Modern viticulture in southern Europe: Vulnerabilities and strategies for adaptation to water scarcity

Abstract

Water

is

now

considered

the

most

important

but

vulnerable

resource

in

the

Mediterranean

region.

Nev ertheless,

irrigation

expanded

fast

in

the

region

(e.g.

South

Portugal

and

Spain)

to

mitigate

environmental stress

and

to

guarantee

stable

grape

yield

and

quality.

Sustainable

wine

production

depends

on

sustain able

water

use

in

the

wine’s

supply

chain,

from

the

vine

to

the

bottle.

Better

understanding

of

grapevine stress

physiology

(e.g.

water

relations,

temperature

regulation,

water

use

efficiency),

more

robust

crop monitoring/phenotyping

and

implementation

of

best

water

management

practices

will

help

to

mitigate climate

effects

and

will

enable

significant

water

savings

in

the

vineyard

and

winery.

In

this

paper,

we focused

on

the

major

vulnerabilities

and

opportunities

of

South

European

Mediterranean

viticulture

(e.g. in

Portugal

and

Spain)

and

present

a

multi-level

strategy

(from

plant

to

the

consumer)

to

overcome region’s

weaknesses

and

support

strategies

for

adaptation

to

water

scarcity,

promote

sustainable

water use

and

minimize

the

environmental

impact

of

the

sector.