Canopy management on ripening of ‘Sauvignon Blanc’ grapevine grown in São Joaquim, Brazil

'Sauvignon Blanc' (Vitis vinifera L.) has a great importance in the highlands of Santa Catarina (›900 m a.s.l.), southern Brazil. Grapevine production is recent in this region and there is little information about the ideal crop management for this cultivar. Balance between leaf area and yield benefits plant growth and grape composition. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of canopy management on grape composition of 'Sauvignon Blanc'. Experiment was carried out in a commercial vineyard, at 1,293 m a.s.l., 28°15'13”S and 49°57'02”W. Canopy management treatments were applied during 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 seasons, by topping of shoots. Control did not receive any canopy treatment. Leaf area was estimated by evaluating the surface of each leaf using a direct and non-destructive model. Ripening was monitored weekly from veraison to harvest. Leaf area results indicated that plants showed an excessive vegetative growth on both seasons. Yield ranged from 7 to 9 t ha-1 (2.1 and 2.7 kg plant-1). Leaf area treatments affected the accumulation of soluble solids and the titratable acidity on berries. Others variables were little affected by treatments. Weather conditions, mainly rainfall, affected grape ripening. Canopy management favored a plant balanced development of 'Sauvignon Blanc'. Plants in which the shoots were kept with fourteen and eighteen leaves or that received no topping (between 1.4 and 3.6 m2 kg-1 of grape) presented more suitable performance in this vineyard.