High Anthocyanin Level of Grape Hybrids from Monastrell and Their Wines

The Mediterranean area of Southern Europe, where Monastrell is the main variety planted will suffer the consequences of climate change due to a decrease in rainfall, accompanied by an increase in temperatures. In attempting to solve this problem one strategy could consist of breeding programs using hybrids obtained by crosses between Monastrell vines and other premium varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. In this work twelve hybrids from Monastrell, harvested at different, moments, were characterized from the point of view of their anthocyanin content in order to select “new varieties” able to adapt to new climatological conditions. The results showed how all the hybrids analyzed and their corresponding wines provided a higher total anthocyanin content during the two seasons studied. Their profile was also modified, increasing the percentage of acetylated anthocyanin content and decreasing the percentage of dihydroxylated monoglucoside anthocyanins both in grapes and wines. Keywords: Anthocyanin; hybrids; Monastrell; climate change; wine, grapes; Practical application: These results will have a big socio-economic impact, helping to boost the profitability of the crop and increase the yield and quality of both grape and the wines, by providing new varieties that are better adapted to the edaphoclimatic conditions of the area studied