Slide Pack 8 Flashcards
100 acres of grapes equals how many acres of cotton but with less irrigation?
1000-3000
Texas is 5th in wine production and what in grape production?
7th
Ways to prevent/correct issue of high pH (low acidity) in both vineyards and winery are?
1) Crop load balancing
2) Blending
3) Tartaric acid addition
4) Verjus
Due to warm growing conditions, grapes mature rapidly to lose acidity so it is important to harvest early but then it is?
Difficult to achieve phenolic ripening (ripening of tannins)
High pH wines can be conducive to?
Microbial growth and spoilage
High pH wines can also?
Lose color
Texas is the only one of the top five US wine producing states that is not based on?
1) An export model
2) The CA Set - Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot and Chardonnay
To overcome the need for Texas grapes, Texas must:
1) Plant more grapevines
2) Develop Varietal selection and vineyard practices to resist freezes
3) Develop Varietal selection and vineyard practices to reduce PD damage
4) Overcome herbicide issue
While Texas state government has supported university research and ag extension, it has?
Done little recently to support wine marketing
Vineyard site selection alone is the?
Most important criteria for a big investment of time and money over years or decades
Vineyard site selection job one is to?
Analyze the soil for type, pH, nutrients, and pathogens
Other site selection criteria for vineyard are?
1) Lay of the land for both water and cold air drainage
2) Availability, volume and quality of irrigation water
3) Proximity to other wineries and vineyards
Vineyard layout involves:
1) Where on the property to best place vineyard
2) Row orientation for fastest ripening and production of wine quality
3) Aesthetic reasons for a dramatic view like creating a perfect wedding photo
Recent studies show that N-S, NE-SW and NW-SE oriented rows tend to?
Ripen faster and produce better wine quality
Other row orientation issues to consider:
1) Cold air and water drainage
2) Field shape
3) Available row length
4) Harvesting methods
What is most important criteria for selecting grape varieties to plant?
Varieties in high demand by wineries
Grape selection criteria for warm regions like Texas are:
1) Adaptation for warm climates
2) Cold hardiness
3) Late budbreak
4) Loose cluster for air circulation and spray penetration
5) Thicker skinned varieties for disease resistance
6) Varieties in high demand by wineries
Grapevine rootstock selection is important to overcome or offset:
1) High pH soils - nutrient limited
2) Diseases
3) Overly fertile soils
4) Saline soils
5) Saline irrigation water
Starting your vineyard you must:
1) Know the costs to start a vineyard
2) Drill down on costs - years to payout (3 years to first crop)
3) Know potential sales
4) Know the local risks
5) Know the Texas weather
Estimated vineyard cost establishment per acre?
$18,500 to $28,500 excluding land, well, equipment, fencing, tractor, air blast sprayer, herbicide sprayer and mower
Tempranillo pros and cons:
Good quality dependable producer but problems with high juice pH
Mourvedre’ pros and cons:
Excellent quality, easy to manage in vineyard, late bud break, good demand
Petit Syrah:
Excellent quality but tight clustered, need more planted
Malbec:
A Bordeaux variety but has shown high quality if crop is limited correctly. Need to thin.
Montepulciano:
Good quality cold hardy in winter high plains
Sangiovese:
Quality OK but light color, susceptible to spring frost and downy mildew
Syrah/Grenache:
Quality can be excellent but site and clone specifics need consideration. Need more in Texas
Aglianico:
Quality excellent, handles heat well, maintains pH well, limited name recognition
Viognier:
Early budding like Chardonnay, delicate aroma, consumer awareness and acceptance, fast ripening - love hate variety
Roussanne:
Great quality, late budding, retains acidity, but tight clusters with potential disease and rot problems
Vermentino:
Great quality, loose clusters, dependable producer, potential freeze issues, more vinestock needed
Other red varieties of growing interest in Texas:
1) Tannat
2) Touriga Nacional
3) Grenache
4) Barbera
5) Counoise
6) Teroldego
7) Black Spanish
Other white varieties of growing interest in Texas:
1) Blanc du Bois
2) Albarino
3) Marsanne
4) Picpoul Blanc
5) Semillon
