Chapter 4 - Approaches to Grape Growing Flashcards
What are the six different approaches to grape growing described in this chapter?
- Conventional viticulture
- Sustainable viticulture
- Organic viticulture
- Biodynamic viticulture
- Regenerative viticulture
- Precision viticulture
What seven factors are considered in different approaches to viticulture?
- Overall approach (world view and ethical issues)
- Desired level of production
- Intended wine quality
- Return on investment
- Cost
- Availability of labour
- Environmental impact
When did conventional viticulture become widely implemented?
In the second half of the twentieth century
What are the four methods used to achieve the aims of conventional viticulture?
- Mechanisation
- Chemical inputs
- Irrigation
- Clonal selection
What are the two primary methods used to keep vineyards weed-free in conventional viticulture?
- Ploughing between rows
- Spraying with herbicides
What are the three advantages of monoculture in viticulture?
- Ability to mechanise work in the vineyard
- Reduction of competition from other plants
- Ability to tend to specific needs of the grape variety planted
What are the three disadvantages of monoculture in viticulture?
- Plants are more prone to diseases and pests
- Nutrients can be depleted as there is no natural ecosystem to replenish them
- Residual chemicals can find their way into groundwater or air
What three options are available to grape growers wishing to reduce chemical use?
- Sustainable viticulture
- Organic viticulture
- Biodynamic viticulture
What are the three themes of sustainable grape growing?
- Economic sustainability
- Social sustainability
- Environmental sustainability
What are the five environmental aims of sustainable viticulture?
- Promote natural ecosystems in the vineyard
- Maintain biodiversity
- Manage waste
- Minimise applications of chemicals and energy use
- Reduce impact on the wider environment
What is another name for integrated pest management (IPM)?
Lutte raisonnée
(The reasoned fight)
What are the five components of integrated pest management?
- Setting thresholds at which action needs to be taken
- Identifying and monitoring pests
- Setting up preventative measures
- Evaluating control options
- Implementing control options if necessary
What three types of advice do institutions like the University of California’s IPM department provide to grape growers?
- When to look for specific pests
- What signs to look for
- How to calculate thresholds when treatment is warranted
What is meant by the ‘economic threshold’ in integrated pest management?
The level of damage that will exceed the cost of intervention
Name three examples of sustainable viticulture certification programmes.
- LODI RULES (California)
- Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand
- Sustainable Winegrowing South Africa
What are the four advantages of sustainable viticulture?
- A more thoughtful approach to grape growing
- Deployment of scientific understanding to minimise interventions
- Reduction in spraying of synthetic and traditional treatments
- Consequent cost saving
What are the two disadvantages of sustainable viticulture?
- The term is not protected and can be used without clear standards
- National standards for sustainability can be set too low
What is the primary aim of organic viticulture?
To improve the soil of the vineyard and increase the health and disease-resistance of the vine
What four types of synthetic products does organic viticulture reject?
- Manufactured fertilisers
- Manufactured fungicides
- Manufactured herbicides
- Manufactured pesticides
What are the four key features of organic viticulture?
- Application of compost
- Use of natural fertilisers
- Cultivation of cover crops
- Reduction of monoculture
How does compost benefit the soil in organic viticulture?
- Provides slow release of nutrients for vines
- Improves the structure of the soil
- Increases the biomass in the soil (total quantity or weight of organisms in a given volume)
What two traditional remedies do organic grape growers use to combat mildews?
- Sulphur
- Copper sulphate
What environmental concern has been raised about using copper in organic viticulture?
The build-up of the heavy metal copper in the soil
What is ‘sexual confusion’ in organic pest management?
The use of pheromone tags or capsules to disrupt mating patterns of insects
What international body sets standards for organic viticulture certification?
IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements)
What requirement is universal for organic certification?
The vineyard must undergo a period of conversion working to organic standards before certification
What was the percentage of world vineyards certified as organic in 2017?
5.4%
Which region leads the world in organic viticulture?
Europe (with 84% of the world’s organic vineyards)
Which country has the highest percentage of organic vineyards?
Italy (15.8%)
Name the six largest markets for organic still wine.
- Germany
- France
- The UK
- The USA
- Sweden
- Japan
What are the four advantages of organic grape growing?
- Improvement of vine health and disease-resistance
- Improvement of soil health
- Elimination of spraying synthetic chemicals
- Saving on the cost of synthetic chemicals
What are the four disadvantages of organic viticulture?
