Viticulture

Question 0

Anatomy: Shoots

Answer 0

New growth a vine produces each year. Along the length of each shoot are regularly spaces bumps called Nodes. At each node there will be either a leaf & flower or a leaf & tendrils. Buds form where lead stems join the shoot

Question 1

Vine Species

Answer 1

For fruit - vitis vinifera
For rootstocks (N. American, resistant to Phyloxera) - vitis riparia, vitis rupestris, vitis berlandieri

Question 2

Anatomy: Leaves

Answer 2

Plant’s “engine” responsible for photosynthesis

Question 3

Anatomy: Tendrils

Answer 3

Structures used to grip a supporting structure to stay upright

Question 4

Anatomy: Flowers & Berries

Answer 4

Hermaphrodite reproductive organs. A group of flowers: “inflorescences.” Pollinated flowers become berries, inflorescence become bunch of grapes. Grape is wind-pollinated, animal-dispersed, so fruits are sweet & brightly coloured, but flowers are small

Question 5

Anatomy: Buds

Answer 5

Form where leaf & shoot join, & are embryonic shoots. Mature inside their casing, and end of year, contain miniature structures that will become shoot, leaves, flowers, tendrils the following year

Question 6

Anatomy: One Year Old Wood

Answer 6

Shoots turn woody during the winter. Following spring, become “one year wood” and buds burst & grow into shoots. Vital because vines normally only produce fruit on shoots that grow from buds that developed the prev. year. When vine is pruned each year, One Year Old Wood will be called a Cane (8-15 buds) or Spur (2-3 buds)

Question 7

Anatomy: Permanent Wood (a.k.a. Cordon)

Answer 7

Wood that is more than 1 year old. Amount of Perm. restricted by pruning. Sometimes referred to as Cordon. Stores some carb reserves during winter; used to fu initial shoot growth. Important in cool areas.

Question 8

Anatomy: Roots

Answer 8

Absorb water & nutrients from soil
Anchor the vine
Store carbs to allow the vine to survive winter
Modern vineyards, most vinifera grafted on other species because of Phylloxera

Question 9

Vine Varieties

Answer 9

Vines belong to the same Variety if their origin can be followed back, thru a series of cuttings, to the same parent plant. Varieties can only be reproduced by taking cuttings from existing plant (cannot use pips (seeds) of grape)

Question 10

Clones

Answer 10

Selected specimen of a specific variety, propagated for favourable characteristics

Question 11

Crossing

Answer 11

Any variety grown from seed whose parent vine were both vitis vinifera

Question 12

Hybrids

Answer 12

Any variety grown from seeds whose parent vines came from different vine species

Question 13

Rootstocks

Answer 13

Phylloxera is fatal to vinifera. Only known reliable solution is to graft vitis vinifera onto non-vinifera rootstock that can resist the pest

Question 14

Pruning

Answer 14

Determines the # and location of shoots, spurs (2-3 buds), and replacement canes (8-12 buds)
Happens during vine dormancy

Question 15

Define “Replacement Cane Pruning” and describe when it would be used

Answer 15

When one or more canes are retained

By minimizing the amount of permanent wood (& the vine’s carb reserves), the vine’s vigour is restricted so this system helps to limit yield

Question 16

Define “Spur-“ or “Cordon Pruning” and describe its effects

Answer 16

Retaining a number of spurs along a permanent-wood cordon

Vines with a large amount of permanent wood tend to be more vigorous than replacement-cane pruned vines

Question 17

What is training and its most common examples?

Answer 17

Determines the shape of the vine by positioning the shoots to display leaves & fruit

Most common system is VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning), as well as pergolas (in HOT places, canopy provides shade for fruit hanging underneath), lyres, and untrained bush vines (CNF)

Question 18

What are the main differences between Cane and Cordon pruning?

Answer 18

Cane pruning requires an annual replacement/renewal of one-year-old wood on the fruiting wire, whereas Cordon pruning leaves a permanent horizontal extension of the trunk in place year after year. Cordons do not produce fruitful shoots, these come instead from spur positions located along the cordon.
Cane pruning employed to limit yield

Question 19

“Green Harvesting”

Answer 19

Picking out excess grape bunches during veraison

Question 20

Describe the key characteristics of viticulture in Bordeaux

Answer 20

Mostly high-density planting & machine harvesting. Hand-picking for premium and sweet wines (Botrytis delicate)