation strategy could help optimize water use and what level of stress should be maintained after flowering to ensure a satisfactory yield and grape quality. The DSS Vintel was the ideal tool to conduct this study because its models do not just simulate soil moisture but provide a direct estimate of the effect that soil water shortage has on vine water status. The pressure chamber measures made during the growing seasons confirmed the accuracy of simulations, making any DSS adjustment unnecessary.”

No water stress

Moderate water stress

Severe water stress

The results show that “the moderately stressed regime allowed to save 31% and 50% of irrigation water in 2021 and 2022  with modest impacts on yield and physiology, and without any repercussions on quality“. Indeed, a wine tasting panel has tried the wines produced in 2021, and no difference between the stressed and non-stressed wines has been remarked.

“Obviously more studies are needed to assess the best deficit irrigation strategies in different viticultural contexts.”

However, results confirm that under climate change, precision deficit irrigation can be a valuable strategy preserving production, quality and decreasing the water footprint of viticulture.

“Not only, during extreme events like the one that hit Northern Italy this summer, deficit irrigation might be the only possible alternative, if water restrictions are put in place or if water becomes too expensive.” In this context, tools like Vintel are precious allies to vine growers in the creation a climate resilient, more sustainable viticulture.

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L’article Vintel®, the best vineyard irrigation in times of climate change : the Italian experience est apparu en premier sur Vintel®.

What is YAN ?

To convert grape sugars into alcohol efficiently, yeasts need sufficient quantities of assimilable nitrogen, mainly in the form of ammonium and amino acids… Among amino acids, some, such as proline, are not assimilable by yeast. This is because Saccharomyces cerevisiae, unlike other yeasts, lacks external proteases (enzymes that digest proteins) and therefore cannot hydrolyze peptides and proteins to extract amino acids. Therefore, YAN includes only ammonium ions (NH4+), free amino acids, and some peptides, which means that assimilable nitrogen can represent less than 50% of the total nitrogen.

Nitrogen requirements of yeast during fermentation

Scientific studies show that a YAN level above 180-200 mg/L is optimal for ensuring regular and complete fermentation. Lower levels can lead to incomplete fermentation, leaving residual sugars and producing wines of lower quality. According to the Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV), the minimum YAN level in a should be at least 140 mg/L, including 50 mg/L in the form of ammonia, toto prevent fermentation from stalling.

Furthermore, YAN also influences the aromatic profile of the wine. The production of aromatic compounds, particularly esters, largely depends on the amount of assimilable nitrogen available to the yeast. Generally, the initial concentration of assimilable nitrogen in the must is directly related to the quantity of aromatic compounds produced during alcoholic fermentation

Nitrogen fertilisation to improve must quality

YAN level is therefore a key indicator for winegrowers seeking to optimise the quality of their musts. Proper nitrogen fertilisation increases the nitrogen content of the berries. For example, trials carried out by the IFV between 2005 and 2009 showed that urea-based foliar fertilisation can boost the nitrogen content of berries by 50% to 100%, depending on the dose applied.

If musts are low in nitrogen, adding YAN as a nutrient during fermentation is an option. However, this method can result in different aromatic profiles compared to wines from vineyards with adequate nitrogen fertilization.

For example, a recent study on Chardonnay revealed that, while adding nitrogen in the form of diammonium phosphate or organic nitrogen during fermentation can achieve fermentation kinetics similar to those from vineyard fertilization, they produce wines with less pronounced tropical fruit aromas.

In summary, while cellar additions of nitrogen are effective for completing fermentation, conducting a balanced fertilization in the vineyard is preferred as it enhances the aromatic characteristics of the wine.

Using decision-support tools to control nitrogen nutrition

Decision-aid tools such as Vintel® are particularly useful for improving nitrogen nutrition in vineyards and, consequently, the fermentation process. These tools enable winegrowers to forecast the nitrogen requirements of their vines based on environmental conditions (soil, weather, cover crops) and the specific characteristics of plants (phenological stage, growth, target yield). Thanks to this data, winegrowers can fine-tune their fertilisation practices, optimising nitrogen uptake and, ultimately, the quality of their musts, ensuring that they ferment evenly to produce quality wines.

In short, precise fertilisation adapted to each vineyard is essential for producing high quality grapes and ensuring optimal fermentation. Effective management of assimilable nitrogen helps to prevent fermentation issues and produce top wines.

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L’article The importance of precise fertilisation for wine quality est apparu en premier sur Vintel®.

