Viticultural/Vinification Flashcards
What is viticulture?
Viticulture is the art and science of vine growing.
Its farming
What are the factors of production that go into viticulture?
location/geography climate topography/aspect soil grape varieties viticultural practices vinification practices harvest yearly weather/vintage variation terroir regional wine laws historical background
Most vine growing occurs between what latitudes?
30 degress - 50 degress latitudes in the northern and southern hemispheres
When did man first domesticate vitis vinifera?
nearly 5,000 years before the common area
What is vitis vinfera?
a species native to the Mediterranean, Europe, and southwester Asia
Life cycle of the vines begin in what season with bud break?
Spring
What is the first step in bud break?
“weeping or bleeding”
watery sap from pruned canes sometime in February (northern hemisphere)
average air temp surpasses 50 degrees
What is the second step in bud break?
occurs in march or april
first small shoots and leaves will break through buds left in tact by winter pruning
- at this stage the vine is vulnerable to frost
What is the 3rd step in bud break?
- vines foilage continues to develop through early spring
- small green clusters called embryo bunches form on the shoots by mid april
What is the 4th step in bud break?
- flowerin occurs 6-13 weeks after the initial bud break depending on climate
- during this period the embryo bunches bloom into small flowers for about 10 days
- the self-pollinating grapevine begins the process of fertilization
What happens after the vine starts to fertilize?
- fruit set usually hovers around 30% - the remaining embryo berries “shatter” falling from the cluster
- as berries enlarge through July, they remain hard, high in acid, and low in sugar
What happens to the vines typically in August?
Veraison begins and the grapes begin to truly ripen, as sugars are moved from the leaf system to the fruit
What is veraison mean?
grapes begin to ripen
What happens during veraison?
- grapes soften and change color
- turning from green to red - black, yellow - green and acidity decreases
- version affects an individual grape so it may unevenly affect a whole bunch
What is Cane Ripening?
- occurs in tandem with veraison, as the shoots begin to lignify (convert into wood)
- accumulating carbohydrates to sustain the plant through the winter
What does Vendange mean?
to harvest
When is harvest typically in the Northern Hemisphere?
August - November
What happens to the vines after harvest?
vines lose their leaves in autumn and enter a period of winter dormancy
- fertilization may be applied in the fall after harvest and vines will be pruned over the winter
What is Physiological ripeness mean?
- a concept of ripeness comprising not only must and weight and Ph, but also ripening of tanning and other phenolics
- the condition of the berry and its pulp and seed
- lignification - which often requires longer “hang time” for the grapes on the vine
What temperatures do vines prefer?
- an average annual level between 58 and the 68 degrees with an ideal 57 degrees
to successfully ripen:
red grapes - average summer temp of 70 degrees
whites grapes - average summer temp of 66 degrees
What is the California Heat Summer Index?
- classifying the climate solely by temperature and therefore recommending grape varieties based on temperature
Please talk about the chart of the California Heat Summer Index.
- 5 regions based on number of degree days
- degree days are calculated by multiplying the days in each month of the growing season (April 1 - Oct 31) by the mean number of degrees over 50 degrees for that month.
- The months totals are then added together to arrive at the heat sum.
Attached is the image of the heat index.
What is the minimum amount of sunshine required to support viticulture?
1,300 hours
Who is the father of biodynamics?
Rudolf Steiner
How much rain does viticultural require?
Approximately 20 - 30 inches annually
What is water stress?
- receives too little water, water stress will occur
- a condition that promotes smaller berries and yields
- will lead to interrupted ripening and complete shutdown of the vine if the stress is to severe
What happens when there is too much rain?
- Will not adversely affect the vine itself, but will dilute fruit quality and create a friendly environment for fungal diseases
What are the pros of wind?
- wind can be detriment to mold and mildew and wind machines are often employed in the battle aginst frost to mix colder and settled air near the ground to warmer upper air
- can cool an environment
- can warm an environment
What are the cons of wind?
- could harm vine if blowing persistently hard
- can undermine flowering and denude vines
- in colder climates wind chill can be devastating
What is a macroclimate?
the regional climate
What is a mesoclimate?
the climate of a particular vineyard
What is a microclimate?
looking at climate for a single row of vines or even for a specific vine
What does continental climate mean?
- characterized by strong annual variation in temperature due to the lack of proximity to significant bodies of water with moderating influence.
Hotter summers than in maritime climates, often with cold winters that can be extreme
What is a maritime climate?
- a climate influenced by a large body of water such as a sea or ocean.
- marked by mild temperature but also involving fluctuations from year to year causing vintage variation
What is a Mediterranean climate?
- Summers are hot and dry, aside from the immediate coastal areas.
- Along the coasts, summers are mild due to proximity to cold water currents, but storms can also result as a consequence
What is the climate of high desert?
- summers are generally hot and dry.
- day time temperatures are high, but dramatic diurnal shifts at night
What is canopy management?
to adjust the microclimate of a vine particularly in its exposure to sunshine and its eventually yield
- these include winter pruning, leaf removal, shoot positioning, and the use of sophisticated trellising systems
What do the differences mean in high and low pH in soils?
High soil pH - (common in limestone rich soils) - contributes to higher acidity in grapes
Low soil pH - can be deterrent to viticulture, this can be countered by the application of lime
Name 3 different types of wine vine plants?
- vitis labrusca
- vitis riparia
- vitis vinifera
What are 3 things farmers look at for compatibility to grow the grapes?
- soil
- climate
- wine law
What are hybrids?
- are vines of two or more different species combined to produce a new variety
- example: vitis vinifera x vitis labrusca
- Baconoir
What are crosses?
- are vines of the same species combined to create a new variety.
example: vitis vinfera x vitis vinfera
What are clones?
- are identical genetic reproductions of a single vine
- chosen for disease resistance, hardiness, yield, aromatics, structure, color, etc
What is selection massale?
- mass selection
- a grower will attempt to reinforce positive traits and eliminate negative traits through appropriate selection
- while the result may be less precise than those gained with colonial selection, a broader genetics diversity is maintained
What is the Latter Method?
- popular in Burgundy
- enables the grower to select budwood for replanting from a number of vines throughout the vineyard, rather than single clones
What is another word for budwood selection?
scion
What are the other reasons besides phylloxera a specific rootstock gets chosen?
- diseases
- drought
- tolerances to salt or lime
How long does it take for new vines to produce suitable grapes?
3 years
When does grape vine mature?
6th year
When does root system mature?
10th year
What is Cordon training?
- the vine has at least one permanent cane that extends from the trunk, called an arm or cordon
- grows thick and gnarled over time and fruit bearing shoots will emerge from each season
What are head-trained vines?
- vines have no permanent cordon, and the trunk ends in a knob or head