Viticulture & the vine Flashcards
What is spur pruning?
Spurs are short sections of one-year-old wood that have been cut down to only 2-3 buds. The spurs are either distributed along a cordon of permanent wood (cordon training) or around the head of the trunk (head training).
What is permanent wood in relation to a vine?
Wood that is more than one year old. This is made up of the trunk and, where present, the arms of the vine.
What is a hybrid?
A vine whose parents come from two different species - often these vines will have at least one American vine as a parent. Usually, hybrids are rarely used in winemaking with Vidal from Canada being an exception.
What is grafting?
A technique used to join rootstocks to a v. vinifera variety.
What are some effective ways of controlling fungal disease?
- Chemical sprays
- Copper-based sprays (downy mildew)
- Sulphur-based spray (powdery mildew)
- Canopy management
What is the most important vine species for wine production?
Vitis vinifera
What is sustainable agriculture?
Those practacing sustainable agriculture are encouraged to have an in-depth understanding of their vineyard and monitor weather and pest patterns so that the use of man-made sprays can be targeted.
- This is more cost effective and less environmentally detrimental.
What are some fungal diseases that can attack the vine?
- Downy and powdery Mildew
- Grey rot
What is replacement cane pruning?
Training longer sections of one-year-old wood along a trellis for support. These canes typically have 8-20 buds that will grow into shoots.
- Often seen on head trained vines.
- This pruning method is more complex then spur pruning and requires a more skilled workforce.
- AKA Guyot training - single guyot/double Guyot
Broadly speaking what are the two techniques for training a vine.
Head training: Where little permanent wood is left other than the trunk.
Cordon training: Where the vine will have one or more permanent cordons.
What is a crossing?
A new variety that is created from the same species. It is a term most commonly used for grape varieties that are created by researchers. ie. Müller Thurau (Riesling x Madeline Royale) & Pinotage (Pinot Noir x Cinsault)
What are downy and powdery mildew?
- Fungal diseases that thrive in warm and humid environments that can affect all of the green parts of the vine including the leaves and the grapes.
- Affected grapes can lose their fruity flavours and give the wine a mouldy bitter taste.
What is the importance of American vine species?
They are resistant to Phylloxera (a pest that attacks the vine’s roots) and are widely used as rootstocks onto which v. vinifera is grafted.
What is grey rot?
- A fungal disease that thrives in damp conditions and attacks the grapes.
- It can taint the grape flavours and lead to colour loss in black grapes.
- Is caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea
What are Nematodes?
Microscopic worms that attack the roots of the vine stopping nutrient and water intake. They can also transmit vine viruses.
