BACKGROUND The present paper details a new technique based on spraying nebulized water on vine canopy to counteract the negative impact of the current wave of hot summers with temperatures above 30 °C, which usually determine negative effects on vine yield, grape composition and wine quality. RESULTS The automatized spraying system was able to maintain air temperature at below 30 °C (the threshold temperature to start spraying) for all of August 2013, when in the canopy of uncooled vines the temperature was as high as 36 °C. The maintenance of temperature below 30 °C reduced leaf stress linked to high temperature and irradiance regimes as highlighted by the decrease of H2O2 content and catalase activity in the leaves. A higher amount of total polyphenols and organic acids and lower sugars characterized the grapes of cooled vines. Wine from these grapes had a higher content of some volatile thiols like 3‐sulfanylhexanol (3SH) and 3‐sulfanylhexylacetate (3SHA), and lower content of 4‐methyl‐4‐sulfanylpentan‐2‐one (4MSP). CONCLUSION Under conditions of high temperature and irradiance regimes, water nebulization on the vine canopy can represent a valid solution to reduce and/or avoid oxidative stress and associated effects in the leaves, ensure a regular berry ripening and maintain high wine quality. The consumption of water during nebulization was acceptable, being 180 L ha−1 min−1, which lasted an average of about 1 min to reduce the temperature below the threshold value of 30 °C. A total of 85–90 hL (from 0.8 to 0.9 mm) of water per hectare per day was required.< Leer menos