- Possible small reduction in yield generally
- Possibility of significant yield reduction in difficult years
- Increased reliance on copper sprays
- Cost and time of certification
Who are the two key figures upon whose work biodynamic viticulture is based?
- Rudolf Steiner
- Maria Thun
In biodynamic viticulture what is the vineyard seen as?
An organism
What are the most suitable times for pruning according to biodynamic principles?
When the moon is descending (creates a ‘winter mood’ favouring roots)
What preparation in biodynamic viticulture is made by stuffing cow manure into cow horns?
Preparation 500 (horn manure)
What is the purpose of Preparation 500 in biodynamic viticulture?
To catalyse humus formation
What preparation in biodynamic viticulture is made from ground quartz?
Preparation 501 (horn silica)
What is the purpose of Preparation 501 in biodynamic viticulture?
To encourage plant growth
Name five substances used to activate biodynamic compost (preparations 502-508).
- Yarrow
- Chamomile
- Nettle
- Oak bark
- Dandelion or valerian
What is ‘dynamisation’ in biodynamic viticulture?
The action of stirring preparations in water (creating a vortex and then reversing it) so that the water ‘memorises’ the power of the preparation
What is ‘ashing’ in biodynamic viticulture?
Spreading the ashes of burnt weed seeds or harmful animals on the vineyards to ward off these hazards
What is the most common certification body for biodynamic grape growers?
Demeter
Which French wine region has been particularly receptive to biodynamic grape growing?
The Loire Valley
Which prestigious Burgundy domaine practices biodynamic viticulture?
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
What organisation coined the term ‘regenerative agriculture’ in the 1980s?
The Rodale Institute
How is regenerative agriculture different from organic or sustainable farming?
It aims to continually improve environmental, social, and economic measures, rather than just maintain them
How do regenerative grape growers view their vineyards?
As agroecosystems or ecosystems modified for agriculture
What is a core tenet of regenerative viticulture?
Soil health
Name three components of healthy soils in regenerative viticulture.
- Water
- Nutrients
- Biodiversity
What type of fungi form symbiotic relationships with vines to improve nutrient absorption?
Mycorrhizal fungi
What nutrients can mycorrhizal fungi help vines absorb?
- Phosphorus
- Nitrogen
- Water
What are the four key features of regenerative viticulture?
- Restoring vineyard sites to functioning agroecosystems
- Prioritising soil health
- Emphasising biodiversity above and below ground
- Improving grape growers’ well-being
What two common practices do regenerative grape growers limit to establish optimal soil health?
- Tilling
- Irrigation
What environmental benefit comes from limiting tilling in regenerative viticulture?
Soils sequester carbon rather than releasing it into the atmosphere
What is the name of a certification agency for regenerative farming?
Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA)
What are the five advantages of regenerative viticulture?
- Soils are rehabilitated, decreasing need for synthetic inputs
- Carbon is sequestered, helping fight climate change
- Vineyards become more resilient to climate change
- Biodiversity improves along with animal welfare
- Grape growers experience less exposure to chemical inputs
What are the five disadvantages of regenerative viticulture?
- It’s not legally defined, so claims may be exaggerated
- Growers need time to experiment for their specific vineyard
- Results take time, making transition difficult and costly
- Reduced reliance on inputs may impact yields during challenges
- Certification costs can be a barrier
What has traditionally been the approach to vineyard work before precision viticulture?
A uniform approach across the vineyard
What two types of sensors are used to collect data in precision viticulture?
- Remote sensors (on aircraft)
- Proximal sensors (on tractors or harvesters)
What two geospatial technologies allow data to be presented visually in precision viticulture?
- Global positioning systems (GPS)
- Geographical information systems (GIS)
What is ‘variable-rate application technology’ in precision viticulture?
Technology that allows targeted interventions based on collected data
Name five vineyard interventions that can be carried out precisely using data from precision viticulture.
- Pruning
- Leaf removal
- Treatments
- Irrigation
- Crop thinning and harvesting
Name two examples of changes made in the light of precision viticulture data.
- Changing rootstock halfway along rows as soil gets more fertile
- Increasing levels of leaf-stripping in areas showing high vigour
In which two countries has precision viticulture been most widely used?
- California (USA)
- Australia
What are the two advantages of precision viticulture?
- Detailed understanding of variations in the vineyard
- Ability to tailor interventions to individual blocks or rows of vines
What are the two disadvantages of precision viticulture?
- Initial cost of remote data collection
- Cost of sensors, software and trained staff/consultancy
