Grape growing and Labelling Flashcards
How long can a vine live
60 years or more
Vine growing season explain high level seasonal activitys of the vine
Spring=Shoots form, leaves grow and flowers form
Summer=Flowers have transformed into fruit and by the end of summer are ripe ready for harvest.
Autum=The vines drop there leaves ending the growing season
Winter=The vines are dormant and dont grow
All wine is made from one European vine
Vitis vinifera usually on american root stock due to phylloxera
What five thing does a vine need
- Warmth
- Sunlight
- Carbon dioxide
- Water
- Nutrients
Key parts of the Grape
Stem
Skin
Pulp
Seeds
- Pulp is made of?
- Tannin comes from?
- Effects of stems and seeds?
-Pulp is Water/Sugar/Acid
-Good Tannin comes from the skins along with colour
-Stems and seeds also have tannins but can be very astringent and green
Key points on vine flowers
- Flowering happens in spring
- Each flower becomes a grape
- Flowers are self pollinating
- A group of grapes is known as a cluster
What is fruitset
- Once the flower is pollinated the flower starts to grow seeds and begins to swell.
- Its small, green, hard and bitter at this stage
What is Veraison
This generaly occurs mid summer, the grapes are large enough that the vine will start the ripening process.
What happens to the grape at ripening
- At the start they are very high in acid and no sugar, very herbaceouse
- They will swell with water, sugar rises and acid drops
- As the ripen herbaceous flavour drops and grape charachters develop
- Skins ripen and black grapes the tannins of the skin also ripen.
- Black grapes tannins must be ripe at harvest to avoid overly astringent wine
What is Extra Ripening
- The grape is left on the vine (can only be done with good weather)
- Sugar builds and moisture reduces
- Eventualy the grapes will become raisins, the acids and sugars become concentrated
What is Botrysis (the noble rot)
Its a fungus that grows on the grapes that creates minute holes that help concentrate sugars and acids.
Requires damp misty mornings for the growth to spread with dry afternoons to stop it destroying the grapes
Whats is climate
Its the average level of rainfall, temperature, sunlight that a region will typical expect
Note that the amount of heat available during the growing season is a key
What is considered a cool climate
Average growing season temperature of 16.5c or below
What is considered a moderate climate
Average growing season temp of 16.5c to 18.5c
What is considered a Warm climate
Average temperature of 18.5c to 21c
Why is temperature important
It determines what grape varieties can be grown in that region
Name the key climatic influences that can effect vines (9)
think geography
- Latitude (30-50 n/s)
- Altitude
- Sea/Water bodies (cool ocean currents)
- Rivers (Longer to warm and cool, protect frost,reflcect light. think mosel
- Air (Cool air from sea and mountains
- Cloud/Mist/Fog (Think Sonoma)
- Mounatins-(weather/wind barrier)
- Slope/Aspect. (Frost protection/water run off/sun exposure)
- Soil (Enough water and butrients to support the vine
List the 6 key weather influences
- Cool vintage
- Hot vintage
- Drought
- High rain levels
- Hail
- Frost
What is a cool vintage and the effects
Colder than normal growing season. Vines may struggle to ripen grapes resulting in higher acid lower sugar. Can lead to signature aroma issues
What are the potential impacts of a hot vintage
- Hotter than normal grapes can sunbuned and develop uncharacteritics flavours.
- Vines need more water which is not always available
- A vine will shutdown if too short of water resulting in lost harvest and worst case death of the vine
Drought impacts
- Often assocaited with hot periods as well
- Vine won’t ripen the crop as will shut down
- Irrigition can help if water is available
- Worst cast the vine can die
High Rain levels impacts
- High levels of moisture can lead to fungal disease
- Rain close to harvest can dilute the grape flavour intensity
Hail impacts
Can damage the leaves and break grapes. Heavy hail can ruin an entire crop.
What can frost do in spring?
Frost in spring can kill the vines new growth reducing grape production that year
What are the key things grape growers manage each growing season
- Training & Pruning
- Irrigation
- Weed, pest & disease management
- Yield
- Harvest
Training and pruning when does it occur and why?
4 key points
- Ensures healthy and commerically viable crop is achieved
- Most vines are trained on a trelis
- Pruning typicaly occurs in winter while the vines are dormant
- Pruning ensures the vines maintain their shape
Irrigtion?
- Low rainfall areas usually allow vineyards to be irrigated
- Water can be via field flooding but useally individial reticulation to each vine.
Managing weeds,pests & diseases, what does the vigneron manage?
- Vines are vunerable to fungal diseases that attack the leaves effecting quality & quantity
- Small and large insects are also a problem
- Animals and birds are a risk but are controlled with fences and netting
- Sprays are used to control fungas and insecticides for pests
*trend for high producers is organic where very limited sprays are allowed.
What is Yield
Yield is the measurement produced
per unit area
Hectolitres
Grapes that are harvested earlier in the ripening process they will have?
- Lower levels of Sugar
- Higher levels of Acid
- Less ripe flavours
Grapes that are harvested later in the ripening process they will have?
Higher levels of Sugar
Less Acid
More ripe flavours
What is a GI
Geographical Indications.
Its a legally defined vineyard area
Geographical Idications (G.I.) in the European Union what do they control
each GI has its own regulations that state what grape can be grown and how the wines can be made
GI,s (Geographical Indication) in Europe are divided into what two groups
- PGI-Protected Geographical Indication
Less strict regulation and larger areas - PDO-Protected Designation of origin
(Many of europes famous wines are from a PDO. Smaller
What do the french call old vines
Vieille Vignes
Northern and southern hemishpere vintage differance?
Southern hemisphere wines will be six months older than northern hemispere wines
What is the impact of late harvest on the wine
sweetness-body
- Riper flavours
- Higher levels of sugar
- Fuller bodied
- Can be dry, offdry, medium or sweet
Bottles labelled with Botrytis/Noble rot will be?
High concentration of sugar and acid.
Almost always will be a sweet wine
