GiESCO 2019 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 GiESCO 9 What practices in the vineyard lead to the production of wines that consistently win medals?

What practices in the vineyard lead to the production of wines that consistently win medals?

Abstract

Context and purpose of the study – High quality wines start in the vineyard however little is known about the role vineyard management practices play in this quality outcome. Gold medals and well-known regionality increase consumer preference for purchasing a wine. An increase in the former will certainly also drive an increase in the latter and therefore practices in production that consistently lead to gold medal winning wines will improve both the marketability of the region and its products. It is argued that vinification is the main driver of wine quality and in fact, the presence of some oak compounds is a well-known consumer and expert mark of quality. However, only select wines are vinified in oak and therefore the original grape quality at the winery door must in fact drive all further downstream vinification decisions. Grape composition is also an important driver of flavour and aroma in a final wine. Management practices are able to alter berry chemistry as well as the concentration of enzymes and compounds that act as precursor to many esters affecting wine volatile compounds. This study aims to identify vineyard practices associated with the consistent production of high-quality wine-styles as defined by consistently earning medals at the Barossa Wine Show.

Materials and methods – Twenty years of results from the Riesling and Shiraz categories from the Barossa wine show were analysed for consistent award winning wines. Consistent was defined as a wine that was awarded a medal for at least three successive vintages one of each was a Gold medal. Growers were then asked to respond to a survey to gather information on their viticulture practices including pruning, trellising, nutrition, soil health, pest and disease management, mid-row and under-vine management, irrigation, canopy management and harvest management. This data will be analysed for commonalities.

Results – Shiraz and Riesling wines that have consistently earned medals over a period of 20 years at the Barossa Wine Show have been identified. Growers are being surveyed and their specific vineyard management practices recorded. The analysis of these responses will be presented and aims to identify commonalities in vineyard management. A matrix, linking vineyard practices and wine medals will be created and deployed to the wine industry. Growers in the Barossa Valley will then be able to make more informed management decisions to produce grapes that leads to consistent quality wines. Findings from this study will also create opportunities to validate the matrix in other regions.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: September 29, 2023

Issue: GiESCO 2019

Type: Poster

Authors

Alice L BETTERIDGE1*, Susan E P BASTIAN1,2, Cassandra COLLINS1,2

1 School of Agriculture Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, PMB1 Glen Osmond, SA, Australia, 5064 2Australian Research Council Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production

Contact the author

Keywords

viticultural practices, medal winning wines.

Tags

GiESCO | GiESCO 2019 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Rapporti tra diverse tipologie di terreno e risposte produttive e qualitative delle uve Merlot e Carmenère nell’area DOC Piave

Da anni la ricerca viticola sta orientando le sue attenzioni verso lo studio della vocazionalità degli ecosistemi viticoli, perché fulcro della produttività della vite e qualità dei suoi frutti.

Read More

On the impact of preformed α-dicarbonyls in the production of Strecker aldehydes. Exploring the addition of sacrificial amino acids as a tool to reduce Strecker aldehydes production

The reaction between Strecker amino acids and α-dicarbonyls is a key pathway in the formation of Strecker aldehydes (SA), which are crucial oxidation-related odorants in wine [1].

Read More

Study of grape plant behaviour (cv. Chasselas) on various “terroirs” of the Vaud county (Switzerland)

L’étude du comportement physiologique et agronomique de la vigne (cv. Chasselas) a été réalisée en 2001 par la Station fédérale de recherches en production végétale de Changins sur divers terroirs viticoles vaudois (Suisse), dans le cadre d’un projet d’étude des terroirs viticoles vaudois en collaboration avec le bureau I LETESSIER (SIGALES) à Grenoble et l’École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).

Read More

Under trellis cover crop induces grapevine tolerance to bunch rot

Botrytis bunch rot occurrence is one of the most important limitations for the wine industry in humid environments. A positive correlation between grapevine growth and susceptibility to fungal pathogens has been found. In theory the effect of grapevine vegetative growth on bunch rot expression results from direct effects (cluster architecture, nitrogen status among others) and indirect ones (via microclimate). However, a reduction in bunch rot incidence can be achieved in some circumstances without major vine growth reduction. The present study was aimed to test the general hypothesis that bunch rot susceptibility is affected by vine vigor, but other factors associated with grapevine vegetative expression could be even more relevant.

Read More

Impact of winemaking processes on wine polysaccharides, improving by qNMR

Today the knowledge in terms of molecular composition of the colloidal matrix is ​​not enough in order to control its stability, according to the number of winemaking and wine stabilization processes. The physico-chemical processes during the winemaking change the composition and quantity of wine macromolecules. The goal today is to determine which analytical techniques will allow to discriminate these winemaking processes in order to better understand their impact on colloidal matrix stability as well as which molecules are responsible for its instabilities. METHODS: Wines obtained after conventional winemaking were subjected to different fining and chemical stabilization treatments. Different methods were used to investigate the wine macromolecular composition and stability after chemical stabilization, including quantitative and qualitative analyzes of total soluble polysaccharides by extraction under acidified ethanol, and by size exclusion separation as well as qNMR metabolomics. RESULTS: Observation of a slight difference at the quantitative level using classical analysis between the winemaking processes was observed as well as a strong discrimination by qNMR metabolomics.

Read More