Present study aimed to ascertain whether the combination of two factors, i.e., time of harvest and type of yeast, can significantly
moderate the effect of climate change on Chardonnay wine composition. In this view, three Chardonnay musts obtained
from grapes at different harvest date [technological maturity ‘as control’; delayed harvest; a mixture of ‘early (green) harvest’
with delayed harvest ‘as alternative approach’] and three selected yeast strains [Saccharomyces cerevisiae ‘as control’; hybrid
Saccharomyces cerevisiae/Saccharomyces paradoxus; scalar alternative approach with Starmerella bacillaris and hybrid
Saccharomyces cerevisiae/Saccharomyces paradoxus] were used to design and compare six different trials, replicated at
pilot level (n. total fermentations: 18). Wines were evaluated in terms of sensory and chemical parameters (alcohol, acidity,
organic acids, phenolic compounds and glycerol) and results tested by statistical analysis. Although the wine alcohol content
decreased at the best by ~ 1.2% v/v, whereas the total acidity increased up to ~ 2.5 g/L, the results from sensory evaluation
highlighted that the proposed ‘alternative approach’ may cause excessive acidity and bitterness perception, therefore, further
deacidification and fining treatments may be needed. The present approach to reduce the alcohol content of wine and increase
its total acidity is simple, inexpensive and applicable in all wineries