Influence of rootstocks for Sangiovese vineyards in a high-altitude region of Santa Catarina State, Brazil: Impact on sensory and quality characteristics of wines

Adapting grape varieties to new viticultural regions requires studying the influence of rootstock on wine quality. This study aimed to identify rootstocks that most enhance the enological characteristics of grapes of the Sangiovese variety grown in the high-altitude region of Santa Catarina. The experiment was set up as a completely randomized design in a factorial scheme. Factor A represented the vintages (2019 and 2020), while Factor B denoted the rootstocks: ‘101-14 Mgt’, ‘Harmony’, ‘IAC 572’, ‘Paulsen 1103’, and ‘VR 043-43’. We assessed the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of wines from both vintages. Wines from the ‘IAC 572’ and ‘VR 043-43’ rootstocks had the lowest alcohol concentrations. The ‘VR 043-43’ rootstock contributed to the highest titratable acidity in the 2020 vintage wines. Additionally, wines from 2020 displayed a more vivid red color than their 2019 counterparts. We deduced that the Sangiovese wine quality is affected by the cultivation year. Sensory evaluations revealed that the tested rootstocks did not considerably alter the overall balance of the wine. However, the ‘101-14 Mgt’ and ‘Harmony’ rootstocks notably increased the alcohol concentration and phenolic compound levels in Sangiovese wines.