D2 & D3: The Vine Growth Cycle and The Growing Environment Flashcards
Effect of Temperature: Under 10 degrees
ensures winter dormancy of vine
Effect of Temperature: minus 20 degrees
can cause winter freeze and can damage the vine
Effect of Temperature: above 10 degrees
Effect:
- stimulates budburst and a significant rise in temps can make ripening more uniform
- warm soils help budburst
Risk:
- cold temps and frost can be harmful and reduce yields
Effect of Temperature: 18 - 33 degrees
- optimum temp for photosyn
- helps new shoots and leaves develop
- creates sugar for energy
Effect of Temperature: above 17 degrees
- successful, uniform flowering
Risk:
- cold, damp conditions cause problems for flowering and fruit set
- impacts yield and quality of grapes and wine
Effect of Temperature: optimum temp of 26 to 32 degrees
- successful, uniform fruit set
Risk:
- cold, damp conditions cause problems for flowering and fruit set
- impacts yield and quality of grapes and wine
Effect of Temperature: above 25 degrees
- promote increased bud fruitfulness and impacts yields next year
Effect of Temperature: Warm Temps
- sugar accumulation is faster as good conditions for photosyn
- increase grape transpiration as promotes movement of sugar into the grape
- malic acid degradation increased
Effect of Temperature: above 21 degrees
- final months of ripening
- leads to rapid loss of acidity (anything below 15 degrees reduces acid loss so acidity levels in must is too high)
Effect of Temperature: 15 degrees to 25 degrees
- anthocyanin synthesis optimum
- if it is too cool, it hinders breakdown of methoxypyrazines
Effect of Temperature: Extreme heat
- causes photosynthesis to slow or stop
- water stress slows or stops photosyn due to shutting of stomata to prevent water loss and limits intake of CO2
Effect of Temperature: Grape Varieties
- late ripening: need greater amount of heat through growing season to ripen sufficiently
- early ripening (e.g. Chardonnay, Pinot noir) need less heat in total and will ripen very early in warm climates
Effects of Sunlight: why the vine needs sunshine
- needs sunlight for photosynthesis
- berry formation
- ripening
- needs at least 1/3 full sunshine but full sunshine is not a complete necessity
Effect of Sunlight: Benefits (7)
- good in late spring/early summer for fruitfulness
- development of anthocyanins
- reduction of methoxypyrazines
- accumulation of tannins pre-veraison
- tannin polymerisation post-veraison
- development of aroma compounds
- lower acidity due to grape respiration
Effects of Sunlight: Negatives (2)
- sunburn
- fog which can slow photosyn (not ideal but not very bad)
Latitude: name 3 lower and 2 higher latitude regions
- lower: NSW, Mendoza, South Africa
- higher: northern France, Germany (closer to the poles)
Latitude: closer to the equator
- more intense solar radiation
radiation travels through a smaller section of the atmosphere, hits the earths surface at a larger angle and therefore is more powerful
Latitude: closer to the poles
- solar radiation has to travel through a larger section of the atmosphere to reach the surface
hits at a lower angle so it spreads at larger area
Latitude
If all factors were considered equal, temps would be WARMER and sunshine more INTENSE at lower lats than at higher lats
Lower lat grapes are HIGH in sugar, LOWER in acidity, RIPER aromas, RIPER tannins and better COLOUR
What does latitude determine?
- determines number of hours of solar radiation
- lower latitude = similar daylight hours (heat and sunlight) throughout all seasons- higher latitude = longer daylight hours in summer and shorter in winter - longer time for photosyn in growing seasons which is helpful in allowing vine to produce sugar for ripening grapes
Latitude: grapes near the equator
- too hot
- water stressed
- sunburnt
Latitude: grapes near the poles
- not warm enough
- lack of sugar in the grapes
Altitude - how much does the temperature fall every 100m decrease in altitude?
- approx 0.6 degrees
EXAMPLE:
Salta: 3000m above sea level and grapes struggle to fully ripen
Burgundy/Loire: high latitude area. Plated at low altitudes so grapes can fully ripen
Where is sunshine more intense - higher or lower altitudes?
- Higher
- solar radiation travels through less atmosphere
- UV radiation greater
- both factors promote anthocyanin and tannin synthesis