Climate projections over France wine-growing region and its potential impact on phenology

The Registered Appellation of Origin Mark (RAOM) « Jerez-Xérès-Sherry and Manzanilla Sanlucar de Barrameda » is one of the oldest and more important zone in wine history and production. «Albarizas» unit (white calcareous marls with sea-fossils) is the most representative geological material of the RAOM (75%) and even more in the central-NW area of the RAOM, known as «Jerez Superior» area (Superior Quality Sherry Area). « Albarizas » form undulated hillocks (3-10% slope) and hills (>10% slope), the litologic unit has E-W and S-W direction, and Regosols and Leptosols are the principal soils.

Grapevines are susceptible to freezing damage at temperatures below -5°F during the winter season. Preventing winter injury to grapevines is a major challenge in many grape-producing regions. Conventional methods such as hilling-up soil over graft unions have been developed as winter protection methods for preventing vine loss. However, these practices have drawbacks such as soil erosion, vine damage and crown gall development.

When talking about terroir, scientists and lay wine tasters, very much including wine journalists and wine growers, too often talk past one another.

Sustainable weed control with little detrimental effects on vine physiology, yield, berry quality, soil structure, health and biodiversity is a key factor in vineyard management. Few options are available to avoid herbicide utilization and minimize negative effects of frequent tillage on soil quality. The present project aims to investigate and develop different cover management strategies in a cool climate viticultural region in Switzerland. The impact of different treatments on vine, must and wine has been studied in an experimental vineyard in Changins, Switzerland for one year and will be continued over the next three years.

Work aimed at understanding the relationship between a terroir, in the agronomic sense, and the physico-chemical characteristics of grapes or wine are numerous today, as evidenced by the program of this symposium. But for an economist, the central question remains to know how the terroir can intervene in the construction of the economic value of wine and in the differentiation of its prices. Is the terroir effect recognized by the end consumer or is it only an internal adjustment variable in the production systems? Through which indicators can this terroir effect be managed by the various operators in the sector? In the end, isn’t it better to invoke a “territorial effect” that the actors can build, and of which the terroir would be one of the possible components?