Ancient and recent construction of Terroirs

Soil is a three-dimensional complex system, which constitutes a major component of Terroir. Soil characteristics strongly influence vine development, grape oenological potentialities and thus wine quality and style.

Many high quality Open Source scientific applications have been available for a long time. Some of them have proved to be particularly useful for carrying out the usual activities involved in viticultural research projects, such as statistical analyses (including spatial analyses), GIS work, database management (possibly integrated with statistical and spatial analysis) and even “low-level” often highly time-consuming activities (e.g. repetitive task on text files).

Typically, subjective, and visual methods are used by grape growers to assess harvest maturity. These methods may not accurately represent the maturity of an entire vineyard – especially if extensive and representative sampling was not used. New technologies have been investigated for improved harvest management decisions. Spectroscopy methods utilizing the near-infrared region of the light spectrum is one such technology investigated as an alternative to classic methods and particularly the application of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has recently gained attention in research. HIS is a spectroscopic technique that obtains hundreds of images at different wavelengths collecting spectral data for each pixel in the sample i.e., providing both spectral and spatial data.

Copper and iron are known to substantially impact wine stability through oxidative, reductive or colloidal phenomena. However, the binding of metal ions to different wine components under wine conditions, and the impact of this binding on the ability of the metal ions to induce spoilage processes, is not well understood. This study surveyed a range of red and white wines for an understanding of the variability of broad metal categories within the wines. The techniques utilized included an electrochemical constant current stripping potentiometry technique (ccSP), and solid phase extraction (SPE) fractionation of wine with subsequent analysis of the metal content of each fraction by inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES).

As an industry that thrives more on, but may also be more affected by, vintage variation and regionality than any other agricultural enterprise, grape and wine production is ever more being impacted challenged by climate change.