Chapter 2 - Viticulture Flashcards

1
Q

What is the climate of Champagne.

A

Northern Maritime.
A fusion of oceanic and continental climates and weather.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What happens at either end of the growing season?

A

It is bookended by frosts.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is the average annual temperature?

A

Around 10-11c

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How many hours of sunshine does it take to ripen a grape?

A

1400

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What latitude is the Champagne region on?

A

Between the 49th and 49.5th parallel north.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What topography features assist in the growing conditions?

A

The folded and convoluted hills create suntraps and the network of rivers help moderate temperatures and mitigate frost damage.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Chardonnay can weather frozen temperatures better than the two Pinots. True or false?

A

True.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How has the temperature changed over the last thirty years?

A

It has warmed by approximately 2F/ 1.2C

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Name some of the changes in the Champagne region regarding weather/climate.

A
  1. Winters are milder.
  2. Shorter growing season.
  3. Earlier harvest date.
  4. Riper grapes with lower acidity
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

When did the Pinot Noir grape appear in Champagne?

A

1500’s

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What was Pinot Gris known as?

A

Fromenteau

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What was Chardonnay known as?

A

Beaunois

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What was Meunier known as

A

Morillon Taconné

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Name the seven authorised grapes.

A
  1. Chardonnay
  2. Pinot Noir
  3. Meunier
  4. Arbanne
  5. Pinot Blanc
  6. Petit Meslier
  7. Pinot Gris
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is the most widely planted grape?

A

Pinot Noir

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Name three rootstocks used in Champagne

A
  1. 41B (most widely planted - 81%)
  2. SO4 (Pinot Noir)
  3. 3309C (Meunier)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What are the characteristics of the Meunier grape?

A

(Miller)
Frost and freeze resistant.
Secondary buds are fruitful.
Often leafs out after PN.
Happy on all soil types.
Compared to CH and PN - Moderate acid. Least amount of alcohol.
Quick to oxidize.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What are the characteristics of the Pinot Noir grape?

A

Early budding grape.
Early ripening.
Thrives in cool climates.
Prefers limestone or marl soils.
Moderate tannins. Good acidity. Moderate alcohol.
Sensitive to grey rot.
In the blend, PN contributes the least amount of acidity and moderate alcohol.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What are the characteristics of the Chardonnay grape?

A

Sensitive to Oidium (powdery mildew).
Indigenous to France.
Prefers limestone or limestone rich marls.
Early budding and early ripening.
High sugar, high extract.
More acidity and alcohol than M or PN in the blend.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is massal selection?

A

Planting new vineyards or replacing dead vines with those produced with wood taken from old vineyards planted before the days of clonal planting.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is clonal selection?

A

Using recommended clones from vine clone nurseries.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is the approximate density of Champagne vineyards?

A

Around 8500 vines per ha.
(Hign density planting).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is “vigne en foule”

A

Vines in a crowd. Dense planting.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is “provinage”?

A

Layering. Burying a cane to produce a new vine.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is “assiselage”?

A

Vines moving forward or sideways.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What is Phylloxera?

A

A root louse. It lives on the roots of the grapevine, eventually killing it.
It does not like sandy soils.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Are there Phylloxera free vineyards in Champagne?

A

Yes.
Bollinger has two small walled vineyards in Aÿ. They contain pre-phylloxera ungrafted vines.
VVF is made from them.
Other parcels are in Sacy, Écueil and Villedommange. Some also in the Montagne de Reims and Vallée de la Marne.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

After WWI, how were the vineyards planted?

A

Vignes en lignes. Orderly rows.

29
Q

What are the two methods for short pruning on long canes?

A
  1. Taille Chablis
  2. Cordon de Royat

Less than six buds long.

30
Q

What are the two methods for long pruning on short canes?

A
  1. Guyot (Simple or Double)
  2. Vallée de La Marne

Minimum six buds long

31
Q

What are the four approved pruning methods used in Champagne?

A
  1. Chablis.
  2. Cordon de Royat.
  3. Guyot (single or double)
  4. Vallée de la Marne
32
Q

How much champagne can be produced from one vine.

A

Approximately one bottle.

33
Q

Chablis training is…..

A

Good for Chardonnay.
Productive.
Time consuming - 5weeks/ha

34
Q

Cordon training is…..

A

Good for Pinot Noir.
Reduces vigor.
Pruning takes around 4weeks/ha.

35
Q

Guyot training is…..

A

For any grape.
Quick. Less than 4weeks/ha

36
Q

Vallée de la Marne is……

A

For Meunier only.
Well adapted to frost damage.
Quick.

37
Q

What is the maximum distance between two rows of vines?

A

1.5 meters

38
Q

How does binding affect the vine?

A
  1. Protects the buds.
  2. Keeps the shape.
39
Q

How does debudding affect the vine?

A
  1. Removing unwanted buds and shoots, “suckers”.
  2. Saving the sap.
  3. Managing the canopy.
40
Q

What effect does lifting the wires have?

