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IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Response of the plant: a chief element for the characterisation of wine-growing “terroirs”

Response of the plant: a chief element for the characterisation of wine-growing “terroirs”

Abstract

Face au risque de banalisation des produits agroalimentaires, un intérêt toujours plus marqué se développe en faveur des produits du terroir. La viticulture a été pionnière en la matière et les études des effets du milieu naturel sur la qualité et la typicité des produits sont nombreuses et diverses.
La caractérisation des terroirs peut être faite facteur par facteur en analysant l’incidence des différents critères pris séparément. Elle peut être orientée vers la techerche de marqueurs susceptibles d’intégrer des facteurs liés au sol, au climat et à la plante.
L’approche peut être aussi globale par l’utilisation de systèmes d’information géographiques (SIG) capables de combiner un nombre très élevé de critères, grâce à des outils informatiques très puissants.
Indépendamment de la méthodologie choisie, les informations récoltées doivent être validées par l’étude du comportement de la plante en relafon avec la valeur des produits obtenus dans des terroirs déterminés. Le choix des méthodes de caractérisation va dépendre du niveau d’échelle souhaité qui peut aller de la micro parcelle à l’ensemble d’une région ou d’un pays. Il sera également fonction des objectifs recherchés, qui peuvent être divers, de la classification des crus à l’adaptation d’itinéraires viticoles appropriés.

Vis-à-vis the risk of vulgarising the agroalimentary products, an increasingly shown interest develops in favour of the “terroir” products. The viticulture blazed a trail in this field, and the studies of the effects of the natural environment on the quality and on the originality of the products are numerous and varied.
The characterisation of wine-growing “terroirs” can be done factor by factor by analysing the incidence of the various individual criteria. It can be directed towards the search for markers likely to integrate factors linked to the soil, the climate and the plant.
The approach can also be global by using geographical information systems (GIS) able to combine a very high number of criteria thanks to very powerful data-processing tools.
Independently of the chosen methodology, collected information must be validated by the study of plant behaviour in relation to the value of the products obtained in given “terroirs”. Choice of the characterisation methods will depend on the desired scale level, which can go from micro plot to a whole area or country. It will be also a function of the required objectives which can be diverse, from the vintage classification to the adaptation of suitable wine­growing practices.

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Publication date: February 15, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2002

Type: Article

Authors

F. MURISIER (1), J.-L. SPRING (1), S. BURGOS2) and V. ZUFFEREY (1)

(1) Station fédérale de recherches en production végétale de Changins, CH-1260 Nyon-Suisse
(2) Ecole d’ingénieurs de Changins, CH-1260 Nyon

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Keywords

Caractérisation, terroirs viticoles, sols, climat, plante
Characterisation, wine terroir, soils, climate, plant

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2002

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