Terroir 2012 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2012 9 Grapegrowing soils 9 Soil chemistry as a measure of the distinctiveness of american viticultural areas of the Columbia basin, USA

Soil chemistry as a measure of the distinctiveness of american viticultural areas of the Columbia basin, USA

Abstract

The Columbia Basin, a semi-arid region centered in the eastern part of Washington State, is the second largest wine grape growing region in the United States and presently contains 10 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). Eight of the Columbia Basin’s AVAs are smaller subdivisions (sub-AVAs) of the 46,100 km2 Columbia Valley AVA. Although legally distinct, the Columbia Basin AVAs are generally similar with regard to climate, landscape, and soils, the principle components of physical terroir.

To test whether the AVAs of the Columbia Basin are distinguishable based on the chemical properties of their soils, 53 samples were collected from vineyards considered to be representative within their respective AVAs. Sampled locations within each vineyard were selected as typical based on the advice of resident viticulturalists. Vineyard soils from the Willamette Valley and Snake River Valley, which are other major viticultural regions of the Pacific Northwest, were also sampled for comparison.

Soils were sampled from a depth of 50-75 cm and analyzed for bulk chemistry and plant-available nutrients. The analyses revealed that, of the 10 AVAs, only the Columbia Gorge, Walla Walla Valley, and Lake Chelan AVAs have distinct differences that could be attributed to variations in climate and parent material. Columbia Basin soils could be readily distinguished from vineyard soils of the Willamette Valley and Snake River Valley based on compositional differences that result primarily from variations in soil parent material and climate-controlled rates of weathering.

DOI:

Publication date: August 28, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2012

Type: Article

Authors

Kevin POGUE, Erica PITCAVAGE

Department of Geology, Whitman College, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362 USA

Contact the author

Keywords

Columbia Basin, Columbia Valley, soil, chemistry, Pacific Northwest.

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2012

Citation

Related articles…

Cabernet-Sauvignon ripening in Chile: follow-up study from 2012 to 2018

Temperature is a relevant parameter during vineyard development, affecting vine phenology and grape maturity. Moreover, the climate of the different Chilean valleys influences the varieties cultivated, the ripening period and the final quality of the wines. The use of growing degree days (GDD) is known worldwide for the study of climate in viticulture regions. However, little is known about the evolution of maturity and the sugar loading stop, based on this parameter.

A few observations on double sigmoid fruit growth

Many fleshy fruit, including the grape berry, exhibit a double‐sigmoid growth (DSG) pattern. Identification of the curious DSG habit has long been attributed to Connors’ (1919) work with peaches

Rootstock x environment interaction shapes shoot system phenotypic variation in grafted ‘Chambourcin’

Recent advances in phenomics and transcriptomics have the enhanced capacity for understanding how clonally propagated perennial crops like grapevines respond to their environments seasonally and over the course of multiple years. Because most grapevines are grafted, above-ground grapevine traits reflect scion genotype and its interaction with the local environment. In addition, traits expressed by the scion reflect rootstock genotype and how that rootstock is interacting with its environment seasonally and across years. To investigate rootstock x environment interaction on shoot systems in grafted grapevines we characterized comprehensive phenotypic variation in an experimental vineyard in Mount Vernon, Missouri, USA where the grapevine cultivar ‘Chambourcin’ is growing on its own roots and is grafted to three different rootstocks (‘1103P’, ‘3309C’, ‘SO4’).

Metabolic response of vitis vinifera and interspecific vitis sp. varieties to heat stress, water deficit and combined stress, using a metabolomic approach

As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, climate projections indicate an increased likelihood of heat waves and drier conditions in canada. these changes pose significant challenges to grapevine cultivation, particularly during critical growth stages such as new plantings. interspecific hybrid grape varieties, developed through different breeding programs that combine vitis vinifera with more robust species like v. riparia and v. labrusca varieties, are often touted for their potential resilience to environmental stress.

Impact of heating must before fermentation on Chardonnay wines

Prefermentation steps of white winemaking are very important for controlling the stability and the sensory attributes of wines. Usually musts are clarified by cold settling to prevent the start of the fermentation, before racking big lees and thus limiting the appearance of vegetable or reduction off flavour while favouring an aromatic expression with low turbidity. Besides, to reach the protein stability, some white wines further require a bentonite fining, sometimes associated with negative effects on the sensory quality. This study aims to know the impact of musts heating after pressing on a Chardonnay wine in northern conditions by comparison with a classic cold racking of the must.