Bioclimatic suitability for wine vineyards in mediterranean climate - Tirana Region, Albania

Abstract

Temperature represents one of the factors with the greatest impact on growth and development of wine vineyards. Several bioclimatic indexes have been developed especially for determining the most suitable areas for grapevine cultivation. The Winkler Index (WI) and the Fregoni Index (FI) are two widely used bioclimatic indicators that are based on air temperature. The Tirana Region, as home of the capital of Albania, Tirana, is an important economic area with great potential for growing grapevines, especially for wine. The objective of this study was to assess the vineyards bioclimatic suitability zones of the Tirana Region based on WI and FI indices. Measured temperature indicators such as mean, maximum, minimum and amplitude (max.-min.) from 11 weather stations were used for this study along with precipitation and elevation. The WI varied from less than 1, 200°C to more than 2, 200°C, indicating a wide suitability range for grapevines from “cold” to “hot”. The Fregoni Index varied from 335 to 1, 527, with lower and higher values indicating less suitable conditions due to hot and cold climate conditions, respectively. About 60-70% of the Tirana Region was evaluated as suitable for vineyards requiring warm, moderately hot and hot thermal conditions for grapevine cultivars with late and very late growth and ripening stages. However, a wide range of climatic factors, such as solar radiation, precipitation, and relative humidity, and soils, which are also critical for determining the most suitable areas for vineyards, were not explicitly addressed in the study.