Respuesta agronómica y enológica de la variedad Albariño (Vitis vinifera L.) en distintas condiciones agroecológicas

The Albariño variety (Vitis vinifera L.) increased its surface area in the country by 224% between 2019 and 2024, positioning itself as the second most planted variety for the production of preferential quality wines. Understanding the general characteristics of the variety and its response to environmental conditions is useful for implementing site-specific management and product differentiation. The main objective of this work is to contribute to the agronomic and oenological characterization of Albariño in relation to the mesoclimate. The hypotheses presented are the topographic conditions of the study region as an influential factor in plot temperature (mesoclimate), and the impact of the geographical peculiarities of the plots (altitude and slope) on the agronomic and oenological potential of the variety through the mesoclimate. The study was carried out during the 2023-2024 season in a commercial vineyard near to Pueblo Garzón, in the department of Maldonado. For this work, six plots were selected under different topographic conditions (79, 89, 95, 120, 138, and 142 meters above sea level) and characterized mesoclimatically by recording temperature, thermal amplitude, Heliothermal Index, Degree Days, and Night Coolness Index. For the agronomic evaluation, yield, bunch weight, number of bunches per plant, potential exposed leaf area, pruning weight, Ravaz Index, and berry physical composition were measured. Oenological potential was determined by analyzing total acidity, soluble solids, pH, malic acid, tartaric acid, and alpha amino nitrogen (αAN), and ammonia and phenolic potential. Musts from the three lowest and three highest plots were vinified together, and their malic acid, ethanol, total acidity, pH, total polyphenol index (TPI), color intensity (420 nm), and volatile acidity content were evaluated. The results show that the altitude of the plots determines their mesoclimate, primarily in relation to minimum temperatures, causing temperature variations of up to 2.3°C. The sensitivity of the Albariño variety to mesoclimatic variability was mainly reflected in its oenological characteristics. Temperature variations favored sugar accumulation, reaching average differences of up to 10 g/L, and decreased the final malic acid content, with differences of up to 2 g/L between plots. The average total acidity of the cooler plots was slightly higher than the average of the three plots with high maximum temperatures. Differences in agronomic variables such as yield and leaf area were not related to mesoclimatic variability. Wine analysis showed no significant differences for any of the variables, except for the Total Polyphenol Index, which was 5.5 in wine from plots with high temperature ranges, while wine from plots with moderate temperatures obtained a TPI of 5.2.