Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #418451
Research Project: Management of Diseases, Pests, and Pollinators of Horticultural Crops

Location: Southern Horticultural Research Unit

Title: Pruning and in-season canopy manipulation affects MidSouth juice and wine phenolic content

Author
item WILLIAMS, HALEY - Mississippi State University
item STAFNE, ERIC - Mississippi State University
item ZHANG, YAN - Mississippi State University
item CHANG, SAM - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Beverages
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/8/2024
Publication Date: 10/10/2024
Citation: Williams, H.N., Stafne, E.T., Zhang, Y., Chang, S.K. 2024. Pruning and in-season canopy manipulation affects MidSouth juice and wine phenolic content. Beverages. 10:98. https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages10040098.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages10040098

Interpretive Summary: The MidSouth grape faces challenges in being used as a varietal red wine grape. Two studies were conducted to determine if different grapevine canopy manipulations could improve grape quality, specifically compounds that contribute to color and flavor in the resultant wine. These studies revealed that leaf removal and more consistently, shoot thinning, can enhance these compounds, and depending on the processing method used, MidSouth can produce a wide range of wine styles. Further research could help optimize these techniques, making MidSouth grapes a more viable option for regional red wine production.

Technical Abstract: Low total soluble solids and high titratable acidity limit MidSouth use as a varietal red wine grape. While canopy management practices were reported not to have enough of an effect on these primary metabolites, they could potentially improve MidSouth secondary metabolites, broadening its potential as a wine grape. Two studies assessed the effects of different canopy management treatments on monomeric anthocyanin pigments and total phenolic content in MidSouth juice and wine. The first study compared early pruning, early pruning with leaf removal, normal pruning with leaf removal, and normal pruning. Early pruning with leaf removal showed higher total phenolics in juice and wine in 2021 but lower levels in 2020. The second study evaluated leaf removal, shoot thinning, or neither leaf removal nor shoot thinning. Leaf removal resulted in higher anthocyanins and total phenolics in 2021 juice, while shoot thinning increased total phenolics in 2021 juice and both anthocyanins and phenolics in 2021 wine. Shoot thinning demonstrated the most consistent improvement in phenolic content. MidSouth grapes can produce a range of wine phenolic content, depending on canopy management and postharvest treatment. Further investigation is needed to understand yearly variations and optimize MidSouth for regional red wine production.