Grapevine phenology of the Marlborough region, New Zealand

Abstract

High resolution temporal and spatial temperature mapping together with phenology models are being used to predict the time and duration of key phenological events of Sauvignon blanc grapevines. The objectives of the research are: 1) to develop models to enable the industry to anticipate the consequences of climate variation for phenology within the Marlborough region, and 2) to enable growers to consistently produce fruit of optimum composition for the Marlborough wine style. By combining field measurements of grapevine responses, automatic weather station data, improved phenological models, and advanced high-resolution weather prediction models, web-based tools are being developed to help wine-makers adapt to changing conditions so that they can continue to produce high quality wines.