Terroir 1996 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The effect of soil and climate on the character of Sauvignon blanc wine

The effect of soil and climate on the character of Sauvignon blanc wine

Abstract

[English version below]

Un projet multidisciplinaire sur l’effet du sol et du climat sur la qualité du vin a débuté en Afrique du Sud il y a 5 ans. Des mesures sont effectuées sous culture sèche dans des vignes de Sauvignon Blanc dans six localités différentes, cinq dans le district de Stellenbosch et une à Durbanville. Au moins deux types de sol différents sont présents dans chaque localité. Les températures maximales moyennes en été varient de 28°C pour la localité la plus chaude à 25°C pour la plus froide. En général, les vins issus des localités les plus froides enregistrent des résultats les plus élevés pour l’intensité et la qualité des arômes. Quelques fois des vins issus de localités plus chaudes enregistrent cependant des résultats meilleurs que prévus. Ceci est attribué à des pratiques adéquates de préparation des sols qui résultent dans une bonne distribution des racines et une bonne gestion de la ramure.L’état hydrique des sols à la même localité montre des différences majeures malgré des sites d’expérimentation souvent éloignés de moins de 50 m l’un de l’autre. Ceci résulte dans de forts stress hydriques pour les vignes situées sur des sols qui ont une faible capacité hydrique. Les profils aromatiques des vins issus de différents sols à la même localité montrent aussi par conséquent des différences majeures. Les résultats mettent en évidence l’harmonie entre la nature de la texture/régime hydrique du sol et le climat de la saison. Une performance suSpérieure au cours d’une saison n’est pas nécessairement répétée la saison suivante.

Substantial climatic differences occur between localities in the districts of Stellenbosch and Durbanville.
In general, wines from coolest localities score the highest for intensity and quality of aroma.
In some cases wines from warmer localities score better than expected (adequate soil preparation, good canopy management).
Wine from soils at the same locality show major differences.
During dry summers wines from soils with higher water supplying capacities show highest aroma intensity, while the situation may be reversed during milder summers.
Harmony exists between the textural nature/water regime of a soil and climate experienced during a specific season.

DOI:

Publication date: March 2, 2022

Issue: Terroir 1998

Type: Article

Authors

KOBUS CONRADIE

ARC Fruit, Vine and Wine Research lnstitute, Nietvoorbij Centre for Vine and Wine. Private Bag X5026, 7599 Stellenbosch, South Africa

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 1998

Citation

Related articles…

Wine consumption in Ukraine: trends, socio-economic aspects, and public perception

This article explores the contemporary culture of wine consumption in Ukraine through the lens of social, economic, and cultural transformations triggered by European integration, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the full-scale war since 2022.

Investigation of the biostimulant activity of naringenin on anthocyanins biosynthesis: from an explanatory transcriptomic approach on Gamay callus towards a future vineyard application

Context and purpose of the study. Anthocyanins are essential phenolic compounds in red wine, contributing significantly to colour intensity, stability, and sensory quality.

Oxygen consumption by diferent oenological tanins in a model wine solution

INTRODUCTION: Oenological tannins are widely used in winemaking to improve some characteristics of wines [1] being the antioxidant properties probably one of the main reasons [2]. However, commercial tannins have different botanical sources and chemical composition [3] which probably determines different antioxidant potential. There are some few references about the antioxidant properties of commercial tannins [4] but none of them have really measured the direct oxygen consumption by them. The aim of this work was to measure the kinetics of oxygen consumption by different commercial tannins in order to determine their real capacities to protect wine against oxygen. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 4 different commercial tannins were used: T1: condensed tannin from grape seeds, T2: gallotannin from chinese gallnuts, T3: ellagitannin from oak and T4: tannin from quebracho containing condensed tannins and ellagitannins.

Harvest dates, climate, and viticultural region zoning in Greece

Climate is clearly one of the most important factors in the success of all agricultural systems, influencing whether a crop is suitable to a given region, largely controlling crop production and quality, and ultimately driving economic sustainability. Today many assessments of a region’s climate comes from a combination of station and spatial climate data analyses that facilitate the evaluation of the general suitability for viticulture and potential wine styles, allows for comparisons between wine regions, and offers growers a measure of assessing appropriate cultivars and sites.

Impact of heating must before fermentation on Chardonnay wines

Prefermentation steps of white winemaking are very important for controlling the stability and the sensory attributes of wines. Usually musts are clarified by cold settling to prevent the start of the fermentation, before racking big lees and thus limiting the appearance of vegetable or reduction off flavour while favouring an aromatic expression with low turbidity. Besides, to reach the protein stability, some white wines further require a bentonite fining, sometimes associated with negative effects on the sensory quality. This study aims to know the impact of musts heating after pressing on a Chardonnay wine in northern conditions by comparison with a classic cold racking of the must.