Viticulture worldwide is threatened by the environmental modification caused by climate change. Higher temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration determine an acceleration of the ripening process, which can be detrimental to wine quality. Hence, adaptation and mitigation strategies are necessary to reduce heat and water stress and improve the qualitative production levels. Amongst all the various techniques available, shading nets represent an interesting alternative for their effects on canopy microclimate and grape production. However, these effects vary strongly depending on the intensity of the shading treatment, the timing of its application, environmental conditions, and differences in cultivar response. The reduction in photosynthetic activity can improve water use efficiency and slow down the ripening process, preserving must acidity. Phenolic compounds, which benefit from light exposure for their synthesis, are negatively affected by shading, while aromatic composition can be improved by it. Vine reserve accumulation is reduced by the lower photoassimilates production. Photoselective nets, thanks to their colour, not only reduce light intensity but also change the quality of the light spectrum reaching the canopy, thus, determining specific responses in the plants.

Grapevine root distribution and density influence mineral and water absorption and are affected by soil management and the use of cover crops. This study, conducted in a ten-year-old commercial Mediterranean vineyard with desiccant-managed inter-rows, compares the effects of three different soil management practices—minimum tillage (MT), spontaneous natural covering (NC), and a commercial grass mixture (GM)—on root development in Montepulciano vines grafted onto Kober 5BB rootstocks. Root length, diameter, and weight across different soil layers were analyzed by digging trenches. The results show that thin roots, primarily responsible for water and nutrient absorption, ensure greater soil volume exploration, while medium-to-large roots contribute mainly to root biomass. The presence of cover crops reduces root development in the upper soil layers due to competition with herbaceous species; however, this promotes deeper root exploration and increases the total root length per plant. In the deeper soil layers, root growth is limited by higher soil compaction. Tillage enhances the development of medium-to-large roots and increases the total root biomass per plant. In conclusion, soil management influences vine root development, and competition from cover crops stimulates the growth of absorbing roots in deeper soil layers.

Rising temperatures due to climate change pose a significant threat to viticulture, intensifying summer heat stress and accelerating berry ripening. Additionally, the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, such as hailstorms, further jeopardizes the sustainability of the viticultural sector. In recent years, mitigating these impacts has become crucial for grape production, particularly in Mediterranean regions. This study compares two mitigation strategies—using an anti-hail shading net (S) and kaolin spraying (K)—with untreated control vines (C) over three growing seasons. Vine physiology, berry ripening, grape production and pruning weight were evaluated. The S treatment significantly reduced light interception in the fruiting zone and, while limiting gas exchange, improved vine performance during extreme heat. The K treatment alleviated heat stress and enhanced the photosynthetic activity. Both S and K treatments improved grape quality by maintaining higher acidity levels and lower sugar concentrations and pH. Additionally, both treatments reduced the incidence of fungal diseases, with the net providing added protection against hailstorms. No significant changes in pruning weight were observed, and the treated vines showed a better balance between vegetative growth and production. In conclusion, both kaolin and shading nets are effective techniques for addressing the challenges of climate change, enhancing vine resilience and ensuring high-quality grape production.

The current rise in temperatures is hastening grape ripening, resulting in unbalanced wines with high alcohol content but poor colour, aroma and phenolic composition. Late-season canopy manipulation practices aimed at reducing the size of the photosynthetic apparatus after veraison have been shown to delay ripening in cooler climates. However, these methods have not directly been compared in regions with high irradiance and temperature, where berry composition is negatively affected by late fruit exposure. In this two-year Cabernet-Sauvignon trial, we compared the application of pinolene (P) to late shoot topping (T) and late above-bunch zone leaf removal (LR), all performed during the late stages of ripening, with an untreated control (C). Vine water status was monitored weekly from the time of treatment application until harvest. Gas exchange was monitored only in 2021, from treatment application through to harvest. Berry samples were collected to measure berry weight, total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, and the anthocyanin profile. At harvest, we assessed yield components, rated sun damage on clusters, and produced experimental wines. Wine colour and chemical characteristics were evaluated. The application of P scarcely improved gas exchange and stem water potential. Conversely, LR and T increased water potential but did not affect leaf gas exchange. T was the only treatment that significantly decreased sugar accumulation, followed by P, which showed some effect although not significant. Grape yield was not altered, despite the use of P resulted in a lower berry weight in 2022. Canopy manipulation increased lighting conditions in the canopy and caused a significant presence of damaged fruits, especially in LR. Berry anthocyanins were not affected, but LR resulted in a lower concentration of total anthocyanins in the wine and altered the anthocyanin profile. P increased wine acidity, while LR and T improved wine colour. This study suggests that late-season canopy management can effectively control ripening speeds and improve the composition of grapes and wines. However, it is essential to avoid grape overexposure by employing the appropriate techniques to ensure grape quality is not compromised.

Natural covering (NATC) has spread on hillside vineyards of central Italy as a replacement for tillage to reduce soil erosion, although it increased nitrogen and water needs. Therefore, in the current context of global warming, using cover crops (CCs) that require less water and provide nitrogen becomes crucial. The effects of two low-competition legume-enriched CCs in a rainfed hillside vineyard—a perennial legume–grass mixture (PLGM) and an annual legume cover crop of Trifolium alexandrinum (ALTA)—were compared with NATC over three years. PLGM and ALTA provided good levels of soil coverage, slightly lower than NATC, which had a negligible presence of legumes. PLGM and ALTA, due to low competition, enhanced vine vigor, resulting in thicker and wider canopies (as indicated by total leaf area and leaf layer number), higher pruning weight, and increased yield. PLGM and ALTA led to good qualitative levels, with higher grapes acidities, lower pH and total soluble solids content and, additionally, significantly higher yeast assimilable nitrogen content. In conclusion, implementing low-competition legume species in CCs is an effective tool to avoid soil erosion in a climate change scenario, leading to increased productivity, higher acidity, and improved nitrogen content in the grapes.

The knowledge of the climatological trend of an area and its influences on grapevine growth is a helpful tool for the prediction of the ripening process: climate change effects on viticulture can be thus studied. In a first step, the climate of the Matelica area, central Italy, was characterized, then Verdicchio grapevines harvest data and its connection with seasonal trends have been evaluated for a period of almost thirty years. This study allowed us to find a connection between mean harvest date and heat summation from March to June, while berry sugar accumulation proved to be more influenced by the heat summation of June-August period. These relations can represent a useful tool for wineries and vine-growers to monitor the ripening process and prediction of harvest, helping in their management.