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In a changing climate, the agro-climatic characteristics of a wine region could significantly vary. Therefore, grapevine physiology, ripening time and grape quality at harvest, could be modified by climate change. The aim of this work is to investigate if there is a shift in climate suitability for the PDO “Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri” wine growing area. Firstly, the climatic traits were assessed for the reference period 1985-2010. Afterwards, according to a “two periods” approach, the 2010-2018 time period, that represents the current condition, was evaluated. The Multicriteria Climatic Classification (MCC) (Tonietto and Carbonneau, 2004), through the use of Heliotermal, Cold night and Dryness indexes, was performed and the classification of the two periods was compared in order to highlight the differences in the suitability for wine production in the PDO area. The results show the trend towards a warmer and drier climate, with an increase in mean temperature (+1°C) and intensification of dryness (+21 mm of potential deficit). The study also shows that, according to MCC, no relevant viticultural regions in the world are highlighted with the same classification as Villa d’Agri for the 1985-2010 period. Otherwise in the recent period (2011-2018) the study area has similar climatic traits with an important wine-producing area, the Rio Negro wine region in Argentina. This agro-climatic shift reveals a great potential in the suitability of the PDO area for high-quality red wine production. In addition, the “two periods approach” could be applied to other grape growing regions in order to assess the effect of climate change on vineyard suitability for wine production., Italian Journal of Agrometeorology, No 3 (2019)

Montepulciano red grape is cultivated in the northern part of the Latium region, primarily for the production of DOC “Colli Etruschi Viterbesi” structured wines for aging. In Mediterranean areas, viticulture is closely influenced by vine water status. In this context, the practice of irrigation may alleviate water-stress-related reductions in plant development to guarantee grape quality, especially in semi-arid areas. The application of on-farm compost in a vineyard may affect grape quality without negative effects, thereby enhancing environmental sustainability. The aim of this work was to investigate the combined effect of irrigation and compost application on the Montepulciano variety in the volcanic environment of Latium region, thereby improving the polyphenol concentrations in the berries. The trial was conducted during three growing seasons (2011-2013). Irrigation was performed according to the protocol proposed by Ojeda and Saurin (2014). The pre-dawn leaf water potential (ψpd) from July to September was measured weekly for maintaining vine water status in the range between −0.4 and −0.6 Mpa. Irrigation (I) and irrigation plus compost application (IC) were compared to a non-irrigated control (C). Berry weight was not influenced by moderate irrigation, whereas titratable acidity and total soluble solids were negatively correlated to the increment of water dropped. The primary finding was a positive influence on polyphenol contents of the grapes at harvest. Best performance was highlighted in 2012 with 263 liter vine−1 of water supplied. Overall, the sustainable use of water and on-farm compost improved Montepulciano grape quality in this volcanic area, thereby enhancing the adaptation of Mediterranean viticulture to climate change conditions.