Parcours de découverte des terroirs viticoles

In the pursuit of increasing sustainability, climate change resiliency and independence of synthetic pesticides in agriculture, the interest of consumers and producers in organic and biodynamic farming is steadily increasing. This is in particular the case for the vitivinicultural industry in Europe, where more and more producers are converting from organic to biodynamic farming. However, clear scientific evidence showing that biodynamic farming improves vine physiology, vine stress resilience, berry or wine quality, or is more sustainable for the environment is still lacking although this issue has been addressed by several research teams worldwide.

L’objectif de cette recherche est le zonage climatique des périodes viticoles de l’année dans la Vallée du São Francisco, région brésilienne productrice de vins située en climat tropical semi-aride. Dans cette région, la production peut être échelonnée sur tous les mois de l’année.

Since 1980, Château de l’Éclair has belonged to SICAREX Beaujolais and has been involved in experimentation for the Beaujolais vineyards. However, it is a commercial estate with profitability and quality constraints, which means that it has to meet the growing environmental expectations of consumers. Given the number of practices claimed to be environment-friendly, it is sometimes difficult to prioritize actions.

Seven plots located in the commune of Montigny-lès-Arsures (Jura, 39), planted with grapevine varieties Trousseau and Savagnin, were chosen for a study of soil pits and a distribution of major and trace chemical elements in soils and wines. It was shown that the mineral matrix of the soil reflects the geological substratum and the sub-surface alteration process, while the organic soil matrix depends on agro-viticultural practices.

This study used climatic and topographic data to characterize the sub-appellations that have been recently delineated in the Niagara Peninsula viticulture area in order to assess their potential for ripening early to late season Vitis vinifera varieties. No major differences were found in the ripening-period mean temperatures, but major differences in the diurnal temperature ranges were observed.