The Vine

Question 1

which vine is resistant to phylloxera

Answer 1

american vines

Question 2

what is cutting and layering?

Answer 2

cutting is cutting a section of a vine shoot that is planted and then growing as a new plant

layering is when a cane is built down and a section is buried in the ground, the buried section takes root and once the root is established the link linking the new growth is cut

most growers use cutting to avoid phylloxera

Question 3

what is clonal selection?

Answer 3

when positive mutations occur in new vine growth they are selected for further propagation

some mutations have a significant effect and result in new varieties
EG: pinot blanc and pinot gris - mutations of pinot noir

Question 4

what is cross fertilization?

Answer 4

pollen from the male part of a flower transfers to the female of another vine and fertilization occurs - the pollinated develops into a grape with seeds - if that seed is planted and grows it is a new variety

Question 5

what is one year old wood vs permanent wood?

Answer 5

the spring after shoots have grown they become one year old wood and the buds that grew on them the previous year turn to shoots, important because vines will only produce fruit on shoots that grew buds the previous year - in the winter the cane is pruned and will be called a cane or a spur

permanent wood is more than 1 year old, the amount of permanent wood is contained by pruning - contains trunk and arms

Question 6

Hybrids are grapes whose parents come from different species, typically one american vine, rarely seen in wine making but there is one hybrid that you see

Answer 6

Vidal in Canada

and hybrids are used as rootstocks

Question 7

how do american vines prevent against phylloxera

Answer 7

phylloxera lives underground and feeds on the roots of the vine causing infection

american vines clog it’s mouth with a sticky sap and fork protective layers behind the feeding wound

Question 8

where is free of phylloxera?

Answer 8

chile, argentina, south australia

Question 9

what do rootstocks prevent against?

Answer 9

phylloxera and nematodes

better resistant to drought

Question 10

describe the 2 different techniques of grafting

Answer 10

bench grafting - in nurseries, short section of VV canes are joined with the rootstock by machine and stored in a warm environment to fuse together

head grafting- when an established vineyard wants to switch to a different grape variety between seasons, vine is cut back to trunk and a bud or cutting is grafted to trunk - this allows growers to adjust quickly as it will produce fruit next harvest