Chapter 4 - The Vine

Question 1

What are the most important species of vines for winemaking?

Answer 1

Vitis Vinifera

American Vines

Question 2

What are the 2 main ways of growing new vines?

Answer 2

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)

Question 3

What is a grape variety?

Answer 3

A group of individual plants that can trace their lineage back through a series of cuttings or layerings to a single plant

Question 4

What is clonal selection?

Answer 4

When vines with (positive) mutations are selected and further propagated

Question 5

Can a clone become a new variety? Example

Answer 5

Yes, when the mutation are significant enough. See Pinot family (original: PN)

Question 6

In what way can we create new grape varieties?

Answer 6

By cross-fertilisation

Question 7

Why are researchers always looking for new grape varieties?

Answer 7

Disease resistance
Higher quality grapes
Improved yield
Better preformance in different soils/climates

Question 8

How long does a new plant take to flower/produce grapes

Answer 8

2-3 years

Question 9

Why are not many new grape varieties that are being bred actually used on a larger scale

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What is a ‘crossing’

Answer 10

When a new variety is produced from 2 parents of the same species

Question 11

What are the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon

Answer 11

Cab Franc X Sauvignon Blanc

Question 12

What are the parents of Muller Thurgau?

Answer 12

Riesling X Madeleine Royale

Question 13

What are the parents of Pinotage

Answer 13

Pinot Noir X Cinsault

Question 14

What is a Hybrid grape variety?

Answer 14

When the parents come from 2 different species

Question 15

Name a Hybrid with an American parent that is used for viticulture

Answer 15

Vidal (mostly grown in Canada)

Question 16

What are Hybrid and Crossings with American species mostly used for and why?

Answer 16

They are used as rootstocks as they are resistant to Phylloxera

Question 17

What is Phylloxera?

Answer 17

An insect that that is originally native to North America

Question 18

What does Phylloxera do, that is harmfull to most V. Vinifera vines?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

How are American Vines protected against Phylloxera?

Answer 19

They produce a thick sap, clogging its mouth. And they are able to form a protective layer that covers the entry wounds

Question 20

How was the problem of Phylloxera ‘fixed’?

Answer 20

By grafting V. Vinifera vines onto American rootstocks

Question 21

What other benefits do American vines have (other than protection against P)?

Answer 21

Possible protection against nematodes

Better resistance against drought

Question 22

What are 2 grafting techniques used?

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

What are the advantages of head grafting?

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

Name the 4 anatomical parts of the vine

Answer 24

Green parts, one-year-old wood , permanent wood and roots

Question 25

Name the green parts of the vine

Answer 25

Shoots, tendrils, buds, flowers and berries and leaves

Question 26

What are buds?

Answer 26

They form the join between the leaf and the shoots and are the starting point for next years shoots

Question 27

What is one-year-old wood?

Answer 27

Shoots turn woody in winter, and become OYO in spring.

Buds will then grow and form new shoots

Question 28

Will grapes grow from one-year-old wood?

Answer 28

No, only from shoots that grow from buds that developed the previous year

Question 29

When is one-year-old wood a cane and when a spur?

Answer 29

A cane is long with 8-20 buds, a spur is short with 2-3 buds

Question 30

What is the function of the roots?

Answer 30

Absorb water and nutrients, anchor the vine and store carbohydrates for in winter