Terroir 1996 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Clone performance under different environmental conditions in California

Clone performance under different environmental conditions in California

Abstract

Clonal evaluation of winegrapes in California has not been extensive. Early selection work by Alley (1977), Olmo (unpublished data) and Goheen (personal communication) resulted in the current collection of virus-tested clones in Foundation Plant Materials Service (FPMS) at the University of California, Davis. However, release of these certified selections was generally not accompanied by publication of viticultural performance or wine sensory attributes. A present day effort to characterize differences among clones of several cultivars has begun (Wolpert et al, 1995), with the objective of determining the viticultural and enological characteristics of winegrape clones. Research to date has centered on certified selections of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot noir (for sparkling wine) and Zinfandel. In this paper, Cabernet-Sauvignon and Chardonnay performance will be examined in greater detail.

DOI:

Publication date: February 24, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2000

Type: Article

Authors

James A. Wolpert

Department of Viticulture and Enology
University of California
Davis, CA 95616

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2000

Citation

Related articles…

Petiole phosphorus concentration is controlled by the rootstock genetic background in grapevine: is this a key for understanding rootstock conferred vigour?

Grapevine, Vitis vinifera, requires grafting on Phylloxera tolerant rootstocks of American origin in most viticultural areas of the world. The most commonly used species in rootstock creation are V. berlandieri, V. riparia and V. rupestris. Rootstocks not only provide tolerance to Phylloxera but assure the supply of water and mineral nutrients to the scion. The objective of this work was to determine to what extent rootstocks of different parentages alter the mineral composition of petioles of grapevine.

Viticultural practices: past, present and future

Practices in viticulture have greatly evolved in the last five decades. There were three objectives: improvement in the quality of the products, reduction in the production costs through mechanization

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"...

Grape berry size is a key factor in determining New Zealand Pinot noir wine composition

Making high quality but affordable Pinot noir (PN) wine is challenging in most terroirs and New Zealand’s (NZ) situation is no exception. To increase the probability of making highly typical PN wines producers choose to grow grapes in cool climates on lower fertility soils while adopting labour intensive practices. Stringent yield targets and higher input costs necessarily mean that PN wine cost is high, and profitability lower, in line-priced varietal wine ranges. To understand the reasons why higher yielding vines are perceived to produce wines of lower quality we have undertaken an extensive study of PN in NZ. Since 2018, we established a network of twelve trial sites in three NZ regions to find individual vines that produced acceptable commercial yields (above 2.5kg per vine) and wines of composition comparable to “Icon” labels. Approximately 20% of 660 grape lots (N = 135) were selected from within a narrow juice Total Soluble Solids (TSS) range and made into single vine wines under controlled conditions. Principal Component Analysis of the vine, berry, juice and wine parameters from three vintages found grape berry mass to be most effective clustering variable. As berry mass category decreased there was a systematic increase in the probability of higher berry red colour and total phenolics with a parallel increase in wine phenolics, changed aroma fraction and decreased juice amino acids. The influence of berry size on wine composition would appear stronger than the individual effects of vintage, region, vineyard or vine yield. Our observations support the hypothesis that it is possible to produce PN wines that fall within an “Icon” benchmark composition range at yields above 2.5kg per vine provided that the Leaf Area:Fruit Weight ratio is above 12cm2 per g, mean berry mass is below 1.2g and juice TSS is above 22°Brix.

The relationship of wine store customers with the areas of production, considering provenance and tourism

This work aims at identifying the most appropriate marketing strategies to inform consumers of the global market about the added value of the wines of Friuli Venezia Giulia.