The Vine Flashcards
Shoots
Grows in spring from buds and contains major structures - buds, leaves, lateral shoots, tendrils and inflorescences/grape bunches
One-year-old-wood
Shoots from the previous growing season that were not removed at pruning
Permanent Wood
Woody parts of the vine older than one-year-old wood, including the trunk
Roots
Anchor the vine and used to uptake water and nutrients. The roots store carbohydrates and produce hormones that are important functions within vine growth and grape ripening.
Buds
Form between leaf stalk and stem. As they mature they contain all the structures (in miniature) that will become green parts of the vine, including the stem, buds, tendrils, leaves and often inflorescences.
Compound Buds
AKA latent buds form in one growing season and break open in the next growing season. Usually contains primary bud and secondary and tertiary bud, the secondary and tertiary buds only being used if the primary is damaged.
Prompt Bud
Buds that break open in the same growing season. They form on the primary shoot (that has just grown from a compound bud) and produce lateral shoots.
Lateral Shoots
Grow from buds in the current year. They are smaller and thinner than primary shoots and contain stem, leaves, buds, tendrils and sometimes inflorescence. Main use is to allow plant to grow if the primary shoot has been damaged or eaten.
Tendrils
Created to allow the vine to attach itself to other plants or trees, providing support. Grape growers can use tendrils to position the vine canopy.
Leaves
Are the main site for photosynthesis. Stomata (pores) open on the underside of the leaves, letter waster diffuse out and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis to enter.
Transpiration
A process that draws water and nutrients up from from the soil through the vines to the leaves. This occurs as water diffuses from the leaf.
Photosynthesis
Process in which green plants use sunlight to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water. The sugars used in photosynthesis are used for vine growth and metabolism.
Inflorescences
A cluster of flowers on a stem, which becomes a bunch of grapes at fruit set, usually between 1-3 inflorescences per shoot.
Pulp
Make up the majority of the grapes weight and volume. Contains water, sugars, acids and some aroma compounds and aroma precursors. Most are colorless.
Skin
Contains a high concentration of aroma compounds and aroma precursors, tannin and color compounds. Black grapes typically have more tannins than white.
Seeds
Seeds mature inside the grape, turning yellow to dark brown. Seeds contain oils, tannins and the embryo which can grow into a new plant.
Cordons
Vines that have one or more horizontal arms of permanent wood. Provide support for the other parts of the vine. They transport water and solutes to and from different parts of the vine and store carbohydrates and nutrients.
Cutting
A section of a vine shoot that can be planted and will then grow into a new plant. This is the most common propagation technique and permits the use of rootstocks, onto which the vine cutting can be grafted before it is planted.
Layering
Is a method of filling gapes in a vineyard by using shoots from an established neighboring vine to produce a new vine. You bury the cane and the tip is pointed out of the ground. The buried part develops roots and the cane gets cut once roots are developed. Not ideal if you need special roots to protect against phylloxera.
Clone
Vines that are genetically identical to parent vine. Cuttings and layering develop clones.
Clonal Selection
Used when winegrowers want to use the favorable characteristic of a particular clone. Pinot Noir Clone 115 has low yields of small grapes, suitable for high quality red production. Pinot noir 521 has higher yields, making it better for sparkling wine production as there is more acifity.
Mass Selection
Technique where vineyard will take the cuttings from their best vines in the vineyard and cultivate the cuttings. Generally the best performing vines are selected. It increases the diversity of planting material in the vineyard. Can be expensive and harder to monitor and if there are diseases from the parent, this gets passed on to the new vines and can increase the spread of diseases.
Cross fertilisation
Pollen from stamens of the flowers of one vine is transferred to the stigmas of the flowers of another vine and fertilisation occurs. Cabernet Sauvignon was likely from cross fertilisation from Sauvignon blanc and Cabernet franc.
Hybrid
When two parents vines are from different species (v vinifera and American parentage) often used for rootstocks.
Crossing
A new grape variety created from two varieties of the same species through cross pollination
