Viticulture & Vinification Flashcards
What is Vendange?
Harvest
What are the Italian and Spanish names for the Gobelet System?
Italian: Albarello
Spanish: En Vaso
- It is the simplest form of spur-pruning / head training
- An ancient technique common in Southern Rhône and southern Italy
- The vine, unsupported, resembles a goblet
- Each year’s fruiting canes extend from the spur-pruned shortened arms atop the trunk
What is the Bordeaux Mixture?
Spray of copper sulfate, water, and lime
What happens in the vineyard in February? (in the Northern Hemisphere)
The vine starts “weeping” or “bleeding” watery sap from pruned canes
When does budbreak occur?
March / April (northern hemisphere)
- First small shoots and leaves will break through buds left intact by winter pruning
- The vine is vulnerable to frost at this time
- Foliage continues to develop through early spring
- Small green cluster bunches form on the shoots by mid-April
When does flowering occur in the vineyard?
6-13 weeks after initial budbreak
- Embryo bunches bloom into small flowers for about 10 days
- The self-pollinating grapevine begins the process of fertilization which leads to fruit set
- Extremely susceptible to damage from cold, frost, and wind during this time
- Pollinated embryo bunches grow into true grape clusters during fruit set
- Fruit set usually hovers around 30%; the remaining embryo berries “shatter”, falling from the cluster
- Berries enlarge through July, remain hard, high in acidity, low in sugar
When does véraison begin?
August (northern hemisphere)
- Grapes begin to truly ripen
- Sugars are moved from the leaf system to the fruit
- Grapes soften and change color
- May not evenly affect a whole bunch (Some varieties, ex. Zinfandel, are characterized by extremely uneven ripening)
- Cane ripening occurs in tandem with véraison (stems on each shoot being to lignify, accumulating carbohydrates to sustain the plant through winter)
When does vendange occur in the vineyard?
August-November (northern hemisphere)
- Harvest begins as early as late August
- White grapes are generally harvested before red grapes
- New World winemakers have greatly advanced the idea of complete physiological ripeness (concept of ripeness comprising of not only must weight and pH, but ripening of tannin and other phenolics, condition of berry and its pulp, and seed lignification)
In the vineyard, what happens after harvest?
- The vines lose their leaves in Autumn and enter a period of winter dormancy
- Fertilization may be applied in the Autumn after harvest
- Vines will be pruned over the winter to prepare for next year’s growth
What is the required average summer temperature for red grapes?
70ºF / 21ºC
What is the required average summer temperature for white grapes?
66ºF / 18.89ºC
The vine requires ______ mm rainfall annually.
500-760mm (20-30 inches)
What is water stress?
A condition that promotes smaller berry size and yields, but will lead to interrupted ripening and complete shutdown of the vine if stress is too severe
*Caused by too little rain
What are wind machines often used for in the vineyard?
Used to fight frost
*Mixes colder, settled air near the ground with warmer upper air
High soil pH contributes to (higher/lower) acidity in grapes.
Higher
*high soil pH is common in limestone-rich soils
Describe spur-pruning.
- The upper cane grown from a spur is removed during winter pruning
- The lower cane growing from the same spur is cut back to two buds, which creates a new spur
- Each spur will produce two fruiting canes each year with one becoming the following year’s spur
Vitis ______ was used for grafting because it was resistant to phylloxera.
(Vitis) Riparia
What is the full name of Phylloxera?
Daktulosphaira Vitifoliae
*Originally called phylloxera vastatrix
Phylloxera feeds on what part of the vine?
Roots
How do fungal diseases manifest?
As mildew or mold
How are viral diseases spread?
Through grafting or by insects
How is Phytoplasma spread?
Through an insect vector or rootstock grafting
