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WSET 3 > Viticulture > Flashcards

Viticulture Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a cutting?

A

A section of a vine shoot that is planted and then grows as a new plant.

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2
Q

Explain layering and why it is susceptible to phylloxera

A
  • A cane is bent down and a section of it is buried in the ground, with the tip of the cane coming back out of the ground. Once that section takes root, it is cut off from the original plant.
  • A new plant grown from layering will have vitis vinifera rootstocks, and cannot be grafted without being uprooted.
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3
Q

What is a clone?

A

A clone is a grape that has a noticeable mutation but is still genetically identical to other grapes of its variety. Sometimes, if a clone’s mutation is extremely significant, it is treated as a separate variety–even though the grapes are genetically identical. An example of this is the Pinot varieties.

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4
Q

What is a crossing?

A

A crossing is a new variety that is produced from two parents of the same species (e.g. two vitis vinifera grapes).

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5
Q

What is a hybrid?

A

A hybrid is a vine whose parents come from two different vine species. Hybrids will typically have at least one American vine as a parent.

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6
Q

What is Phylloxera, what does it do to grape vines, and how can it be stopped?

A

Phylloxera is an insect that is native to North America that feeds on the roots of vitis vinifera vines. Infections can then enter into these wounds on the vine, killing the plant. Phylloxera can be controlled by grafting vitis vinifera vines onto rootstocks of American vines or hybrids, which have a natural defense against the insect.

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7
Q

What are the differences between head grafting and bench grafting?

A
  • Bench grafting is usually an automated process done in a nursery where short sections of cane from vitis vinifera and the rootstock variety are joined together by machine and then stored in a warm environment, where they fuse together.
  • Head grafting is where the existing vine is cut back to its trunk and a bud or cutting of the new variety is grafted onto the trunk.
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8
Q

What are the benefits to head grafting?

A
  • It allows growers to change a vineyard quickly due to market demand vs. replanting a vineyard which requires at least 3 years to produce fruit.
  • It is considerably cheaper than replanting the whole vineyard.
  • The new variety has an established root system already.
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9
Q

What are five things that are fundamental for vine growth?

A
  1. Heat
  2. Sunlight
  3. CO2
  4. Water
  5. Nutrients
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10
Q

What is the defining factor that determines what grape variety is grown where?

A

The amount of heat in the growing season.

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11
Q

Most vineyards lie between what lines of latitude?

A

30 - 50

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12
Q

What are the effects of fog on a vineyard?

A

Fog can help cool a vineyard that otherwise would struggle to produce high quality grapes. A feature in top vineyards in CA and in Casablanca Chile.

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13
Q

What effects does soil have on a vineyard?

A
  • Soils that are dark in color or have a high stone and rock content absorb and reradiate more of the sun’s heat than lighter colored soils. (can be critical in cool climates.
  • Soils with high water content require more energy to warm up, and conduct heat away from the vine more quickly than dry soil. (can delay budburst)
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14
Q

What is aspect and why is it important?

A
  • Aspect is the direction which a slope faces
  • Vineyards with aspects facing the equator receive the most heat from the sun. This is especially important in cool climates, where this extra heat can make the difference between a crop ripening or not.
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15
Q

What is continentality and why is it important?

A
  • Continentality is the temperature difference between the coldest months of the year and the hottest months of the year.
  • Continentality determines the length of the growing season, and this has an impact on the amount of heat available to the vine. This determines what varieties can be successfully grown in a region.
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16
Q

What is the average growing season temperature of a cool climate?

A

16.5 degrees C

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17
Q

What is the average growing season temperature of a moderate climate?

A

16.5 C - 18.5 C

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18
Q

What is the average growing season temperature of a warm climate?

A

18.5 C - 21 C

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19
Q

What is the average growing season temperature of a hot climate?

A

excess of 21 degrees C

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20
Q

What are the four techniques to combat spring frost and how do they work?

A
  1. Heaters: generate heat that creates movement in the air, which prevents the cold air from settling.
  2. Wind machines: draw warm air from above to keep the temperature at ground level above freezing.
  3. Sprinklers: spray water onto vines, which freezes and releases some heat into the plant tissue.
  4. Thoughtful vineyard design: cold air collects in depressions, so vineyards that avoid low-lying areas (slopes) or that are trained-high can be effective
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21
Q

What is humus?

A

Decomposing plant and animal materials that are rich in plant nutrients and have excellent water retaining properties.

22
Q

How is water stored in soil?

A

Water binds to clay particles or humus.

23
Q

What are the three most important nutrients for grapevines?

A

Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

24
Q

What is a common symptom of a vine receiving too few nutrients?

A

Chlorosis: the leaves turn yellow and the vine’s ability to photosynthesize is restricted.

25
Q

What is the overall impact of soil and vine nutrition on the quality of the grapes and the finished wine?

A

Very complex and beyond the scope of this course.

26
Q

Describe a continental climate.

A
  • They have the greatest difference in temp between the hottest and coldest months.
  • Usually short summers with a large, rapid temperature drop in autumn.
  • Known for dry summers.
  • Cool continental climates are at risk of spring frost.
27
Q

Describe a maritime climate.

A
  • Maritime climates are characterized by cool to moderate temperatures and low annual difference between the hottest and coldest months.
  • Rainfall tends to be evenly spread throughout the year which moderates the temperature.
  • Rainfall in the spring and summer can be harmful to the flowering, fruit set and health of the grapes.
28
Q

Describe a Mediterranean climate.

