Divers Flashcards
What are the minimum hours of sun a vine needs during the growing season?
1500 hours minimum
What are high-trained and low-trained vines?
High-trained vines are vines that are trained high off the ground to avoid frost and humidity.
Low-trained vines are vines that are trained closer to the ground so the grapes can benefit from radiating heat coming off the ground.
Do red grapes or white grapes generally need more sun to reach full ripeness?
Red grapes generally need more sun to reach full ripeness.
What is the minimum amount of rain per year a vine needs to survive and grow?
700mm (27.6 inches) rainfall per year
Name the cold ocean current that affects California.
California Current
Name the southwesterly wind that cools Swan District in Australia.
Fremantle Doctor
Name the southeasterly wind that cools down Cape Town, South Africa.
Cape Doctor
The Cape Doctor blows up through False Bay from spring (August/September) through late summer (May/April) clearing away smog, etc. and replacing it with fresh sea air.
Describe the ‘Table cloth’ phenomenon in South Africa
The ‘Table cloth’ in South Africa is air that blows up from False Bay and picks up warm moisture from the Bay, then runs up against the eastern side of Table Mountain creating clouds, and then rainfall, on the eastern side of Table Mountain.
What is the Heat Summation Index and where is it generally used?
The Heat Summation Index, also known as the Winkler Index, is used predominantly in New World countries to classify their climates.
The Heat Summation Index is classified by Regions I, II, III, IV, and V.
This Index is based on the assumption that vines are not active below 50ºF. Each day between April 1 - October 31 (the growing season) is considered a “degree day.” Each degree day has a value which is determined by taking the average daily temperature for that day and subtracting 50 from it (e.g. 90º as an average, subtract 50º from it, giving that degree day a value of 40º). When each degree day’s value is added up between April 1- Oct 31, that sum determines what Region class that appellation is in.
Region I - 1500 - 2500 degree days (e.g. Champagne)
Region II - 2500 - 3000 degree days (e.g. Bordeaux)
Region III - 3000 - 3500 degree days (e.g. Rioja)
Region IV - 3500 - 4000 degree days (e.g. Napa Valley)
Region V - 4000+ degree days (e.g. Jerez)
How do Europeans classify their climates?
By Zones.
Zone A - coldest, e.g. the UK and Mosel
Zone B - e.g. Alsace, Slovenia
Zone C1 - e.g. Bordeaux, Burgundy, northern Italy
Zone C2 - e.g. Languedoc-Roussillon, central Italy
Zone C3a - e.g. northern Greece, Bulgaria
Zone C3b - hottest, e.g. southern Italy, Corsica
What are the differences between:
Macroclimate Mesoclimate Microclimate
Macroclimate
refers to the climate of a region, e.g. Burgundy;
Mesoclimate
refers to the climate of a village or a cluster of vineyards on a slope, e.g. the village of Puligny-Montrachet or the Grand Cru slope of Chablis;
Microclimate
refers to the climate of a very small area, such as a single vineyard or even the climate within the vines and around the canopy, e.g. vines at the top of the hill vs. the bottom of the hill in Clos Saint-Jacques (Gevrey-Chambertin) or the terraces in Valtellina, Lombardy.
How can a viticulturist tweak a vine’s microclimate?
Through canopy management.
The viticulturist can either allow the canopy to become lush – which allows for more shade and cooling effect in the fruit zone – or by pulling shoots off the vine to allow the grapes more sun exposure.
Generally speaking, in what regions will one find the most vintage variation?
In regions that are just suitable for growing vines as they are susceptible to changes in weather. These just-suitable growing areas do not have a consistent or stable climate year-in and year-out.
Regions such as Bordeaux, Chablis, and Mosel can have more vintage variation because they can be affected by heavy rainfall at harvest, springtime frost, or summertime hail.
Regions such as Mendoza, McLaren Vale, and Central California will not have as much vintage variation because they have much more stable, predictable climates.
