Patterns of within-vineyard spatial variation in the 'pepper' compound rotundone are temporally stable from year to year

摘要

Background and Aims: Within-vineyard variation in the concentration of grape berry rotundone has been shown to be spatially structured and related to variation in the land (soil, topography) underlying the vineyard, although its temporal stability has not been evaluated. Our aim here was therefore to ascertain whether patterns of rotundone variation were stable from year to year. This is an important aspect in understanding and exploiting terroir on a vineyard-scale as it informs how targeted management might take advantage of the variation to the benefit of both grapegrowers and winemakers. It also facilitates targeted research into the biophysical factors that may be critical to the formation of rotundone in grapes.