A
  1. Containing the canopy.
  2. Adapting the trellissing.
41
Q

Trellising has the benefits of…?

A
  1. Positioning the shoots
  2. Allows ventilation.
  3. Prophylactic control.
42
Q

Topping and trimming help with…?

A
  1. Limiting the growth of the shoots.
43
Q

Name the three buds.

A
  1. Apex bud.
  2. Lateral bud.
  3. Dormant bud.
44
Q

How is mildew treated (downy mildew)?

A

Copper

45
Q

How is oidium treated (powdery mildew)?

A

Sulphur

46
Q

How is grey rot treated?

A

Harvest earlier.
Berry selection.

47
Q

What is Court-Noué?

A

Fan-leaf virus.
Carried by a microscopic worm from vine to vine.
Infected vines produce small yields of very concentrated berries.

48
Q

What are boues de ville (gadoux)?

A

Sanitized rubbish from Paris or Reims that was ground down and spread across the vineyards in Champagne from 1960.
Banned in 1999.

49
Q

When was the VDC launched?

A

Viticulture Durable en Champagne was launched in May 2014

50
Q

The vineyard year

A

Les Pleurs: temp rises, sap runs Feb/March
Le Débourrement: bud break. End of March
La Feuillaison: leaves open. Beginning of April
La Floraison: flowering. End of May
La Nouaison: grapes form. June/July
La Véraison: Grapes ripen. August
La Vendange: Harvest. Mid September
October: shoots harden into canes, leaves turn colour.
November: leaf fall. Vines fall dormant.
December/January: pruning
(La Taille de la Vigne)

51
Q

How much land do growers have on average?

A

5 acres/ 2.2 hectares

52
Q

What is the size of the Champagne appellation?

A

34300 hectares of vineyards
319 villages
5 départements
17 Grand Cru villages
42 Premier Cru villages

53
Q

Name four methods of vine nutrition without chemicals?

A
  1. Nitrogen
  2. Humus
  3. Manure
  4. Winter cover crop
54
Q

Name five methods of weed management?

A
  1. Mulching
  2. Cover cropping
  3. Mechanical weeding and tillage
  4. Working with horses
  5. Animals as weeders (Sheep, pigs, hens/chickens
55
Q

Name four methods of vineyard protection?

A
  1. Prophylaxis
  2. Plant defense stimulators
  3. UV treatment
  4. Organic and biodynamic farming
56
Q

What are the benefits of nitrogen for the vine?

A
  1. Key element for plants.
  2. Vigor of the vine.
  3. Nitrogen is a major component of chlorophyll. It is also a major component of amino acids. It is important for plant growth and plant food processing.
57
Q

What are the benefits of humus for the vine and soil?

A
  1. Food storage
  2. Soil structure
  3. Stable PH
58
Q

What are the benefits of composted manure?

A
  1. Very rich in stable organic matter
  2. Food for the soil
  3. Stimulates the microorganisms
  4. Decomposes over 3-4 years
  5. Applied at the end of winter
59
Q

What is aerated compost tea?

A

Compost is diluted in water. Oxygen is pumped into the solution.

It is a liquid fertilizer that stimulates the soil.

Applied in autumn for winter cover crops. Applied in spring for vines.

60
Q

What are the benefits of ACT?

A
  1. Increases nutrient cycling (plant uptake)
  2. Creates soil structure
  3. Plant protection for pathogens (more microorganisms)
61
Q

What is mycorrhization?

A

A symbiosis between the vine and mycorrhiza (a fungus).

62
Q

Give some details about winter cover crops.

A
  1. Sown in Autumn (to fix nitrogen in the soil when the vine needs it.)
  2. Destroyed in Spring.
  3. Legumes (nitrogen fixers).
  4. Crucifers (deep soil decompacters)
  5. Grasses (weed inhibitors)
63
Q

What are the specifications for the proposed “vignes semi-larges”?

A
  1. Space between rows is 2m
  2. Height is 2m
  3. Uses the same distance between vines as now.
  4. Lower density 4000-6000 vines/ha (8000-9000 now)
64
Q

What are the proposed pruning systems?

A
  1. Permanent Cordon
  2. Curved Guyot
  3. Using the same number of buds per vine regardless of grape variety.
65
Q

What are the benefits of the new systems?

A
  1. 25% less chemicals.
  2. Malic acid is slightly higher.
  3. more resistant to spring frosts as bud height is higher.
  4. Soil management is easier due to wider rows.
  5. Costs of production will reduce by around 20%.
66
Q

What colour is the new grape Voltis?

A

White

67
Q

What are the benefits of the new Voltis grape?

A
  1. 100% resistant to Odium
  2. Highly resistant to Mildew
68
Q

What are the characteristics of the Voltis grape?

A
  1. Late budbreak
  2. Harvested one week after Chardonnay.
  3. Good acidity/sugar balance.
  4. Yields equal to/slightly greater than Chardonnay.