A
  • Characterized by a low temperature difference between the hottest and coldest months, but the summers tend to be warm and dry.
  • Lower rainfall can have a positive effect on the grapes, but drought can be an issue.
29
Q

What are the main procedures that can be used to manage the growth of the vine?

A

Training, pruning, trellising and density of the planting.

30
Q

What are the benefits associated with cordon training?

A

The sturdy horizontal cordon with shoots positioned along its length makes mechanization in the vineyard easier to achieve.

31
Q

What is the main purpose of vine pruning?

A

To determine the number and location of the buds that will form shoots in the coming growing season.

32
Q

What is a spur?

A

A short section of one-year-old wood that has been cut down to only two or three buds. They are distributed along a cordon of permanent wood or around the top of the trunk.

33
Q

What is replacement cane pruning, and what is an alternate name for this training method?

A
  • Canes are longer sections of one-year-old wood that have between 8-20 buds. When the vine is pruned, one or two canes are retained and each cane is tied horizontally to the trellis for support.
  • This is also called Guyot training. Single Guyot retains one cane, while Double Guyot retains two canes.
34
Q

What does summer pruning involve?

A

Summer pruning involves managing the canopy of the vine, trimming back vegetative growth so that the vine directs sugar production to the grape, instead of to shoots and leaves. It also can involve leaf stripping to maximise sunlight exposure.

35
Q

What is a trellis?

A

A permanent structure of stakes and wires used to support replacement canes and vine annual growth.

36
Q

Under what circumstances would you use an untrellised system in a vineyard? And why?

A
  • Used in warm, hot, dry sunny regions
  • The extra shade helps protect the grapes
  • Bush-trained vines can withstand high winds
37
Q

What is gobelet training and why is it used?

A
  • Vines that are head-trained, spur-pruned, and then tied together at tips.
  • It exposes bunches of grapes to air and sunlight in an untrellised system.
38
Q

What are three important reasons for trellising a vineyard?

A
  1. The arrangement of the young shoots can be used to control the amount of sunlight getting into the canopy.
  2. An open canopy can improve air circulation.
  3. Trellising can aid mechanization in the vineyard.
39
Q

What is the most widely-used trellising system?

A

Vertical Shoot Positioning (VSP)

40
Q

What is Vertical Shoot Positioning? What advantages does it have?

A
  • The vine’s shoots are trained vertically and tied in place to form a single, narrow row of canopy.
  • This keeps the shoots apart in a very open canopy that is well-aerated and as shade-free as possible.
41
Q

What vineyard management techniques would be used in a region that is hot, very sunny, and has low rainfall? Why?

A
  • Bush-trained vines would shield the grapes from excessive sun, to prevent sunburn
  • Low-density planting would allow the vines to get enough water without competing with each other for limited resources
42
Q

What vineyard management techniques would be used in a region with a maritime climate, poor soil quality, and high levels of rainfall throughout the year? Why?

A
  • High-density planting encourages vines to compete for the ample resources available in this region
  • To prevent fungal diseases and maximize sunlight in a cloudy region, VSP training is the best option.
43
Q

What is green harvesting and what are its advantages and disadvantages?

A
  • Removing immature grapes shortly after veraison
  • This eliminates berries that are not ripening and controls yields
  • However, if it is done too early the grapevine will react poorly and direct energy into increasing the size of grapes already on the vine.
44
Q

What is grey rot?

A

A fungus (botrytis cinerea) that attacks grapes, leading to off-flavors and a loss of color in black grapes. Occasionally the development of grey rot on white grapes is desirable, and can shrivel the grapes so that they can be made into concentrated dessert wines. In this case, it is referred to as “noble” rot.

45
Q

What is nematode?

A

Microscopic worms that attack the roots of grapevines, interfering with water and nutrient uptake. They can also transmit vine viruses.

46
Q

What are the six stages of the vineyard cycle?

A
  1. Budburst
  2. Early Shoot and Leaf Growth
  3. Flowering and Fruit Set
  4. Veraison and Berry Ripening
  5. Harvest
  6. Winter Dormancy
47
Q

What is Integrated Pest Management?

A

A key part of sustainable agriculture, which involves encouraging the predators of certain pests to live in the vineyard and/or supporting a range of plants in the vineyard rather than a monoculture.

48
Q

What are key components of organic viticulture?

A
  • Limited number of traditional treatments against pests and disease, and in very small quantities
  • Accreditation by a certifying body
  • Vineyard must undergo a “conversion period” working towards organic standards before it is certified
49
Q

What is Biodynamic agriculture and whose work is it based off of?

A
  • It adopts elements of organic agriculture while incorporating philosophy and cosmology into vineyard management practices.
  • Rudolf Steiner and Maria Thun
50
Q

What are the advantages of machine harvesting? What are the disadvantages?

A
  • It is much faster, which is important if bad weather is inclement. Machines can work through the night, which allows grapes to be brought to the winery cool–saving money that would be spent on controlling temperature and oxidation.
  • It is not selective, and can pick up damaged grapes. It is not useful in all sites since they cannot run on steep slopes. It also can damage fragile varieties of grapes, and cannot be used for harvesting whole bunches.

WSET 3 (21 decks)

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