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

The arrangements of flowers and wine counterparts are inextricably linked. Whether a fundamental aspect of tablescaping or acolytes to broader entertainment rituals, they have an entangled history since ancient times. The aim of this contribution is to verify the influence of visually delicate and robust flower arrangements on individual description of wines. Changes in the sensory description of wines were investigated during subjects’ (thirty-two participants) exposure to three different conditions: the presence of delicate, robust, or totally absent flower arrangements. In each condition, the same two wines were blind tasted: a wine previously defined as delicate – a Pinot Noir from Australia, and a wine known for its robust character – a Tannat from Uruguay.

Grapevine grafting is a complex process that since the establishment of phylloxera has become mandatory for grapevine. Grafting success in grapevine nurseries considerably varies among years and batches with most variety/rootstock combinations reach a high success rate (between 75% and 90%), but some combinations show lower success rates of around 40-50%. The causes of this variation are unknown, although biotic stresses like those caused by some viral infections have been demonstrated to affect the process. European certification schemes for the vegetative propagation of the vine include five major viruses (Arabis mosaic virus, Grapevine Fanleaf Virus, Grapevine Fleck Virus, and Grapevine-associated Leafroll Virus 1 and 3).

Throughout centuries of anthropocentric breeding, plants have been selectively bred to enhance their quality traits and yield, often overlooking the importance of neglected attributes, like those involved in the interactions with beneficial microorganisms. This phenomenon led to an alteration in the distribution of photosynthetic products, shifting from defence mechanisms to growth, commonly described as ‘domestication syndrome’. Addressing the losses stemming from this condition is imperative just as unravelling the concealed communication between grapevines and beneficial microorganisms.

There is a high demand in the wine industry for analytical methods able to provide useful information to support the decision-making process in the vineyard and in the winery. Ideally these methods should be rapid (e.g.

One of the characteristics of the terroir zoning studies that is more complex to manage is the scale dependence. Thus, terroir zoning studies of the same area at different scales are comparable but not equal. Fractal analysis has demonstrated to be a suitable tool to characterize and model natural elements within a defined range of scales.