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WSET D1 > Approaches to viticolture > Flashcards

Approaches to viticolture Flashcards

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1
Q

When did conventional viticulture become common?

A

In the second half of the twentieth century.

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2
Q

What advantages did conventional viticulture offered at the time?

A

Intensive fruit farming

Raised yields

Reduced labour requirements

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3
Q

What are four key elements to conventional viticulture?

A
  1. Mechanization
  2. Chemical inputs
  3. Irrigation
  4. Clonal selection
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4
Q

How are vineyards kept weed-free in conventional viticulture?

A
  • Plowing between rows
  • Herbicide application
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5
Q

What are the advantages of monocultures?

A
  • ability to mechanise the work in the vineyard
  • reduction of competition from other plants
  • ability to tend to the specific needs of a grape variety planted (irrigation, nutrition level, treatments against hazards, pests and diseases)
  • increase yields while reducing costs
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6
Q

What are the disadvantages of monocultures?

A
  • plants more prone to diseases and pests (require more treatments or protection)
  • nutrients can be depleted as there is no natural ecosystem to replenish nutrients (requiring more applications of fertilisers)
  • from the extra treatments, residual chemicals can find their way into ground water or the air, creating environmental damage
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7
Q

What can be used to control pests and diseases in conventional viticulture?

A

Some agrochemical pesticides can be used: Fungicides
Insecticides
Herbicides

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8
Q

What is Organic viticolture?

A

It rejects the use of man-made (also known as synthetic) fertilisers, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides.

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9
Q

What are the aims of organic viticulture?

A

It seeks to improve the soil of the vineyard and the range of microbes and animals, such as earthworms, within it and thereby increase the health and disease-resistance of the vine.

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10
Q

What are four key features of organic viticulture?

A
  1. Application of compost
  2. Cover crops
  3. Natural fertilisers
  4. Reduce monoculture of vineyards
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11
Q

Why is the application of compost important for a vineyard?

A
  • Breaks down in the soil providing a slow release of nutrients for vines
  • Improves the structure and increases the biomass in the soil (the total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area or volume)
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12
Q

What do cover crops do for a vineyard?

A
  • Prevent erosion of the soil
  • Contribute to the improvement of the quality of the soil through ploughing them in (‘green manure’) or by improving biodiversity
  • Inhibit the growth of invasive and unwanted weeds.
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13
Q

What do organic grape growers use to combat fungal disease in the vineyard?

A

Traditional remedies such as sulpher and copper sulphate

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14
Q

Potential environmental negatives for farming organically?

A

Build up of heavy metals in the soils

Higher use of tractors because more spraying is required

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15
Q

Example of how organic grape growers make uses of natural predators and ecosystem mechanisms.

A

To protect against grey rot Bacillus subtilis can be used to compete with Botrytis cinerea.

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16
Q

What are sexual confusion techniques and how can it be used in organic viticulture to help prevent insect pests?

A

Pheromone tags can be used to disrupt mating patterns of insect pests.

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17
Q

What do all organic certification bodies have to meet?

A

Standards set by IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements)

18
Q

Byodinamic viticolture is based on the work of:

A

Rudolf Steiner and Maria Thun

19
Q

Describe the basics of biodynamic viticulture?Byodinamic viticolture

A
  • Builds upon organic
  • The vineyard soil is seen as part of a connected system with the planet Earth, the air and other planets.
  • Practitioners adapt their grape growing practices to coincide with the cycles of the planets, moon and stars.
  • Special biodynamic preparations are used to treat the vines.
20
Q

What is the biodynamic calendar?

A

A calendar to advise grape growers on root, leaf, flower or fruit days, which indicate the best days for certain activities Developed by Maria Thun

21
Q

What are ‘preparations’?

A
  • Homeopathic remedies based on natural treatments
  • Used to fertilise the soil, treat diseases and ward off pests
22
Q

What is Preparation 500?

A

A dilute fertiliser based on cow manure

  • Cow manure stuffed into cow’s horn
  • Burying horn in the soil throughout the winter
  • Later dug up and the contents are dynamised (stirring the contents of the horn into water)
  • Sprayed onto the soil as a homeopathic compost
  • Goal: manure is believed to catalyse humus formation
23
Q

What is Preparation 501?

A

A treatment based on silica

  • Fill a cow’s horn with ground quartz (silica)
  • Bury it for six months
  • Then dug up, dynamised and sprayed onto the soil
  • Goal: silica is thought to encourage plant growth
24
Q

What are Preparations 502-507?

A
  • Belief: compost has to be first ‘activated’ by a series of starters added in tiny quantities
  • Starters: yarrow, chamomile, nettle, oak bark, dandelion or valerian prepared in various ways; for example, the yarrow in a deer’s bladder
  • Goal: assist with the decomposition of the compost.
25
Q

What can biodynamic grape growers also use to ward off disease?

A

Traditional chemicals including sulfur and copper sprays

26
Q

What is ashing?

A

Spreading the ashes of burnt weed seeds or harmful animals (e.g. rats or sparrows) on the vineyards to ward off these hazards

27
Q

What is the most common certification body for biodynamic grape growers?

A

Demeter

28
Q

Why are costs associated with biodynamic grape growing higher than organic growing?

A

Due to the need for additional labour to tend the vineyard

29
Q

Name 1 of the most prestigious domaines in Burgundy that practice biodynamic farming

A

DRC

30
Q

Name one region where biodynamic farming is very popular.

A

Loire Valley

31
Q

What is precision viticulture (PV)?

A
  • A branch of precision agriculture.
  • Utilises data from the vineyard (soil, vine vigour, topography, plant growth).
  • Responds to variations from plot to plot and row to row.
32
Q

How is data collected for precision viticulture?

What technology is used to present the data collected in the form of maps?

A
  • Sensors on aircraft (‘remote’).
  • Sensors on tractor or harvester in the field (‘proximal’).
  • Geospatial technology: GPS and GIS.
33
Q

Examples of changes made based on the collected data:

A
  • Changing rootstock based on soil fertility.
  • Increasing leaf-stripping in areas with high vine vigour.
34
Q

What are the objectives of precision viticulture?

A
  • Responding to variations in the vineyard.
  • Producing best quality and yield.
  • Reducing environmental impact.
  • Lowering treatment costs.
35
Q

What are some disadvantages of precision viticulture?

A
  • Initial cost of remote data collection.
  • Cost of sensors, software, and consultancy or trained staff.
36
Q

In which types of viticulture is precision viticulture typically an option?

A

Large scale viticulture or on high-value, smaller estates

37
Q

In which regions has precision viticulture been most widely used?

A

California
Australia

38
Q

What is one of the main goals of precision viticulture?

A

To reduce variations in the vineyard

39
Q

What is the aim of Sustainable viticolture?

A

sustainable viticulture aims to promote the natural ecosystems in the vineyard, maintain biodiversity, manage waste, minimise applications of chemicals and energy use, and reduce the impact of viticulture on the wider environment

40
Q

Advantages / disadvantages of Sustainable viticolture

A

Advantages:
- more thoughtful approach to viticolture (economic, social, enviromental)
- minimise interventions thanks to scientific understanding
- reduction in spraying
- cost savings

Disadvantages:
- there isnt a clear set of laws
- The danger that nationwide standards for sustainability can be set too low

WSET D1 (25 decks)

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