Viticultural performance of native Italian varieties in high‑altitude conditions in Southern Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the viticultural performance of 12 native Italian varieties, cultivated at 1,400 m of altitude in São Joaquim, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The following varieties were evaluated during three cycles: Prosecco, Verdicchio, and Vermentino (white); and Aglianico, Aleatico, Ancellotta, Lambrusco Grasparossa, Montepulciano, Negroamaro, Rebo, Sagrantino, and Sangiovese (red). A completely randomized design was used, with five replicates of eight plants for each variety. The phenological stages evaluated were: budbreak, full bloom, veraison, and maturity. At harvest, the following were evaluated: yield and productivity per plant, total soluble solids (°Brix), titratable total acidity (meq L^-1), pH, and contents of anthocyanin and total polyphenol. Thermal amplitude around 10°C during maturation positively influenced grape quality. The white varieties better adapted to the conditions of São Joaquim were Vermentino and Verdicchio, with yields above 3.9 Mg ha^-1, soluble solids above 18°Brix, and total polyphenol contents above 500 mg L^-1. The red varieties better adapted were Sangiovese, Sagrantino, and Montepulciano, with yields around 6 Mg ha^-1, soluble solids between 19 and 21.5°Brix, and total polyphenol contents above 780 mg L^-1. Low temperatures during budbreak and the volume of rainfall are the most limiting climatic aspects for cultivating the evaluated varieties in São Joaquim.