Enological Potential of the Autochthonous Vitis vinifera L. cv. ‘Karamenüş’ under Winter Pruning Strategies

This research investigated the effects of cane and spure pruning methods on berry morphology and on the berry and wine composition of Vitis vinifera L. cv. ‘Karamenüş’. The experiment was carried out during the 2017–2018 growing seasons at Tekirdağ Viticulture Research Institute (TVRI), Türkiye. ‘Karamenüş’ grapevines, grafted onto 140Ru rootstock, were originally planted in 2004. In the study, yield components, berry morphology, ripening indices, polyphenolic compounds, organic acids, nitrogen content, physicochemical and sensory properties of the wine were analyzed. The findings demonstrated that pruning type did not significantly affect either yield or berry size. However, cane pruning promoted higher accumulation of anthocyanins (up to 975.83 mg kg⁻¹ in 2017) and tannins (up to 3.10 g kg⁻¹), while spur pruning favored the concentration of total phenolics (up to 2610.00 mg kg⁻¹ in 2017). Yearly variations associated with precipitation influenced grape composition, lowering polyphenolic levels in 2018 compared to 2017. Wines produced from both pruning systems exhibited balanced and distinctive profiles. Cane-pruned wines contained higher alcohol and anthocyanin levels, whereas spur-pruned wines displayed greater acidity and phenolics. Sensory evaluations according to the OIV 20-point system revealed that the wines reached a high quality level despite minor differences (17.15–17.61 points). Overall, the results emphasize the role of pruning in optimizing polyphenolic composition under variable climatic conditions and underline the importance of adaptive viticulture strategies for premium wine production from this autochthonous cultivar.