Terroir 1996 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Analyse of« terroirs» zoning on cooperative wineries (Côtes du Rhône area, France). Influence on vine agronomic response and on grape quality

Analyse of« terroirs» zoning on cooperative wineries (Côtes du Rhône area, France). Influence on vine agronomic response and on grape quality

Abstract

Plusieurs caves coopératives de l’AOC Côtes du Rhône se servent des informations du zonage pour la sélection des vendanges en fonction du terroir d’origine, afin d’élaborer des «cuvées terroir» et d’exploiter ainsi le potentiel qualitatif de leurs secteurs. Cependant, les caractéristiques de la matière première provenant de parcelles issues d’une même unité cartographique ne sont pas toujours homogènes.
Cette étude s’oriente donc vers une meilleure connaissance du fonctionnement des terroirs. Elle cherche à définir, à travers la validation des zonages, l’incidence du terroir sur la réponse agronomique de la vigne et sur le potentiel qualitatif du raisin et du vin. On recherche un outil d’aide à la décision pour les caves permettant d’optimiser la sélection des apports.
Sur la base des zonages existants dans la région (cartes des sols, cartographies des pédopaysages et des terroirs, …), des réseaux de parcelles sont suivis depuis l’année 2000 au sein des aires de production de plusieurs caves coopératives pendant plusieurs millésimes.
Les parcelles, plantées avec Vitis vinifera L. cv. Grenache noir (cépage principal de l’AOC), se placent sur les principaux types de sols de chaque cave, avec des répétitions par type de sol. Une caractérisation détaillée des parcelles est effectuée ( description terroir, itinéraires techniques, …. ) Un suivi agronomique et physiologique du comportement de la vigne, ainsi que de la sensibilité des vignes aux contraintes hydriques ont été réalisés. Enfin, on y caractérise le raisin pendant la maturation.
Les résultats présentés s’appuient sur les 2 premiers millésimes d’expérimentation. Ils devraient permettre de : 1. Evaluer la sensibilité au stress hydrique des terroirs. 2. Appréhender la variabilité des terroirs en fonction du millésime : stabilité des terroirs dans le temps (intérêt de sélectionner certains terroirs lors des millésimes favorables). 3. Quantifier l’impact de ces aspects sur la qualité du raisin. 4. Evaluer l’interférence terroir – pratiques culturales « effet vigneron» (fertilisation, rendement, …).

Several cooperative wineries of Côtes du Rhône AOC use zoning information for harvest’s selection according to type of “terroir” in order to work out “cuvees terroir” and thus to exploit the qualitative potential of their areas. However, the characteristics of grapes from the same cartographie unity of “terroir” are not always homogeneous.
This work is then oriented to enhance the knowledge of functioning of “terroirs”. We should to know the influence of the “terroir” on the agronomic reaction of the vine and the potential quality of the grape and the wine, by validation of zoning. We look for a tool to aid wineries decisions, allowing the optimisation of harvest selections.
Vine networks, located on production area of different cooperative wineries and chosen according to zoning maps (soils maps, “terroirs” maps, soil landscape maps, … ), are controlled from 2000 and for several vintages.
Plots, each one planted with Vitis vinifera L. cv. Grenache noir (the first cultivar of Côtes du Rhône Appellation), were located on the most representative soils of each winery, with repetitions plots by soil. Vine plots characteristics were in detail described (“terroir”, viticultural practices, … ). Physiological and agronomic controls of vine behaviour and vine sensibility to water deficit were determined. Berries composition during ripening was also analysed.
Results of the 2 first vintages of experimentation are presented. They should us to allow to : 1. Evaluate the vine sensibility to water deficit of different “terroirs”. 2. Estimate the “terroirs” ,variability by vintage : “terroirs” stability on time ( define the advantages of some harvest selections for the favourable vintages). 3. Valuate the incidence of these parameters on grape quality. 4. Evaluate the “terroir” and viticultural practices interferences (“vine grower effect”: fertilisation, training management, production,

DOI:

Publication date: February 15, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2002

Type: Article

Authors

B. RODRIGUEZ LOVELLE and C. SIPP

Syndicat des Vignerons des Côtes du Rhône – Service Technique – Institut Rhodanien, 2260 Route du Grès, 84100 Orange (France)

Keywords

sol, qualité du raisin, stress hydrique, cave coopérative, sélection des vendanges
soil, grape quality, water stress, cooperative winery, harvest selection

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2002

Citation

Related articles…

Copper contamination in vineyard soils of Bordeaux: spatial risk assessment for the replanting of vines and crops

