Vineyard managment Flashcards
What will a grape grower use to determain site selection?
environmental conditions - average temp, soil, rainfall, sunlight
business considerations - proximity to power, water, availability of workforce, accessibility for machinery, cost and financial viability
grape variety - suit climatic conditions and a demand for grapes
what happens to a new vineyard
plants are ripped out, new planted, yield after 3 years
test soil and fertilize accordingly
left fallow for 3 years before planting to recover
why may a vine be high trained or low trained?
high trained to avoid frost
low trained to absorb heat from soil
what is head training vs cordon training?
head training - have little permanent wood,
can be spur pruned or replacement cane pruned
cordon training - trunk with one or more horizontal arms (cordons) usually spur pruned - makes machine harvesting easier
describe spur pruning:
one year old wood cut down to 2 or 3 buds, distributed along a cordon permanent wood (cordon training) or along top of trunk (head training)
describe replacement cane pruning
canes are longer 1 year wood that can have 8-20 buds 1 or 2 are retained and tied horizontally to trellis, more complex.
sometimes referred to a guyot training one cane - single guyot 2 cane - double guyot
summer pruning involves?
trimming canopy to restrict vegetive growth and direct sugar production to grape, leaf stripping for maximum sunshine
how are bush vines typically trained
head trained spur pruned
bush vines do well in hot climates such as barossa and the southern rhone because?
the canopy helps shade the leaves
not suitable for machine harvesting
in cooler regions they can impede ripening and lessen airflow
what training system is referred to as gobelet?
head trained, spur pruned, tied at tips on trellis to maximize air and sunlight
describe VSP
vertical shoot positioning, tied vertical, keeping the shoots open alows air flow and shade free
in hot sunny regions VSP can be adapted so tops flop over creating shade
makes mechanical harvesting and spraying easier based on position
what determines a growers planting density choice?
availability of nutrients and water
why would a grower plant in high density as opposed to low?
limited water availability- low density
low levels of nutrients / high rainfall - high density to provide competition for vines to restrict vegetive growth - also ensuring vine has current number of buds in winter to avoid buds having too much energy any growing vigorous vice versa
high nutrients / high rainfall - new world - low density planting using vines with multiple cordons or canes = good quality high yields
green harvesting is removing immature grapes shortly after verasjon to control yields, this is risky because?
if done at the wrong time the vine will compensate for loss by increasing size of grapes that have been retained, increasing yields and diluting flavour
what are pests that damage vines?
phylloxera
nematodes - worms that attack roots, interfering with water and nutrients or transmitting vine virus - sanitize soil and use resistant rootstocks
birds and mammals - eat, and leaf to fungal disease if half eaten or crushed - netting and fencing
insects - feeding on grapes and leaves
fungal diseased that damage vines?
downy and powdery mildew- warm humid environments, grapes lose fruit flavour and get a mouldy butter taint
grey rot - botrytis cinerea - damp conditions, taints flavour and leads to colour loss in black grapes
how can fungal diseases be controlled?
powdery mildew - sulfer based spray
downey mildew - bordeaux mixture (copper spray)
now chemical sprays exist, more spraying is required in maritime climates
canopy management - creating airflow
briefly describe rules of sustainable, organic, and biodynamic viticulture
sustainable - still allowed sprays but restricted - integrated pest management (predators), supporting a range of plants to habitat predators and pests providing nutrients when mowed into soil
organic - varies around the world limited number of traditional pest treatment, must undergo a period of conversion working to organic standards
biodynamic - rudolf steiner and maria thun, organic and philosophy and cosmology, vineyard is connected with earth, air and other planets - growing aligns with moon plants and stars, homeopathic remedies called preparations are used to fertilize, treat, and ward off pests
at harvest, sugar levels rise and acidity drops, the grape grower will determain when a grape has the perfect ripeness however list the things that may impact this choice
poor weather - hair can destroy, rainfall can swell grapes and dilute them
pros and cons of machine harvesting?
pros - faster, especially if a threatened vineyard, or with grapes that can become overripe quickly, can work through the night - saving money and energy on cooling the grapes and slows oxydation
cons - unwanted material and unripe grapes, only on flat or gentle slopes, only for uneasily damaged grapes that come away from stem, cannot be used for while bunches
pros and cons of hand harvesting
pros - unripe grapes can be left on vine (essential for noble rot because it can vary by bunch) less damage occurs to grapes, stems are retained giving while intact bunches that produce pure clean juice
cons - expensive and time consuming
