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.

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…

Cartes thématiques: applications au vignoble champenois

Quel est l’intérêt des cartes en viticulture? Celles-ci répondent à plusieurs usages.
Formalisation au sein d’un référentiel codifié et normalisé de la connaissance relative au milieu, aux observations biologiques et aux pratiques culturales.

Microwave treatment of grapes: effect on the must and red wine polysaccharide composition

AIM: The application of microwaves (MW) to the grape is a technique to reduce the contact time with pomace because it allows to break the cell walls of the berry.

Productivity, quality, and thermal needs of the Piedirosso vine: four years of observations

The effects of temperature on cv Piedirosso, indigenous of the Campania region (South of Italy), were tested in order to study its possible influence on grapevine and to discover how to optimize the qualitative expression

Characterization of Glycosidically Bound Aroma Compounds of País cv. grapes of different Chilean zones

País grape has been estimated to arrive to Chile almost 500 years ago, being the first strain grown in this country. Traditionally, this grape has been used to mix with other varieties, to produce poor quality wines, but today is beginning to be used in the production of high quality wines. However, very little is known about the chemical characteristics of this variety. The aroma is one of the most important quality attributes of wine. Volatile compounds of this beverage may come from the grape (varietal aromas), from the fermentation process, from the ageing. The aromatic compounds are found in the grape in two forms: as free volatile compounds and as non-volatile compounds. The last ones, are aroma precursors present mainly as glycoconjugates formed by a sugar and an aglycone…

“Terroir” and climate change in Franconia / Germany

Franconia which is a “cool climate” winegrowing region is well known for its fruity white wines. The most common grape cultivars are Silvaner and Mueller-Thurgau.