Evaluation of Qualitative and Quantitative Parameters of the Aligoté Grapevine Variety Under Different Shoot Loads

This article presents the results of a study investigating the effects of shoot load on qualitative and quantitative parameters of the white wine grape cultivar Aligoté (Vitis vinifera L.) in commercial vineyards located in the Manychskaya Village, Rostov Oblast, within the protected geographical indication "Valley of the Don". The research relevance stems from increasing market demand for white wines and the need to optimize viticultural practices for improved yield and raw material quality. The grafted, winter-protected vineyards used Berlandieri × Riparia Kober 5BB rootstock with a long-cane training system, planted in 2010 at 3.0 × 1.5 m spacing. The experiment compared four shoot load treatments: control (24 shoots/vine), +25% (30 shoots), +50% (36 shoots), and +75% (42 shoots). Results demonstrated that increasing shoot load to +50% enhanced sugar accumulation (up to 230 g/dm³) and must acidity while improving must yield. However, further increase to +75% reduced these parameters, decreased cluster weight, and complicated vineyard operations. Maximum must yield occurred at +25% load, but the +50% treatment was identified as optimal, achieving balanced sugar accumulation, acidity, and technological efficiency. The study analyzed the potential impact of anomalous 2024 weather conditions (precipitation deficit, elevated temperatures) on experimental results. The findings represent preliminary data requiring further verification through multi-year studies. This research highlights the critical role of shoot load management as a key factor determining the enological potential of Aligoté under continental climate conditions.