Climate/Soil Flashcards
Climate
number of factors describing average status of atmosphere in given area; defined by meteorological conditions of many years (30-50); characterized by light, temperature, rainfall; affected by latitude, elevation, exposure, closeness to large water bodies and/or forests
Climatic requirements for vine
winter: temperatures must not be so cold that plants are killed, must not be so warm that buds get inadequate chilling ot break winter rest; growing season: must be long enough to mature fruit (number of frost-free days), temp and light during growing season must be adequate for species to develop good quality grapes
Temperature and variety choice
varieties are grown in different climatic areas, depending on their ripening time; high latitudes/elevations: early ripening varieties
Optimum Zone
consistent sugar levels, ripe flavors, generally balanced; vintage variations driven by seasonal climate factors (frost, untimely rain, etc)
Conglomerates (puddingstone)
pebble and cobble size (Montserrat, Sonoma country, Conegliano/Valdobbiadene)
Shale
46% sedimentary rocks; soft and fissile; similar to mudstone but with tendency to split (Finger Lakes, Kamptal, Paso Robles)
Tufa
calcareous rock (precipitation from cold groundwater) (Ebro, Duoro Valleys)
Tuffeau
marine limestone (Anjour and Touraine AOC)
Travertine
calcareous rock (precipitation from warm groundwater) (Val d’Orcia, Colline pescaresi, Pouilly Fumé)
Diatomite
siliceous powdery rock (Santa Ynez)
Limestone
made of calcite; appearance varies; different combinations of cemented calcareous debris and fine CaCO3
Chalk
specialized form of fairly pure limestone, composed largely of minute fragments of coccoliths (Champagne, Yorkshire, South England, Hills of Crimea and Kazakhstan)
Marlstone
rock in between fine grained limestone and mudstone (Côte d’Or)
Loes
silt moved by air (China, US Midwest, Kamptal, Oregon, Washington, Tokaj, Kaiserstuhl)
