Relationship between climate change and wine quality in the Slovacko subregion as a support to managerial and marketing decision making

Abstract

Wine grapes are highly sensitive to changes in climate. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of selected climatic variables such as air temperature, total precipitation and the North Atlantic Oscillation Index on wine quality. This effect was monitored in individual phenological stages of grapevine plant growth; the monitoring was done separately for each of the selected wine varieties. The following varieties were subjected to evaluation: Pinot Gris, Riesling, Welschriesling, Pinot Blanc and Muller Thurgau from the Slovacko wine subregion of the Czech Republic. The long-term trend in climate development was also analysed through two bioclimatic indices. Our results show statistically significant effects of climate change on wine quality during various phenological stages in the Slovacko wine subregion. The effect of air temperatures on wine quality during the first phenological stage proved to be either negative (for the Muller Thurgau, Welschriesling and Riesling varieties) or statistically insignificant (for the Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc varieties). For the second, third, and fourth phenological stages, the effect of air temperatures was positive for most of the analysed varieties. The statistically significant effect of precipitation on wine quality was confirmed for both Muller Thurgau and Riesling. During the first phenological phase, this effect proves to be positive, while for the other phenological stages the precipitation has a negative influence on the wine quality. The effect of the North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI) shows a positive impact on the Pinot Gris variety during the first phenological stage. For the second and third phenological stages, the negative influence of the NAOI on the wine quality was confirmed for both Muller Thurgau and Pinot Blanc. Furthermore, the results show a slight, statistically significant, growth trend of the Winkler index. The growth trend of the hydrothermal index is statistically insignificant, which is probably due to the decrease in precipitation.Wine grapes are highly sensitive to changes in climate. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of selected climatic variables such as air temperature, total precipitation and the North Atlantic Oscillation Index on wine quality. This effect was monitored in individual phenological stages of grapevine plant growth; the monitoring was done separately for each of the selected wine varieties. The following varieties were subjected to evaluation: Pinot Gris, Riesling, Welschriesling, Pinot Blanc and Muller Thurgau from the Slovacko wine subregion of the Czech Republic. The long-term trend in climate development was also analysed through two bioclimatic indices. Our results show statistically significant effects of climate change on wine quality during various phenological stages in the Slovacko wine subregion. The effect of air temperatures on wine quality during the first phenological stage proved to be either negative (for the Muller Thurgau, Welschriesling and Riesling varieties) or statistically insignificant (for the Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc varieties). For the second, third, and fourth phenological stages, the effect of air temperatures was positive for most of the analysed varieties. The statistically significant effect of precipitation on wine quality was confirmed for both Muller Thurgau and Riesling. During the first phenological phase, this effect proves to be positive, while for the other phenological stages the precipitation has a negative influence on the wine quality. The effect of the North Atlantic Oscillation Index (NAOI) shows a positive impact on the Pinot Gris variety during the first phenological stage. For the second and third phenological stages, the negative influence of the NAOI on the wine quality was confirmed for both Muller Thurgau and Pinot Blanc. Furthermore, the results show a slight, statistically significant, growth trend of the Winkler index. The growth trend of the hydrothermal index is statistically insignificant, which is probably due to the decrease in precipitation.