Viticulture Flashcards
Define “Viticulture”
the term used for the branch of agriculture that specifically deals with the international cultivation of grapevines.
Define “wine growing”
when grapes are grown specifically to make wine, as opposed to juice or for the use of table grapes.
what connects the vine to the underground system to the aboveground structure of branches, shoots, and leaves?
The trunk
What are the branches sometimes called?
Arms
What are cordons
cans that are retained from season to season eventually forming thicker arms
The arms that support the leaves and grapes that grown are referred to as:
the canopy
Describe the process and benefits of cloning
the grower can choose a healthy grapevine that is known to have desirable characteristics, cut off a short length of a young cane, place it in water where it will start to grow roots, and then plant it in the vineyard.
Describe the process of field grafting
this is a method that may be used if there is an existing vineyard that is currently growing an undesired variety of grapes. As long as the vine’s rootstock is healthy, the grower can remove its existing branches, make a small incision in the trucnk, and insert an unrooted cutting from a desirable vine.
what are the ideal latitude regions for ideal temperate climate grape growing.
between 30-50 degrees latitude in both Northern and Southern Hemispheres
What is the correct annual cycle for vinifera?
- Weeping
- Bud break
- Flowering
- berry/fruit set
- Veraison
Describe “Weeping”
weeping occurs as the sap begins to flow upward from the trunk and out to the tips of the canes.
Describe “Bud Break”
Tiny shoots called buds emerge from the nodes in the vine’s branches.
Describe “Flowering”
Flowering takes place 40-80 days after bud break. Clusters of tiny flowers appear at intervals along the shoots. Each flower that is fertilized will become the foundation for the grape
What is Berry/Fruit set
the transition from flower to berry
Describe Coulure/Shatter
A malady that can cause poor fruit set, with many flowers failing to become fully developed berries.
What is Millerandage
sometimes caused by bad weather during flowering, results in grape bunches that have a high proportion of small seedless berries mixed in with the normal, larger, seed-bearing grapes.
Describe Veraison
Signals a sudden acceleration toward maturation. Most noticeable in red grapes, which begin to take on color at this time.
What is the typical time period from bud break to harvest?
140-160 days
Describe “Respiration”
occurs as the plant breaks down sugar and related carbohydrates, releasing their energy for use by the plant for acticities
Describe “Transpiration”
the process by which water evaporates through openings on the underside of the leaves known as stomata.
Describe “Translocation”
a final metabolic process, by which materials are moved from one area of the plant to another.
Describe the difference between weather & climate.
Weather is the actual meteorological conditions experienced, whereas climate is the historical average weather of a place.
Macroclimate refers to:
the conditions of the overall region (roughly synonymous with climate)
Mesoclimate refers to:
refers to what happens to a specific portion of the region
Microclimate refers to:
refers to the climate of a small portion of a vineyard, such as a few rows.
Canopy microclimate refers to:
used to refer to the environment within and directly surrounding a single vine’s canopy
Vines need about ___ to ____ inches of water annual
20-30 inches
List the particle sizes of soil, smallest to the largest
Clay
Silt
Sand
Gravel
What climate is strongly influenced by an ocean and have high rainfall and mild temperatures overall?
maritime Climates
What climates are found in areas from oceanic effects, and have hotter summers and colder winers - sometimes extreme in both directions
Continental climates
What climate is typically found within the temperate latitudes, characterized by warm, dry summers, mild, wet winters, and low humidity.
Mediterranean Climates
What climate refers to an area that has such cooler temperatures or such a short summer growing season that grapes are just barely able to achieve enough ripeness for harvesting
Marginal Climate
This type of disease can be spread by propagating infected vine cuttings
Viral disease
This type of disease is more likely to be spread by insects and animals that carry the microbes.
Bacterial disease
This type of disease is generally spread by airborne spores and become a problem mostly in warm, humid conditions.
Fungal Disease
Powdery mildew is also known as:
Oidium
Downy milder is also known as:
Peronospora
What is Botrytis Cinerea known as in France & Germany?
France: pourriture noble
Germany: Edelfaule
How does botrytis affect grapes?
sends its filaments through the skin of the grape to tap into the juice, extracting water from the inside of the grape concentrating the grapes sugars and flavors while adding its own characteristics aroma
When was Phylloxera accidentally introduced to Europe?
Mid-1800s
What is the nematode?
microscopic roundworm that feeds on the vine’s roots - they cause direct damage to the vine via the worm’s feeding, but also transmit viruses that can kill the plant.
Describe “Cane Pruning”
the grower will remove all but one or two canes per vine. The remaining canes are attached to a horizontal trellis and trimmed so that each cane has between 6-10 nodes/buds.
Describe “Spur/Cordon Pruning:
vines are trained to developed one or more permanent branches/cordons, leaving behind several spurs. Each spur is a portion of a cane - measuring a few inches long - that contains several nodes/buds
Describe the “Guyot System”
a simple vine training system in which one or two canes or cordons from each vine are trained along a wire.
Describe Vertical shoot positioning:
VSP is a configuration in which the new year’s shoot and leaves are trained upward and braced by trellis wires as they grow, with the grape bunches positioned below the leaves in the fruiting area.
Describe “divided canopy”
used in high vigor sites, a divided canopy-with two or more separate fruiting zones, spaced either horizontally or vertically - may be used to provide more space for the vine to spread out.
overhead vines that are trained up a tall support and then allowed to spread out horizontally, with the fruit hanging below - this is know as what system?
The Pergola System
What does “Brix” measure
in the United States, the concentration on sugar in the grapes is measured in degrees brix.
What is the conversion factor for measuring the potential alcohol?
5/9 or 55% of the Brix value
What country uses “Baume” and what does it measure?
Baume is a unit of measurement used primarily in France, reflecting the potential alcohol level in milliliters per 100 milliliters of wine.
What country uses “Oechsle” and what does it measure?
Used in Germany and Switzerland - measure the density of the grape must, subtract 1.0 and multiply this figure by 1,000
Oechsle=(density-1.0)x1,000
Grape growing without the use of manufactured fertilizers or pesticides is know as:
Organic Viticulture
What is “Intergrated pest Management” IPM’s
a targeted approach to dealing with pests in a vineyard. it’s goal is to eliminate or control only those insects that are actually present and causing damage, rather than applying a more general solution that kills all insects.
Describe Biodynamic viticulture
essentially organix viticulture with the addition on metaphysical elements and a few mandated procedures.
What is the philosophy behind biodynamics?
the philosophy is part of a larger movement that holds that all parts of the universe are interconnected as an ecosystem and that humans have the capacity to tap into the universal energy through meditation and mental practice.
who is credited for the development of biodynamic viticulture?
Rudolf Steiner
Certification as a biodynamic vineyard is available through a private organization known as:
Demeter International
