Estudio de variedades minoritarias de vid (vitis vinifera l.)descripción, caracterización agronómica y enológica de material procedente de las islas baleares // study of minor grapevine cultivars (vitis vinifera l.): description, agronomic and oenological characterization of varieties from the balearic islands

Abstract

Abstract The global oenological market is driving a cultivated grapevine homogenization around the word. The loss of cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.) is an important problem in most of the viticulture areas that must be stopped to conserve the varietal heritage. The oenological market is changing, since nowadays the wine consumers are demanding new wines styles, based on the originality, quality, and link to the terroir and with historical background. Therefore it is necessary to satisfy these new requirements. The minor varieties, most of them under risk of extinction, could be a great option to satisfy this demand, since these varieties are perfectly adapted to the local environmental conditions. However the oenological potential of most of these cultivars is unknown. In this thesis, it has been studied a group of minor grapevine cultivars collected from 1914 to 2000 mainly in the Balearic Islands (Spain) and nowadays preserved in the Vitis Germplasm Bank VGB Finca El Encín (IMIDRA, Alcalá de Henares, Spain). A preliminary step to offer new grapevine material to vinegrowers and winemakers is to identify perfectly the cultivars, with that purpose ampelographic and microsatellite analysis were used. The historical links between the cultivars and the Balearics Islands have been analyzed. It is also essential for promoting a new cultivar to know the agronomical behaviour, including resistance to disease as powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator Schwein.), and the oenological potential, based on aromatic grape characterization and wine sensorial analysis. All of these parameters have been analysed in this study.