CHINA - Growing Environment & Grape Growing Flashcards
What is the most common climate in China?
Continental, very cold, dry winters. Heavy summer rains in some regions.
Where are winter burial of vines necessary? Why?
Inland areas such as Heilongjiang and Jilin
What is the climate like in Beijing and Hebei?
Coastal, but still considered continental. Warm humid summers with lots of rain, cold winters. Still low rain overall.
What is the major climatic hazard faced by growers in the Beijing and Hebei?
Humidity induced disease pressure. Somewhat moderated by ocean breezes, but still a major challenge in the wet summer months.
What is the downfall of some of the older vineyards in Beijing and Heibei?
They were planted on flat lands with poor drainage, resulting in over-production and poor quality.
What region is in the northwest of the country?
Xinjiang and Gansu
What regions are in the inland, central region of the country?
Ningxia
Shanxi
Shaanxi
Where is Shandong?
Central East coast
What is the climate like in Shandong?
Warm, maritime. Wetter overall, with most rain in August-September. Lots of rot.
What is the climate like in Ningxia?
Dry, continental, but with monsoon rains. Windy, and therefore dry.
What is done in Ningxia to battle the dry, windy climate?
Irrigation from the Yellow river, and planting in the Helan Mountains to protect from winds
What is the climate like in Xinjiang and Gansu?
Extremely dry, cool and continental.
A short growing season, and lots of wind.
What are the hazards and threats in the Xinjiang region?
- Autumn and spring frost
- Short growing season
- Wind disrupting the growth cycle
- winter freeze
What sales technique is coming in the Xinjiang region?
Selling wine to East coast wineries.
What are the advantages of growing in the Xinjiang region?
- Water availability from snow melt
- Very warm summers allowing for high production levels.
- Very dry, reducing the need for sprays
What is the climate like in the Yunnan province?
Sub-tropical humid climate.
How do growers deal with the sub-tropical climate in Yunnan?
Altitude (1600-2900), including the foothills to the Himalayas.
What else is unique about the climate in Yunnan apart from it sub-tropicality?
There is a long frost free season, meaning it is one fo the few inland areas where vines do not need to be buried.
What trellising methods are most present?
Ungrafted, trained to Multi Cordon Fan, or Single Dragon, for older, traditional vineyards.
- Spur pruned, Chang shaped systems are more modern
What are the factors that may lead to poor fruit quality with the Chang training system?
- Dense canopies
- Excessive irrigation and fertilisation.
What virus is prevalent?
Leaf roll virus
What are the limitations to progress in older vineyard management?
- A lack of viticultural training
- a lack of good quality planting materials
- shortages in the availability of labour.
- The need for government sanction for any changes
When are vines typically buried and dug out?
Typically buried in November and dug out in March-April
What are the disadvantages of burying vines for winter?
- It’s expensive, and can add 20-30% to production costs
- It’s labour intensive, needs manual labour in addition to mechanisation
- There’s a small pool of qualified, older workers that aren’t being replaced by younger ones
What grape varieties are mostly planted?
- 90% table grapes and raisins.
- The wine grapes are almost exclusively black varieties.
- 70% Cabernet Sauvignon
- 10% each Carmenere and Merlot
- less than 5% CF, Chard and Ries
What is important to remember when looking at growing statistics?
They have questionable reliability, as much of the data could include table grapes.
What are the indigenous wine species growing in China?
Vitis Amurensis. Resistant to cold, but producing odd flavours.
