D1 Wine Production Flashcards
(52 cards)
How is production oriented farming achieved in conventional viticulture?
Mechanisation, chemical input, irrigation and clonal selection.
What are the advantages of a monoculture?
Ability to mechanise, to tend to specific needs of the vine e.g. irrigation, nutrition levels, chemicals
What are the disadvantages of a monoculture?
Much more prone to diseases, no natural eco-system depleting nutrients, residual chemicals damaging environment
What are the three themes of sustainable viticulture?
Economic, social and environmental sustainability
What is Integrated Pest Management?
IPM, also known as lutte raisonee, builds on some of the insights of organic viticulture, but is prepared to use chemical interventions when necessary.
What are the advantages of sustainable viticulture?
More thoughtful approach to grape growing in terms of the three themes, deployment of a scientific understanding of threats, minimise number of interventions needed. Reduction of spraying. Cost savings due to incentives
What are the disadvantages of sustainable viticulture?
Term not protected, can’t be used to promote wine(unlike organic or biodynamic). Danger that nationwide standards for sustainability can be set too low.
What are the key differentia of organic viticulture?
Seeks to improve soil and the range of microbes and animals, e.g. earthworms, thereby increase the health and disease-resistance of the vine. Rejects man-made (synthetic) fertilisers, fungicides, herbicides and pesticides
What is biodynamic viticulture?
Biodynamic farming is based on the work of Rudolf Steiner and Maria Thun, it includes organic practices but also incorporates philosophy and cosmology. Vineyards being part of the connected system with the planet earth, practitioners adapt viticulture to coincide with the cycles of the planets, moon and stars.
What is precision viticulture?
PV makes use of data collected in the vineyard (about soil, vigour, topography, plant growth) to respond to changes from plot to plot and from row to row. Interventions in the vineyard can be targeted in the light of the data collected. Geospatial technology such as GPS and GIS allows the data to be presented in maps.
What are the advantages of PV?
Detailed understanding of variations in the vineyard. Ability to tailor a wide range of interventions to individual blocks or even rows of vines(choice of variety and rootstock, canopy management, treatments, harvest dates)
What are the disadvantages of PV
Initial cost of remote data collection. Cost of sensors and software and of either consultancy or trained staff to interpret the data and make interventions in the light of it.
Name the 3 steps of vineyard establishment.
1 Site selection, 2 Soil preparation, 3 Planting materials
What are organic fertilisers?
Fertilisers made from fresh or composted plant or animal material, such as manure or slurry. Cover crops can be grown and mown into the soil to decompose and provide nutrients (termed green manure).
What are mineral fertilisers?
Fertilisers that are extracted from the ground or chemically manufactured. Can be more tailored and nutrients are already inorganic, therefore more readily available for vines. But no benefit for soil organisms.
Name other methods of nutrients management than fertillisers(5).
Cultivation / Herbicides / Animal Grazing / Cover crops / Mulching
What is mulching?
Mulching is the spreading of matter onto the vineyard soil to suppress the growth of weeds. Mulches are usually made of biodegradable materials, such as straw or bark chips, that ultimately provide nutrients for vines.
What is RDI?
Regulated deficit irrigation is a system of timing and regulating the amount of irrigation so that the vine is put under mild to moderate water stress for a specified time within the growing season (usually between fruit set and veraison)
What are the main interventions in conventional winemaking?
- Temperature control - cold soaking, during fermentation and maturation
- Use of additives and/or processing aids e.g. sugar, SO2, cultured yeast, fining agents
- Manipulations: simple pressing and filtration to high technology e.g. reverse osmosis
What is the main certifying body for biodynamic winemaking and grape growing?
Demeter International. Regulations depend on country even within Demeter.
What are the aims of canopy management?
Maximise effectiveness of light interception by the vine canopy. Reduce shade within the canopy. Make microclimate as uniform as possible for the grapes to ripen evenly. Balance between vegetative & reproductive functions of the vine. Promote air circulation to reduce incidence of disease.
PROs for sunlight exposure through canopy management are?
- Increased sugar levels due to higher photosynthesis
- Increased tannin levels and greater polymerisation - less bitterness
- enhanced anthocyanin development
- decreased malic acid (for cooler climate)
- increased levels of certain aroma precursors and compounds, e.g. terpenes -> floral, fruity aromas
- decreased methoxypyrazines -> herbaceous
CONs for sunlight exposure through canopy management are?
- Sunburn
Describe a vegetative cycle vs. balanced cycle
In a vegetative cycle the canopy is too dense due to increased leaf area. This creates shades that depresses budbreak, bunch initiation, fruit set and berry growth which then reduces the fruit weight per shoot. Shoot growth is stimulated due to less fruit growth which again increases the canopy density. In a balanced cycle the opposite happens leading to more fruit weight.
