Abstract
Pinot gris, Riesling, Cabernet franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon vines from a single vineyard in Virgil, Ontario were subjected to two crop levels, full crop (FC) and half crop (HC), in which crop was reduced in HC to one basal cluster per shoot at veraison. Crop level treatments were combined with three harvest dates: T0 (commercial harvest), T1 (three weeks after T0), and T2 (six weeks after T0), all with subsequent wine production. Berries, must, and wine were analyzed. Reductions in crop led to an increase in Brix, reduced yield, and cluster number in all cultivars, and increased cluster weight in Cabernet franc. Delayed harvest date also increased Brix and pH and reduced titratable acidity (TA) and berry weight. Effect of harvest date in berries carried over to musts and wines: increased pH and TA in T2 treatments was associated with reduced anthocyanins, phenols, and color intensity in red cultivars. Delayed harvest date had a greater magnitude of effect than crop reduction; thus, maintaining a full crop with a later harvest date might have a greater beneficial impact on potential wine quality than reducing crop level.
- Received March 2017.
- Revision received May 2017.
- Revision received June 2017.
- Accepted June 2017.
- Published online September 2017
- ©2017 by the American Society for Enology and Viticulture
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