Links between large-scale anomalies, rainfall and wine quality in the Iberian Peninsula during the last three decades

Recent strong El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signals have been identif ied in precipitation records from the Iberian Peninsula. Interannual associ ation with ENSO accounts for more than half the total annual variance in se lected stations of the south-east, with ENSO leading rainfall by one year. In contrast, association with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) at the W esternmost stations is much lower (25%). The potential of simple linear mod els is tested in the ENSO-sensitive area, suggesting high capability of the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) for predicting interannual rainfall fluct uations (mainly droughts and floods). Wine quality is associated with sever al factors, e.g. grape variety, soil type and processing, which can be cons idered invariable, mainly due to the strict regulations imposed by the qual ity regulating councils. Climate, however, has a great influence on resulti ng wine quality, and represents the most important source of variability at both short (day-to-day) and long (interannual) time scales. Over the last 30 years, high-quality harvests in the five main wine regions in Spain, show a high probability (P < 0.0002) of being associated with an El Nino event occurring the same year or the year before. NAO influence is not significant during the same period. Thus, apart from considering the r ole of local climatic conditions in certain regions, which favour the produ ction of excellent wines, larger-scale climatic phenomena appear responsibl e for the year-to-year variations in quality.