Nitrogen (N) plays a major role in all grapevine physiological processes. It is considered as a macronutrient, as it is required in larger amounts than the other mineral nutrients. It controls plant vigor and its absorption by the roots is dependent on the availability of water. A nitrogen deficient grapevine will not grow well, forming short inter-nodes, chlorotic (yellow) leaves and will produce less fruits with a reduced grape N content and possible delayed maturation.

Whereas nitrogen must be available to grant an adequate growth and photosynthesis, in viticulture too much nitrogen is also detrimental. Excess vigor leads to an extended vegetative growth period and competition with grape ripening. In addition, denser canopies and higher N content in leaves can increase vulnerability to fungal diseases.

In addition to controlling vegetative vigor, nitrogen affects the composition of grapes and the activity of yeast during winemaking. Indeed, nitrogen is a key yeast nutrient needed to carry out a successful fermentation and its presence as part of complex N-compounds in musts can affect the aromatic quality of wine.

All these functions make it difficult to control and to manage nitrogen fertilization in the best way. Since 2021, Vintel Nitrogen module by ITK provides a monitoring and forecasting service that can be used on a large scale to make the best decisions concerning N fertilization in a quick and cost-effective way to attain production goals.

How do you know how much nitrogen is needed by your vineyard ?

Fertilization is a regular practice for vinegrowers, and one which demands a particular expertise to attain the optimal balance between vigor and grape composition.

This expertise is even more relevant in a world that is more and more concerned with soil and environmental preservation. Indeed, wine growers are becoming increasingly aware of the detrimental effects of excess nitrogen leaking into the environment, causing water pollution and eutrophication. For this reason, over the past decades, the application of N in vineyards has been reduced with the aim of adjusting vigor and yield while preserving the environment.

In the last decades cover cropping has made its come-back in many vineyards, after a long period in which it was abandoned, as it was considered harmful for production. Indeed, whereas using cover crops have several benefits, ranging from soil protection to the control of  yield, in vineyards with low vigor, there is a concern of excessive competition for N resources with vines. In these cases, N-fertilizer application needs to be tailored to suit grapevines needs while considering the type of cover crop and its practices.

All these factors need to be considered when creating the nitrogen (N) management plan, to make the best use of N fertilizers. To conceive such plans it is very helpful to monitor vine N status and have a global vision of all the elements affecting its balance in the vineyard. A decision support tool  (DST) like Vintel Nitrogen module can provide these data in real time so that nitrogen management becomes easy and effective.

Vintel Nitrogen module predicts nitrogen availability

The new service within the Vintel DST, Nitrogen module boosts growers insight into the nitrogen status of their vineyard, informing decision-making.

This powerful solution makes it possible to visualize nitrogen stress and measure the impacts of nitrogen inputs on vine growth during the production season.  And off-season it helps adjust nitrogen application so that vines maximise their reserves and can re-start growth adequately. Because Vintel Nitrogen module considers the soil-plant water balance, it allows to apply fertilizer in the right amount to avoid leaking or wash out.  Moreover, the system provides a long-term weather forecast ranging several months in the future, that can help planning N purchase and application in the long term.

A nitrogen expert for winery management by the side of growers

Vintel Nitrogen module calculates daily nitrogen demands and consumption by plants, depending on nitrogen soil stocks, fertilizer application, cover cropping and other vineyard practices, and weather. This is possible because at the heart of Vintel Nitrogen module there are agronomic models of soil water balance, nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen allocation whose output provides an instant picture of your vineyard N status. Soil nitrogen dynamics over time are displayed through easy-to-interpret detailed graphs. Long-term weather forecasts allow to simulate the in season evolution of vineyard nitrogen, for a better planning of N-fertilizer applications.

Vintel Nitrogen module : for each plot, you can visualize detailed graphs showing nitrogen demands by the plant (top), nitrogen and water availability in soil (middle) and weather (bottom)

Vintel is a complete tool for the management of nitrogen allowing growers to :

• Visualise the peaks of nitrogen consumption in their vineyard for the ongoing season.
• Know when plants are stressed and consuming their own nitrogen reserves so to avoid their depletion
• Compare different fertilization strategies to see what is their potential impact over plant nitrogen and soil stocks
• Select the best cover crop for your vineyard and optimize its management (type, planting date, removal date etc.)
• Analyze the use of nitrogen in your vineyard after harvest. Is there sufficient N for building adequate plant stocks?
• Maximize the effectiveness of N applications by considering present and future water availability in the soil
• Save money by applying just the right amount of fertilizer at the right moment.
• Preserve soil and environmental resources by avoiding excess N application and N leak into the environment

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L’article Nutrient management planning in the vineyard: how to optimize nitrogen fertilization ? est apparu en premier sur Vintel®.