Terroir 2016 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The terroir of Pinot noir wine in the Willamette valley, Oregon – a broad analysis of vineyard soils, grape juice and wine chemistry

The terroir of Pinot noir wine in the Willamette valley, Oregon – a broad analysis of vineyard soils, grape juice and wine chemistry

Abstract

Wine-grapes in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, are grown on three major soil parent materials: volcanic, marine sediments, and loess/volcanic. This study examines differences in the soil properties and elemental chemistry of the soil parent materials at various vineyards to document their effect on wine chemistry. The physical characteristics of soils from all the three parent materials indicate: they are old (>50,000 years) based on their high clay content, low cation exchange capacity, red colors, and high Fe and Al content. In my study region, volcanic and marine sediment soils are more developed with slightly lower acidity than the loess/volcanic soils. A new finding for this region is the presence of pisolites (Fe/Mg concretions) in the volcanic and the loess/volcanic soils, but absent in the marine sediment soils. Volcanic soils have the highest P, S, Fe, Co, Mn, and V concentrations and the lowest As and Sr values.

Marine sediment soils have higher Cl and Sr and lower P, Co, Mn, Ba, and V concentrations than volcanic soils. Loess soils have the highest values of K and Mg and are similar to volcanic soils with higher P and V values and similar to marine sediment soils with higher Sr values. The main elements found to be significant in determining one parent material from another are V and Mn (volcanic soils), Mg and K (loess soils), and Sr (marine sediment or loess soils). Sr is slightly higher in grape juice and wine from vines grown on marine sediment parent material compared to volcanic and loess parent material, whereas Mn is higher in the juice and wine from grapes grown in volcanic parent material. P, S, Fe, Co, V, Cl, Ba, Mg, and K did not maintain their relative concentration levels from soil to grape juice to wine. The principal component analysis shows that soil and wine chemistry differs between parent material, but is inconclusive for grape juice chemistry.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: June 23, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2016

Type: Article

Authors

Kathryn Nora Barnard (1), Scott F. Burns (1)

(1) Department of Geology, Portland State University, 1825 SW Broadway Avenue, Portland, Oregon., USA

Contact the author

Keywords

Pinot Noir, ICP-MS/AES, particle size, cation exchange capacity, X-ray fluorescence, clay mineralogy, grape juice chemistry, wine chemistry, soil chemistry

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2016

Citation

Related articles…

Anthocyanin accumulation and extractability during the maturation of the grapes of three varieties

Anthocyanin accumulation and extractability were studied in Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes produced in the south of Uruguay in two consecutive seasons. Typical cultivation situations employed in the region for each variety were considered. A follow-up was carried out, considering 60 plants per vineyard, and the harvest was determined according to the technological indices of maturity. Samples of grapes were taken in duplicate in each vineyard periodically along grape maturation. The basic composition, polyphenolic potential and anthocyanin extractability were determined. Also, half of grapes were frozen and later peeled; skin extractions over 24 hs with a solution of 12% ethanol and pH 3.2 were carried out. The anthocyanin contents of the extracts obtained were determined by HPLC-DAD. The levels of anthocyanins reached the highest values before technological maturity. Anthocyanin extractability had a decrease during grape maturation.

Read More

Paysages viticoles et terroir dans l’OAC Ribeira Sacra (Galice, NO de l’Espagne)

The concept of Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) is based on the existence of a link between the characteristics of the terroir and the quality and typicality of the production (DELAS, 2000). If for a long time, this link only appeared as the fruit of empiricism, the research undertaken recently has made it possible to scientifically establish the complex relationships between the functioning of natural environments and the ability to produce quality.

Read More

Chitosan from mushroom by-products: sustainable extraction process and winemaking application

Chitosan is a biopolymer industrially obtained from the deacetylation of chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharide on earth, after cellulose. It is extracted from various terrestrial and marine resources, including insects, grasshoppers, shrimps, crabs, lobsters, squids, and fungi. chitosan has a polycationic character due to the free amine groups along its chemical backbone, and depending on its deacetylation degree (DD) and molecular weight (MW), it shows variable properties that differ from those of other natural polysaccharides.

Read More

Présentation d’une méthodologie de caractérisation des terroirs et valorisation par l’étude de l’effet terroir sur la typicité et l’originalité du produit vin dans la région des Côtes du Rhône

In the global economic context, an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée must now more than ever control the typicity and originality of the wines it produces. It is in this spirit that the Côtes du Rhône have decided to acquire the means necessary for this control.

Read More

Rapid quantification of higher alcohols in wine, port wine and brandy by HS-GC-FID

In response to the growing demand for rapid, precise, and efficient methods of quantifying volatile compounds in alcoholic beverages, this study presents a novel approach for the determination of higher alcohols in wine, port wine, and brandy.

Read More