terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Grape berry size is a key factor in determining New Zealand Pinot noir wine composition

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

Abstract

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.

DOI:

Publication date: May 31, 2022

Issue: Terclim 2022

Type: Article

Authors

Damian Martin1, Rebecca Deeds4, Melodie Lindsay4, Katie Parish-Virtue4, Paul Kilmartin4, Bruno Fedrizzi4, Leandro Dias Araujo5, Tanya Rutan6, Emma Sherman3, Muriel Yvon1, Lily Stuart1, Franzi Grab1, Claire Scofield2, Michelle Schurmann2 and Claire Grose1

1The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Marlborough, New Zealand
2The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Clyde, New Zealand
3The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Auckland, New Zealand
4School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
5AGLS Faculty, Lincoln University, Christchurch, New Zealand
6Bragato Research Institute, Marlborough, New Zealand

Contact the author

Keywords

Pinot noir, grape, vine, wine, yield, quality, region, terroir

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terclim 2022

Citation

Related articles…

Multi-mineral wine profiling and Artificial Intelligence: Implementing the signatures of each wine to train algorithms to meet the new challenges facing the wine industry

Multi-mineral wine profiling and artificial intelligence: implementing the signatures of each wine to train algorithms to meet the new challenges facing the wine industry. Although their quantity is minimal, minerals are essential elements in the composition of every wine. Their presence is the result of complex interactions between factors such as soil, vines, climate, topography, and viticultural practices, all influenced by the terroir. Each stage of the winemaking process also contributes to shaping the unique mineral and taste profile of each wine, giving each cuvée its distinctive characteristics.

Outils de caracterisation et zonage des paysages viticoles: application aux vignobles français

Un paysage viticole est une relation entre des formes, dimension objective, et la perception que nous en avons, dimension subjective, émotionnelle. La viticulture n’est pas seulement productrice d’un vin, elle contribue également à façonner le paysage. Pourtant, jusqu’à présent, la connaissance des terroirs était principalement basée sur la caractérisation de leur aptitude à produire des vins de qualité.

Effect of intra‐vineyard ripeness variation on the efficiency of commercial enzymes on berry cell wall deconstruction under winemaking conditions

Intra-vineyard variation grape berry ripening occurs within bunches, between bunches on the same vine and between vines. Although it is assumed that such variation also occurs at the grape berry cell wall level, no study to data has investigated in any depth. Here we have used a intra-vineyard panel design to investigate pooled bunches from six vines (per panel) in the context of a winemaking scenario. The dissected vineyard was harvested by separate panels, where each panel was then subjected to a standard winemaking procedure with or without the addition of three different enzyme preparations for maceration.

Le zonage viticole: instrument pour la récuperation d’un ancien cépage des collines de Conegliano (Verdiso – V. vinifera)

Dans le contexte viticole actuel, la prise de conscience que chaque cépage ne trouve son expression qualitative maximale que dans certains terroirs bien définis

Altered lignans accumulation in a somatic variant of Tempranillo with increased extractability of polyphenols during winemaking

Vegetative propagation of grapevines can generate spontaneous somatic variations, providing a valuable source for cultivar improvement. In this context, natural variation in the composition of phenolic compounds in grapevine berries and seeds stands as a pivotal factor in crafting wines with diverse oenological profiles from the same cultivar. To deepen on the understanding of the physiological and genetic mechanisms driving somatic variation in grape phenolics, here we characterized a somatic variant from Tempranillo Tinto, the clone VN21, that exhibits an intense reduced berry skin cuticle and increased extractability of phenolic compounds during wine fermentation.