Efeitos da desfolha e monda de cachos no rendimento e qualidade da uva e do vinho na casta Merlot

Mestrado em Viticultura e Enologia - Instituto Superior de Agronomia / Faculdade de Ciências. Universidade do PortoThis study was created with a purpose of searching for an effective method of promoting an higher concentration of colour compounds in the wine, on Merlot variety. We evaluated the effects of three different canopy management practices in the vineyard: early defoliation at pre-bloom (DF), partial defoliation at pea size (DN) and cluster thinning at veraison (M), compared with a control (T). The trial was conducted in 2012, in a company called Encosta do Sobral Sociedade Agrícola which is located near Tomar, inside Tejo wine region. The weather conditions were unusual, that year, registering very little rainfall during the grapevine activity season, which makes it risky to extraplore results for future years. The early leaf removal caused significant effects on canopy structure, by reducing leaf layer number and increasing cluster exposure. Cluster thinning and early defoliation were both effective in reducing yield of 35,5% and 23,4% respectively. The treatments that had sufered canopy management practices provided qualitative gains, which were recognized in analytical and sensory analysis, though they didn’t reach statistical significanc