Terroir 2004 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The use of remote sensing in South-African terroir research

The use of remote sensing in South-African terroir research

Abstract

The diversity of soil types in the Western Cape of South Africa leads to high levels of within-vineyard variability. Multispectral remote sensing has received a lot of attention recently in the South-African wine industry in an attempt to identify and deal with this variability. While this technology holds promise for precision vineyard management as well as segmented harvesting of grapes, its potential as a tool in research has not yet been fully utilised. It holds promise as a tool to study the interaction of the grapevine with its environment, especially with regards to differences in vine performance due to soil variability. One of the most important goals of this research is to determine how the information derived from the vegetation indices used in the imaging relates to grapevine performance. Another objective is to assess the effects of practices that could differ between vineyards, such as trellis systems or canopy management on the image signal.
In a terroir study, aerial images were used to optimise plot layouts in the vineyards at different localities according to vineyard characteristics. Factors limiting or enhancing vine vigour were investigated using multispectral images. The use of hyperspectral satellite imagery from the Hyperion imager was also investigated as an additional tool to monitor the effects of the environment on the performance of the grapevine.
Terroir research focuses on identifying homogenous environmental units that have a specific viticultural and oenological potential. It is deemed necessary to investigate the “building blocks” of these “homogenous” units, which may encompass high levels of variability, in order to adapt them to a micro-scale for application on a vineyard level. Closer investigation of these “micro” terrroirs that exist within vineyards may enable us to utilise the full potential of our diverse natural environment.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2004

Type: Article

Authors

A.E. Strever

Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, 7602 Matieland, South Africa

Contact the author

Keywords

Vine, Vitis vinifera L., remote sensing, high resolution, intrablock management, vineyard leaf area, NDVI

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2004

Citation

Related articles…

An infrared laser sensor to characterize the gaseous headspace of champagne glasses under static and swirling conditions

Right after the pouring of champagne in a glass, thousands of rising and bursting bubbles convey gas-phase CO2 and volatile organic compounds in the headspace above the champagne surface, thus progressively modifying the gaseous chemical space perceived by the consumer [1]

Read More

On the losses of dissolved CO2 during champagne aging

A misconception lingers in the minds of some wine consumers that Champagne wines don’t age. It’s largely a myth, certainly as far as the best cuvees are concerned. Actually, during the so-called autolysis period of time (in the closed bottle, after the “prise de mousse”), complex chemical reactions take place when the wine remains in contact with the dead yeast cells, which progressively bring complex and very much sought-after aromas to champagne. Nevertheless, despite their remarkable impermeability to liquid and air, caps or natural cork stoppers used to cork the bottles are not 100% hermetic with regard to gas transfers. Gas species therefore very slowly diffuse through the cap or cork stopper, along their respective inverse partial pressure. After the “prise de mousse”, because the partial pressure of CO2 in the bottleneck reaches up to 6 bars (at 12 °C), gaseous CO2 progressively diffuse from the bottle to the ambient air
(where the partial pressure of gaseous CO2 is only of order of 0,0004 bar).

Read More

Differentiating and grouping of oltrepo’ pavese environments according to grape maturation

The maturation patterns process has been very studied. In particular the modelization of the sugars and titratable acidity during the ripening period was an important approach, in particular for the prediction of harvest date (Barillere et al., 1988; Jourion et al.,1987; Maujean et al., 1983; Scienza, 1989). In Oltrepò Pavese, the widest viticultural district of Lombardy – Northern Italy – (about 15000 hectares), grape maturation trends shows high variability, due to the large variation in environmental characteristics of vineyards (altitude, exposure, soil type, mesoclimate) and to “cultivar x environment” interaction.

Read More

Approaches to the classification of wine aroma aging potential. Applications to the case of Valpolicella red wines

Unlike most of other foods, wine sensory quality is thought to reach a peak after an aging period. In the case of the Valpolicella red wines

Read More

Effects of yeast product addition and fermentation temperature on lipid composition and sensory of pinot noir wines

AIM: Firm tissues of grapes and yeast are the major sources of lipids in wine.

Read More