Climate is one of the main factors that significantly impacts the terroir of vineyards by directly affecting vine growth, yield, and berry composition, which, in turn, are key to the quality characteristics of the wines produced. Climate change poses new challenges, especially in insular regions where changing grapevine varieties is limited due to Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) rules. Cultivating vines at higher altitudes may prove to be a potential solution. This study aimed to investigate the phenolic potential of the skins and seeds of cv. ‘Fokiano’, cultivated at two different altitudes, namely, 200 m and 800 m, on the Greek island of Ikaria, during 2019–2021. The results showed that grapes from 200 m exhibited higher values for weight, length, and width, while those from 800 m exhibited higher berry water content and higher skin-to-grape ratios. In addition, higher values of anthocyanins, enhancing the grapes’ color and phenolic composition, were recorded in grapes harvested at 800 m. It is, therefore, evident that higher altitudes can help grapes exhibit higher anthocyanin content and titratable acidity. Consequently, the choice of an altitude can counteract the phenomenon of early ripening caused by climate change. Adaptation strategies based on the present study’s observations may constitute viable long-term recommendations for vineyard establishment, especially in insular regions where it is not possible to move geographically to northern latitudes.
Daskalakis et al. (Thu,) studied this question.