Effects of altitude on the chemical composition of grapes and wine: a review

Abstract

Of the geographical parameters in a winegrowing site, altitude is an important determinant of wine composition and quality. Grape polyphenols and volatiles comprise a large and varied group of compounds that contribute considerably to the sensory and health-promoting properties of wine. This review surveys the impacts of altitude and its related climatic characteristics on the phenolic and aroma compounds of grapes and wine through the examination of existing literature. Furthermore, this review highlights the challenge of distinguishing the effects of parameters, such as air temperature, variety, vine water status, soil and UV radiation, from the altitude effect. Overall, high-altitude growing sites can favour an increase - albeit at different intensities - in content of many chemical compounds found in grapes and wine, such as total polyphenols, total monomeric anthocyanins, catechins, quercetin derivatives and cyanidin-derived anthocyanins, trihydroxylated flavonols, carotenoids, isoamyl acetate and ethyl hexanoate. However, the altitude factor seems to be cultivar-dependent; in fact, it can exert a positive effect on the concentrations of acylated anthocyanins and of total aroma compounds in some cultivars (e.g., Ekşikara and Glera) and a negative effect on the same components in other cultivars (e.g., Merlot and Cabernet-Sauvignon). Its influence on the polyphenol content can also differ between different parts of the same cultivar; for instance, an increase in skin tannins and a decrease in seed tannins have been found to be concomitant with an increase in altitude in Syrah grapes. Moreover, at higher altitude, the effect of an increase in UV-B radiation can lead to an enhancement in colour intensity due to an increase in the synthesis of anthocyanins, flavonols and tannins. Due to their cool climate, high-elevated winegrowing regions represent favourite cultivation sites under current and future global warming.

Interactive effects of changes in UV radiation and climate on terrestrial ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, and feedbacks to the climate system

“…As noted above and in Sect. 4.1 , climate change is shifting bioclimatic zones and this is allowing certain crops to be grown at higher elevations than was previously possible [ 293 – 298 ]. For some crop species originating from lower elevations, the more intense UV radiation at high elevations may exceed their tolerances to UV radiation with negative consequences for their physiology and growth [ 299 ].…”

Functional Foods and Their Implications for Health Promotion

“…The diversity in metabolite composition and antioxidant activities of berries as a result of geographic locations has been noted in grape (Mateus et al, 2001(Mateus et al, , 2002, strawberry (Hårdh & Hårdh, 1977;Josuttis et al, 2012), currant (Zheng et al, 2009), bilberry (Lätti et al, 2010;Rieger et al, 2008;Vänninen et al, 1988;Åkerström et al, 2010Åkerström et al, ), blackberry (Johansson et al, 1997Reyes-Carmona et al, 2005;Zheng et al, 2009), cloudberry (Johansson et al, 1997, blueberry (Connor, Luby, Tong, et al, 2002), and sea buckthorn (Zheng, Yang, TRÉpanier, & Kallio, 2012). For comprehensive evaluation of the effects of geographic location on berry metabolite composition, readers are directed to the following reviews Jackson & Lombard, 1993;Mansour et al, 2022;Teixeira et al, 2013).…”

Moderate Wine Consumption and Health: A Narrative Review

“…As described by recent systematic reviews, wine phytochemical composition strongly depends on the interaction between environmental factors, such as the “terroir” a term derived from Latin, which defines a specific geographical area, with oenological and grape cultivation applied practices which, altogether, define the unique features of a specific wine. In fact, previous studies have reported that wine bioactive compounds include polyphenols such as flavonoids, (+)-catechin, quercetin and anthocyanins, and stilbenes such as resveratrol (3, 5, 4′-trihydroxystilbene) [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”