Climate change has significant implications for agriculture, especially in viticulture, where temperature plays a crucial role in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) growth. Mendoza’s climate is ideal for producing high-quality wines, but 21st-century climate change is expected to have negative impacts. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of increased temperature on the phenology, physiology, and yield of Malbec, Bonarda, and Syrah. A field trial was conducted over two seasons (2019–2020 and 2020–2021) in an experimental vineyard with an active canopy heating system (+2–4 °C). Phenological stages (budburst, flowering, fruit set, veraison, harvest), shoot growth (SG), number of shoots (NS), stomatal conductance (gs), chlorophyll content (CC), chlorophyll fluorescence (CF), and water potential (ψa) were measured. Additionally, temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, and canopy temperature were recorded. Heat treatment advanced all phenological stages by approximately two weeks, increased SG and NS, and reduced gs and ψa during the hottest months. CC and CF remained unaffected. The treatment also resulted in lower yields, reduced acidity, and increased °Brix in both seasons. Overall, rising temperatures due to climate change advance the phenological phases of Malbec, Syrah, and Bonarda, leading to lower yields, higher °Brix, and lower acidity, although physiological variables remained largely unchanged.

Climate change has significant implications for agriculture, especially in viticulture, where temperature plays a crucial role in grapevine growth. Mendoza's climate is ideal for producing high-quality wines, but 21st-century climate change is expected to have negative impacts. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of increased temperature on the phenology, physiology, and yield of Malbec, Bonarda, and Syrah. A field trial was conducted over two seasons (2019-2020 and 2020-2021) in an experimental vineyard with an active canopy heating system (+2-4ºC). Phenological stages (budburst, flowering, fruit set, veraison, harvest), shoot growth (SG), number of shoots (NS), stomatal conductance (gs), chlorophyll content (CC), chlorophyll fluorescence (CF), and water potential (ψa) were measured. Additionally, temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, and canopy temperature were recorded. Heat treatment advanced all phenological stages by approximately two weeks, increased SG and NS, and reduced gs and ψa during the hottest months. CC and CF remained unaffected. The treatment also resulted in lower yields, reduced acidity, and increased °Brix in both seasons. Overall, rising temperatures due to climate change advance the phenological phases of Malbec, Syrah, and Bonarda, leading to lower yields, higher °Brix, and lower acidity, although physiological variables remained largely unchanged.

In addition to winemaking techniques, wine’s quality and typicity are linked to the place where the grapes are grown. Climate, soil and the cultivar are major drivers of the terroir’s expression. Moreover, climate change is affecting the distribution of grapevine varieties in different wine-growing regions because changes in climatic conditions over the past years is affecting grape production. This study investigated the influence of some terroir parameters on the volatile composition of Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Eight wines from vineyards sited in Argentina, Spain and Portugal with altitudes between 2400 and 77 m above sea level (a.s.l.) with different soils and climatic conditions were selected. The results suggested that the vineyard’s place significantly modified the volatile composition of Cabernet Sauvignon wines because all chemical groups of volatiles quantified were affected. Volatile acids, C6 compounds, aldehydes, esters and terpenes showed the highest concentrations at 2400 m a.s.l., where the highest thermal amplitude was observed. In Portugal, where the vineyard studies were sited at lower altitudes (77 m a.s.l.) and under warm climatic conditions, high concentrations of alcohols and lactones were observed. Alcohols also showed high concentrations in wines from vineyards sited at 413 and 155 m a.s.l. (Spain). Principal component analysis showed the positive correlation of Cabernet Sauvignon wines located at higher altitudes with terpenes. On the contrary, wines from grapes grown at lower altitude conditions exhibited a correlation with alcohols and lactones.

Changes in climate are influencing the quality of wine grapes worldwide. The impact of extreme climate events over short periods is increasingly recognised as a serious risk to grape quality and yield quantity. In this study, the mitigation effects of a pulsed water spray treatment on vine canopy during heatwave (HW) events were evaluated in relation to vine condition during the growing season and grape quality. In the UNCuyo experimental vineyard, vines of the three cultivars Malbec (ML), Bonarda (BO) and Syrah (SY) were treated with an overhead pulsed water spray. Heatwaves were defined as days with a minimum temperature of 21 °C and a maximum temperature of 35 °C. Two heat waves were identified during the growing season. Samples were collected at weekly intervals from veraison to harvest. On five sample dates, Leaf and Stem Water Potential (LWP, SWP), Stomatal Conductance (gs), Leaf Temperature (LT), Berry Temperature (BT), Chlorophyll Content (CC), Fluorescence (Fv/Fm) and Performance Index (PI) were recorded at several time points during the day to evaluate the physiological responses of the vine. Berries were collected on each sample date and at harvest. Berry weight, soluble solid content and pH were recorded. In the treated vines (Trt), LWP, SWP, Fv/Fm, PI and gs were significantly higher and LT was lower than in the control vines (Ctl) during the second heatwave, which was longer and more intense than the first one. One week after the more severe heatwave, LWP, SWP and gs remained significantly higher in Trt than in Ctl, displaying reduced physiological stress in Trt. At harvest, the anthocyanin profile, total polyphenol index (TPI), fruit yield, number of bunches and their average weight, berry weight, soluble solid content and pH were also recorded. Bunch weight was significantly higher in Trt for all cultivars. No differences were found in total anthocyanin concentration. These findings indicate that the vines subjected to targeted overhead water treatment during heatwaves underwent less physiological stress and yielded higher grape production, without increasing the risk of potential fungus diseases, in the Mendoza climate. Consequently, this practice could serve as a valuable strategy for mitigating the adverse effects of heatwaves.

Climate change is advancing ripening and can impair phenolic maturity in grapes, compromising anthocyanins and stilbenes that affect the wine color and stability. We tested whether exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) mitigates warming-induced shifts in the phenylpropanoid pathway in the ’Malbec’ red wine grape variety. A factorial field experiment compared control temperature (−T) and elevated temperature (+T, +2.5 °C), with and without ABA sprays (three applications after veraison). Berry skin gene expression (ten flavonoid and stilbene genes) was monitored across ripening and summarized using time-course and AUC-based clustering. Anthocyanins were quantified in berry skins at harvest and in the corresponding wines, and stilbenes were quantified in wines. Warming reduced MYBA1 early in ripening and decreased anthocyanins and stilbenes overall. Meanwhile, ABA reinforced a late anthocyanin program under −T (MYBA1, UFGT, MYBC2-L3, F3′5′H), consistent with a shift toward the 3′,5′-hydroxylated/malvidin-type branch. Conversely, stilbenes remained suppressed under +T, with limited recovery under +T/+ABA. Time-integrated expression patterns and Spearman correlations consistently linked CHS2, F3′5′H, UFGT, MYBC2-L3, with variation in berry skin anthocyanins across treatments, while STS AUC tracked wine stilbenes. Overall, ABA partially buffered warming effects on ‘Malbec’ color by reinforcing late anthocyanin regulation but did not prevent warming-driven declines in wine stilbenes.