Terroir 2016 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The importance of soil and geology in tasting terroir; a case history from the Willamette valley, Oregon

The importance of soil and geology in tasting terroir; a case history from the Willamette valley, Oregon

Abstract

Wines differ from each other based on seven different factors: the type of grape; the bedrock geology and resulting soils; the climate; the soil hydrology; physiography of the site; the winemaker and the vineyard management techniques. The first five of these factors make up what the French call terroir, “the taste of the place”. All around the world the geology and soils make up an important component of the terroir of the wine. In the Willamette Valley of Oregon in the United States, the terroir is strongly influenced by the bedrock geology and soils. The three dominant groups are the volcanic soils, the Jory Series, that are developed on the Columbia River Basalts and the Willakenzie Series of soils developed on uplifted marine sedimentary rocks in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range. The third group is developed on Laurelwood Soils in weathered loess with pisolites in it on weathered Columbia River Basalt. The wines developed out of grapes from the three different soils are very different. They are so different that the Willamette Valley AVA has been subdivided into six new AVA’s based on the differences in terroir, primarily the soils and geology.

DOI:

Publication date: June 23, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2016

Type: Article

Authors

Scott Burns

Department of Geology, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, 97205 USA

Contact the author

Keywords

Pinot Noir, mineralogy, wine chemistry, soil chemistry, sensory analysis, Willamette Valley

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2016

Citation

Related articles…

Epigenetic Modulation Of Inflammation And Synaptic Plasticity By Polyphenolic Metabolites Promotes Resilience Against Stress In Mice

Introduction: Major depressive disorder is associated with abnormalities in the brain and the immune system. Chronic stress in animals showed that epigenetic and inflammatory mechanisms play important roles in mediating resilience and susceptibility to depression.

Effect of alcoholic strength on the phenolic and furfural compounds of Brandy de Jerez aged in Sherry Casks®

Brandy is a spirit drink produced from wine spirit aged for at least six months in oak casks with a capacity of less than 1000 L and minimum alcohol by volume (ABV) of 36%. During the aging process, physicochemical and sensory changes take place. Manifested by colour, flavour or aroma variations that improve the quality of the initial distillate.

PINKING PHENOMENA ON WHITE WINES: RELATION BETWEEN PINKING SUSCEPTIBILITY INDEX (PSI) AND WINE ANTHOCYANINS CONTENT

Pinking is the emergence of pink tones in white wines exclusively produced from white grape varieties, known as pinking phenomena for many years. Pinking is essentially appeared when white wines are produced under reducing conditions [1,2,3]. Pinking usually occurs after bottling and storage of white wines, but its appearance has also been described after alcoholic fermentation or even as soon as the grape must is extracted [4]. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to investigate the existence of an-thocyanins in white wines made from different white grape varieties and grown locations and critically evaluate the most common method used for predicting pinking appearance in white wines: the Pinking Susceptibility Index (PSI).

Vineyard Landscape in Vale dos Vinhedos: Pressure and Protection

The region with Origin Indication Vale dos Vinhedos (IPVV) is located in the cities of Bento Gonçalves, Garibaldi and Monte Belo do Sul. It was established in November 2002, through an act of Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Industrial, according to Resolução INPI Nº. 75, of 2000, and Law Nº. 9.279 of 1996. The changes on the grape growing and wine making in the last 15 years, with the expansion of grapevines Vitis viníferas cultivation, the installation of several modern family wine companies, making wine with competitive quality, among other aspects, have enabled the implementation of concepts of Geographical Indications.

Service crop effects on grapevine water and nitrogen status and yield under Mediterranean climate

Service crops in vineyard can provide multiple ecosystem services but they can also lead to competition with the grapevine for soil resources in the Mediterranean region due to potential severe droughts (Garcia et al., 2018). One of the levers of action to manage this competition is the choice of species adapted in terms of growth dynamics and water and nutrients’ needs. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of temporary service crops on grapevine water and nitrogen status and grapevine yield and yield components in a Mediterranean vineyard.