Terroir 2004 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The role of the landscape as a component of the terroir in Spain (DO Somontano, NE Spain)

The role of the landscape as a component of the terroir in Spain (DO Somontano, NE Spain)

Abstract

The components and methodology for characterization of the terroir in Spain have been described by Gómez-Miguel et al. (2003), Sotés et al. (2003), taking into account the full range of environmental factors (i.e: climate, vegetation, topography, soils, altitude, etc.), landscape variables (derived from photo-interpretation and a digital elevation model), and variables specific to the country’s viticulture (i.e: size and distribution of the vineyards, varieties, phenology, productivity, quality, designation regulations, etc.). This paper describes the integration of the resulting database in a Geographic Information System (G.I.S.) that allows the spatial and statistical analysis of all variables; the parametric system of variable quantification; the selection of main endogenous and exogenous variables for terroir characterization; and the role of the variables that describe the landscape in the final results. The analysis has been carried out on over 1.8 million ha. This paper presents the results of a case study in the county “Somontano” that covers an expanse of 142,000 ha and includes 4,173 ha of vineyards. The observed distribution of vineyards in this county is correlated to the integrated landscape-terrain classification and productivity but does not depend on the total available area for cultivation. It is significant that a subset of geological formations that accounts for 45 percent of the total area sustains over 90 percent of the vineyards.
The results of the study have general implications for landscape-terrain classification in Spain and define a set of methodological guidelines. These guidelines refer to:
a) Definition of the set of variables that define the landscape: characterization of the lithological and morphological components; homogenization of lithological units; cartography of the geological formations; integration of a digital elevation model to derive altitude, orientation, exposure, and slope. The spatial scale should be at least 1:25.000.
b) Definition of the Homogeneous Land Units (HLU): The parameter characterization was carried out from the units which were previously defined from the data of the environmental analysis.
c) Experimental design: Selection of Homogeneous Land Units and characterization within the units.
d) Final zoning: Integration of the Homogeneous Land Unit with the plant (variety and rootstock) and the product (must and wine).

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2004

Type: Article

Authors

V. Sotés and V. Gómez Miguel

Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.- Ciudad Universitaria , s/n-E28040 Madrid, Spain

Contact the author

;

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2004

Citation

Related articles…

How a microscopic yeast makes a big difference – how geographic limitations of yeast populations can determine the regional aroma of wine

Aim: Microbial biogeography contributes to regional distinctiveness of agricultural products and is important to determine for quality and marketing of wine products. We evaluated the microbial influence on wine characteristics by considering the microbial diversity of soil, plant, grapes, must and wine in grapegrowing regions across Victoria, Australia. 

Read More

Application of high power ultrasounds during red wine vinification

Wine color is one of the main organoleptic characteristics influencing its quality. It is of especial interest in red vinifications due to the economic resources that wineries have to invest for the extraction of the phenolic compounds responsible of wine color, compounds that are mainly located inside the skin cell vacuoles. Moreover, these phenolic compounds not only influence color but also other organoleptic properties such as body, mouthfeel, astringency and flavour. The transference of phenolic compounds from grapes to must during vinification is closely related with the type of grapes and the winemaking technique.

Read More

Evaluation of “Accentuated cut edges” technique on the release of varietal thiols and their precursors in Shiraz and Sauvignon blanc wine production

Accentuated cut edges (ACE) is a novel grape crushing technique used sequentially after a conventional crusher to increase the extraction rate and content of polyphenolics, as shown for Pinot noir wine. This inspired us to apply the technique during Shiraz and Sauvignon blanc winemaking, primarily to assess its impact on the extraction of varietal thiol precursors in grape must/juice and formation of varietal thiols in the resultant wines

Read More

Territoire, terroir et marché du vin à la production

Work aimed at understanding the relationship between a terroir, in the agronomic sense, and the physico-chemical characteristics of grapes or wine are numerous today, as evidenced by the program of this symposium. But for an economist, the central question remains to know how the terroir can intervene in the construction of the economic value of wine and in the differentiation of its prices. Is the terroir effect recognized by the end consumer or is it only an internal adjustment variable in the production systems? Through which indicators can this terroir effect be managed by the various operators in the sector? In the end, isn’t it better to invoke a “territorial effect” that the actors can build, and of which the terroir would be one of the possible components?

Read More

REVINE project : regenerative agricultural approaches to improve ecosystem services in Mediterranean vineyards

REVINE is a 3 year European projected funded by PRIMA programme which proposes the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices with an innovative and original perspective, in order to improve the resilience of vineyards to climate change in the Mediterranean area.
Regenerative agriculture ameliorates soil structure and microbial biodiversity that, in turn, leads to crop resilience against biotic and abiotic stressful factors. Moreover, enrichment of beneficial microbes in the rhizosphere, such as PGPR and PGPF, are known to trigger the plant immunity inducing the priming state.

Read More