Viticulture

Question 1

Name 3 method to combat frost.

Answer 1

• Placing oil stove/smudge pots in between vines to heat up the air.
• Aspersion system: spraying water to form coating ice on the vines to protect the vines.
• Placing large propellers or turbines to mix in warm air in the vineyards.

Question 2

What is veraison?

Answer 2

When black grapes turn from green to black. Usually in July.

Question 3

What is floraison?

Answer 3

Flowering

Question 4

What is noble rot called in Germany, France, Italy and Hungary?

Answer 4

• German: Edëlfaule
• French: Pourriture noble
• Italian: Muffa nobile
• Hungarian: Azsúsodás

Question 5

Name the diseases caused by leafhoppers.

Answer 5

• Flavescence dorée: causes leaves to curl and turn yellow/red, thus reduce yield and may kill young vines.
• Pierce’s disease: bacterial infection which kills vines.

Question 6

Name 2 diseases caused by cold, wet weather at flowering stage.

Answer 6

• Coulure: Also known as “Shatter” causing flowers to fall and no grape to form.
• Millerandage: causing uneven grape size. Resulting uneven ripeness of grapes in a bunch.

Question 7

What is Oidium?

Answer 7

Powdery mildew: attack green parts of vines and develop white spores. Causing grapes to split open and fall off.

Question 8

What is Peronospera?

Answer 8

Downy mildew: attacks the leaves, causes them to fall off. Thus, reduces photosynthesis causing late ripening.

Question 9

What is dead arm?

Answer 9

Eutypa Dieback, a fungal disease which attacks the wood and cause one side of the vine to fall off.

Question 10

Name a winery that produces wine called Dead Arm.

Answer 10

d’Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz

Question 11

What are the rootstock used for grafting to combat Phylloxera?

Answer 11

• Vitis Aestivalis
• Vitis Ruparia
• Vitis Rupestris
• Vitis Berlandieri

Question 12

Which regions in the world are phylloxera free?

Answer 12

Australia, *other than Yarra Yalley, and Chile.

Question 13

What is the yeast commonly used in winemaking?

Answer 13

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Question 14

Why would a wine maker choose to use cultured yeasts instead of indigenous yeasts for fermentation?

Answer 14

• To kill unwanted yeasts and acetobacter.
• To make stable quality of wines in every vintage.
• Cultured yeasts can tolerate higher level of alcohol during fermentation.

Question 15

In which year Biodynamics is introduced, and by who?

Answer 15

In 1924 by Rudolf Steiner (Austrian)

Question 16

What is the main ingredient of the Biodynamics preparation?

Answer 16

• 500: Manure
• 501: Silica
• 508: Horsetail plants
• 502: Yarrow flowers
• 503: Chamomile flowers
• 504: Stinging nettles
• 505: Oak bark
• 506: Dandelion flowers
• 507: Valerian flowers

Question 17

Pros and cons of hand picking.

Answer 17

• Pros: picking the best quality grapes, reducing bruise on grape
• Cons: high labour cost, taking longer time

Question 18

Pros and cons of machine harvest.

Answer 18

• Pros: spending less time, low labour cost
• Cons: causing bruises on grapes, risk of harvesting unwanted stuffs.

Question 19

Why does harvesting usually occur early in the morning?

Answer 19

Lower temperature, prevent fermentation and slow down oxidation.