Copper (Cu) is widely and historically used in viticulture as a fungicide against mildew. Cu has a strong affinity for soil organic matter and accumulates in topsoil horizons. Thus, Cu may negatively affect soil organisms and plants, consequently reducing soil fertility and productivity. The Bordeaux vineyards have the largest vineyard surfaces (26%) within French controlled appellation and a great proportion of French wine production (around 5 million hl per year). Considering the local context of vineyard surfaces decreasing (vine uprooting) and possible new crop plantation, the issue of Cu potential toxicity rises. Therefore, the aims of this work are firstly to evaluate the Cu contamination in vineyard soils of Bordeaux, secondly to produce a risk assessment map for new vine or crop plantation. We used soil analyses from several local studies to build a database with 4496 soil horizon samples. The database was enhanced by means of pedotransfer functions in order to estimate the bioaccessible (EDTA-extractable) Cu in soils of samples without measurements. From this database, 1797 georeferenced samples with CuEDTA concentrations in the topsoil (0-50 cm depth) were used for kriging interpolation in order to produce the spatial distribution map of CuEDTA in vineyard soils. Then, the spatial distribution of Cu was crossed with vine uprooting surfaces and municipality boundaries. CuEDTAconcentrations ranged from 0.52 to 459 mg/kg and showed clear anomalies. Our results from spatial analysis showed that almost 50% of vineyard soil surfaces have CuEDTA concentrations higher than 30 mg/kg (moderate risk for new plantation) and 20% with concentrations higher than 50 mg/kg (high risk for new plantation). A decision-support map based on municipalities was realised to provide a simple tool to stakeholders concerned by land use management.

Climate modeling at local scale in the Waipara winegrowing region in the climate change context

In viticulture, a warming climate can have a very significant impact on grapevine development and therefore on the quality and characteristics of wines across different spatial scales, ranging from global to local. In order to adapt wine-growing to climate change, global climate models can be used to define future scenarios, but only at the scale of major wine regions. Despite the huge progress made over the last ten years in terms of the spatial resolution of climate models (now downscaled to a few square kilometres), they are not yet sufficiently precise to account for the local climate variability associated with such parameters as local topography, in spite of these parameters being decisive for vine and wine characteristics. This study describes a method to downscale future climate scenarios to vineyard scale. Networks of data loggers have been used to collect air temperature at canopy level in the Waipara winegrowing region (New Zealand) over five growing seasons. These measurements allow the creation of fine-scale geostatistical models and maps of temperature (at 100 m resolution) for the growing season. In order to model climate change at pilot site scale, these geostatistical models have been combined with regional climate change predictions for the periods 2031-2050 and 2081-2100 based on the RCP8.5 climate change scenario. The integration of local climate variability with regionalized climate change simulations allows assessment of the impacts of climate change at the vineyard scale. The improved knowledge gained using this methodology results from the increased horizontal resolution that better addresses the concerns of winegrowers. The results provide the local winegrowers with information necessary to understand current processes, as well as historical and future viticulture trends at the scale of their site, thereby facilitating decisions about future response strategies.

Local adaptation tools to ensure the viticultural sustainability in a changing climate

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

Understanding graft union formation by using metabolomic and transcriptomic approaches during the first days after grafting in grapevine

Since the arrival of Phyloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifolia) in Europe at the end of the 19th century, grafting has become essential to cultivate Vitis vinifera. Today, grafting provides not only resistance to this aphid, but it used to adapt the cultivars according to the type of soil, environment, or grape production requirements by using a panel of rootstocks. As part of vineyard decline, it is often mentioned the importance of producing quality grafted grapevine to improve vineyard longevity, but, to our knowledge, no study has been able to demonstrate that grafting has a role in this context. However, some scion/rootstock combinations are considered as incompatible due to poor graft union formation and subsequently high plant mortality soon after grafting. In a context of climate change where the creation of new cultivars and rootstocks is at the centre of research, the ability of new cultivars to be grafted is therefore essential. The early identification of graft incompatibility could allow the selection of non-viable plants before planting and would have a beneficial impact on research and development in the nursery sector. For this reason, our studies have focused on the identification of metabolic and transcriptomic markers of poor grafting success during the first days/week after grafting; we have identified some correlations between some specialized metabolites, especially stilbenes, and grafting success, as well as an accumulation of some amino acids in the incompatible combination. The study of the metabolome and the transcriptome allowed us to understand and characterise the processes involved during graft union formation.

Mapping and tracking canopy size with VitiCanopy

Understanding vineyard variability to target management strategies, apply inputs efficiently and deliver consistent grape quality to the winery is essential. However, despite inherent vineyard variability, the majority are managed as if they are uniform. VitiCanopy is a simple, grower-friendly tool for precision/digital viticulture that allows users to collect and interpret objective spatial information about vineyard performance. After four years of field and market research, an upgraded VitiCanopy has been created to achieve a more streamlined, technology-assisted vine monitoring tool that provides users with a set of superior new features, which could significantly improve the way users monitor their grapevines. These new features include:
• New user interface
• User authentication
• Batch analysis of multiple images
• Ease the learning curve through enhanced help features
• Reporting via the creation of colour maps that will allow users to assess the spatial differences in canopies within a vineyard.
Use-case examples are presented to demonstrate the quantification and mapping of vineyard variability through objective canopy measurements, ground-truthing of remotely sensed measurements, monitoring of crop conditions, implementation of disease and water management decisions as well as creating a history of each site to forecast quality. This intelligent tool allows users to manage grapevines and make informed management choices to achieve the desired production targets and remain profitable.