Viticultural characterization of Carignan (Vitis vinifera L.) grapevine variety located in the rainfed area of the Maule Valley, Chile

Abstract

Carignan is a minority variety within the Chilean wine industry, which has been rediscovered by viticulturist and winemakers offering high quality wines. Carignan production obtained from certain older grapevines cultivated in the rainfed conditions of the Maule Valley is sold at a price well above the national average. Maule Valley provides different edaphoclimatic conditions to the cultivation of Carignan. However, there is no available information about a viticultural behavior of this variety managed under rainfed conditions. The aim of this article is to characterize viticultural performance and bunch morphology of Carignan grapevines growing in ten different sites of the Maule Valley, Chile, during the 2015 season. Soils belonging to Sauzal (Sau), Melozal (Mel) and Curtiduría (Cur) sites presented low water holding capacity which resulted in grapes with high ºBrix, number of bunches and shoots per vine, and low values of yield and Ravaz index. Grapevines cultivated in Cur site showed low amount of most of the bunch parameters, mainly of number and weight of berries per bunch. Contrary to this, the soils belonging to Caliboro (Cal) site exhibited the highest water holding capacity, which resulted in grapevines with high values of yield, pruning weight, bunch weight and number and weight of berries, together with low values of number of bunches and shoots per vine. These results are important to Carignan winegrowers in relation to the viticultural management of Carignan, with respect edaphoclimatic conditions of the Maule Valley.