Chapter 4 - The Vine Flashcards
What are the most important species of vines for winemaking?
Vitis Vinifera
American Vines
What are the 2 main ways of growing new vines?
Cutting (section of a vine shoot that is planted and then grows as a new plant)
Layering (a cane is bent down and a section of it is burried, the cane tip points out of the ground)
What is a grape variety?
A group of individual plants that can trace their lineage back through a series of cuttings or layerings to a single plant
What is clonal selection?
When vines with (positive) mutations are selected and further propagated
Can a clone become a new variety? Example
Yes, when the mutation are significant enough. See Pinot family (original: PN)
In what way can we create new grape varieties?
By cross-fertilisation
Why are researchers always looking for new grape varieties?
Disease resistance
Higher quality grapes
Improved yield
Better preformance in different soils/climates
How long does a new plant take to flower/produce grapes
2-3 years
Why are not many new grape varieties that are being bred actually used on a larger scale
It takes a long time to develop a new variety that works.
There is no way to know in advance how a variety will turn out. It takes 2-3 years for fruit to ser for the first time. And long term quality attributes take even longer to assess
What is a ‘crossing’
When a new variety is produced from 2 parents of the same species
What are the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon
Cab Franc X Sauvignon Blanc
What are the parents of Muller Thurgau?
Riesling X Madeleine Royale
What are the parents of Pinotage
Pinot Noir X Cinsault
What is a Hybrid grape variety?
When the parents come from 2 different species
Name a Hybrid with an American parent that is used for viticulture
Vidal (mostly grown in Canada)
What are Hybrid and Crossings with American species mostly used for and why?
They are used as rootstocks as they are resistant to Phylloxera
What is Phylloxera?
An insect that that is originally native to North America
What does Phylloxera do, that is harmfull to most V. Vinifera vines?
During one fase in its cycle, it lives underground and feeds on the roots of the vine. It leaves behind ‘wounds’ that are prone to infection and disease
How are American Vines protected against Phylloxera?
They produce a thick sap, clogging its mouth. And they are able to form a protective layer that covers the entry wounds
How was the problem of Phylloxera ‘fixed’?
By grafting V. Vinifera vines onto American rootstocks
What other benefits do American vines have (other than protection against P)?
Possible protection against nematodes
Better resistance against drought
What are 2 grafting techniques used?
Bench grafting: done by machine in proffesional nurseries. Two (short) sections of cane are joined together and ancouraged to fuse. After this it can by planted
Head grafting: an existing vine is cut down to the trunk and a bud or cutting is grafted onto it.
What are the advantages of head grafting?
It will produce fruit during the next vintage (instead of having to wait 3 years). So it is fast.
It is cheaper than replanting the entire vineyard.
Name the 4 anatomical parts of the vine
Green parts, one-year-old wood , permanent wood and roots
Name the green parts of the vine
Shoots, tendrils, buds, flowers and berries and leaves
What are buds?
They form the join between the leaf and the shoots and are the starting point for next years shoots
What is one-year-old wood?
Shoots turn woody in winter, and become OYO in spring.
Buds will then grow and form new shoots
Will grapes grow from one-year-old wood?
No, only from shoots that grow from buds that developed the previous year
When is one-year-old wood a cane and when a spur?
A cane is long with 8-20 buds, a spur is short with 2-3 buds
What is the function of the roots?
Absorb water and nutrients, anchor the vine and store carbohydrates for in winter
