Vineyard establishment Flashcards
What are key influences on site selection when establishing a vineyard?
Style, quality and price of the wines to be made
Vineyard land for production of high volume, inexpensive wines:
Flat = mechanisation possible
Fertile land = high yields
Warm dry climate = low disease pressure
Low risk of fungal disease so saves money on spraying
Laws = possibility to irrigate
1 - What is required in a vineyard site to produce premium wines in cool climates?
2 - What is required in a vineyard site to produce premium wines in warm climates?
1- Maximum potential to ripen the grapes, aspects that will receive the most sunlight throughout the day.
2 - Producers may favour relatively cool sites, such as those at high altitude or those exposed to cooling sea breezes to bring better balance to the wine.
Factors that go into site selection.
- Price of land within desirable GIs
- Location, layout and topography of the site
- Steep slopes unsuitable for mechanisation, labour expensive/hard to attain
- Source and cost of irrigation
- Access to the vineyard site/distance from the winery (limit risk of oxidation/ microbial spoilage in transportation)
- Proximity to towns/cities for labour, supplies
What is the definition of terroir from a land point of view?
A sense of place: a wine shows characteristics that relate to the particular place in which the grapes are grown
- climate, soil, aspect, elevation.
What is an example of human intervention as regards to terroir?
Where French PDOs stipulate planting density, type of trellising and so on in their regulations
How might soil affect terroir? How is this idea contested?
- Wines may claim to be directly influenced by the geological make-up of the soil
- Implies that the vine takes up elements from the soil that affect the taste of the wine.
- Strongly contested by scientific community that says:
1. photosynthesis primary driver of vine growth
2. all aroma compounds synthesised in the vine
3. grape must further transformed during fermentation
What are the three main factors taken into consideration when ensuring soil is suitable for growing grapes?
- Drainage and structure
- Mineral composition
- Presence of pests or unwanted plants
What are the four main effects of soil structure on grape growing?
- Root penetration
- Water drainage
- Nutrient holding capacity
- workability
What are five common soil practices that may need to occur before vines are planted?
- Removing large rocks near the surface
- Subsoiling: breaking down a plough pan
- Removing old roots that could harbour diseases
- Applying herbicides to treat weeds
- Applying manure, compost, fertilizers to increase nutrients
+ adjust soild PH (addition of Lime in extremely low PH soils ((Beaoujolais))
What can be done in advance of planting on very steep slopes?
create terracing
Name the six characteristics that need to be considered when selecting a grape variety to plant in a certain climate.
- Time of budburst:
Early budding varieties are more at risk of spring frost compared to late budding varieties. - Duration of annual life-cycle:
- Early ripening varieties (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir) are best suited to cool climates, ensuring that they reach a suitable level of ripeness before wet, cold weather starts towards late autumn.
- Late ripening varieties (Mourvèdre) are better suited to warm and hot climates. Early ripening varieties in these climates would gain sugar and lose acidity too rapidly, resulting in unbalanced wines.
- Tolerance of drought:
Grape varieties that are able to withstand a high level of water stress e.g. Grenache, can be the best options in dry climates such as Southern Rhône, inland Spain or McLaren Vale - Resistance to disease:
- Some grape varieties are less susceptible to fungal diseases, meaning that they require less monitoring and/or treating in damp climates. e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon is less susceptible to grey rot than Merlot, one of the reasons why these two grape varieties make useful blending partners, particularly in rainy Bordeaux. - Winter hardiness:
Some grape varieties (Vidal and Riesling) are relatively tolerant of very cold winter temperatures, making them suitable for the harsh winters experienced Germany and Canada. - Vigour:
If high vigour grape varieties grown on fertile soils with plentiful water, will mean that the vine’s vigour will need managing to avoid excessive shoot growth.
Six other factors to take into account when selecting grape varieties to plant.
- Style of wine
- Yield:
High yielding varieties or clones allow production of higher yields which is important when making inexpensive wines. - Cost
- Law:
In many EU countries, local wine legislation restricts what grape varieties can be planted. e.g. Grand Cru Alsace wines must be Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris or Muscat // Glera in Prosecco. - Availability:
Varieties in high demand and strict quarantine rules must be taken in consideration - Market demand
Reasons to plant on rootstocks:
Protection from phylloxera
To adapt to the local soil conditions
Four factors to consider when selecting rootstocks
- Pest Tolerance:
As well as being tolerant to phylloxera some rootstocks are tolerant to root-knot nematodes. - Water:
Some rootstocks are highly tolerant of drought:
Hybrids of V. rupestris and V. berlandieri, such as 110R or 140R (Ability to root deeply and quickly)
Others are tolerant of water-logged soils:
Based on V. riparia (Ex: Riparia Gloire)
Others are tolerant of higher levels of dissolved salt:
Based on V. berlandieri (Ex: 1103 Paulsen)
- Soil pH:
Rootstocks can correct issues caused by soils with very high or very low pH which can effect the availability of some nutrients.
Tolerant to Low PH: 99R and 110R, both hybrids of V. rupestris and V. berlandieri
Toleranty to High PH: Rootstocks based on V. berlandieri (e.g. 41B)
- Vigour:
Low vigour rootstocks can advance ripening, which may be useful in cool climates. High vigour rootstocks can be useful if the grape grower wants to boost vine growth and yields in vineyard areas with unfertile soils and dry conditions.
Name five characteristics of good soil structure.
- Good drainage
- Sufficient water-holding capacity
- Sufficient oxygen
- Ability to resist erosion
- Ability to allow the roots of the vine to penetrate to sufficient depth
