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…

Quantification of red wine phenolics using ultraviolet-visible, near and mid-infrared spectroscopy combined with chemometrics

The use of multivariate statistics to correlate chemical data to spectral information seems as a valid alternative for the quantification of red wine phenolics. The advantages of these techniques include simplicity and cost effectiveness together with the limited time of analysis required. Although many
publications on this subject are nowadays available in the literature most of them only reported feasibility
studies. In this study 400 samples from thirteen fermentations including five different cultivars plus 150
wine samples from a varying number of vintages were submitted to spectrophotometric and chromatographic phenolic analysis.

Selecting varieties best adapted to current and future climate conditions based on ripening traits

Aim: The aim of this study was to quantify key berry sugar accumulation traits and characterize their plasticity in response to climate variation from data collected from different cultivars over seven years from an experimental vineyard.

The role of ampelographic collection in genetic improvement of native varieties and the creation new varieties

The available plant diversity is maintained in global genetic collections and germplasm banks. One of the main objectives of the study of the genetic material of vine still conducting research to characterize the genotypes and the creation of new varieties. The main ampelographic collection of the country, the largest in the Balkans, is located at the Athens Vine Institute in Lykovrisi, Attica, in an area of 70 acres. It contains more than 800 varieties, most of which are indigenous. The Institute is conducting research on the genetic improvement of native varieties and the creation new winemaking and table grape varieties of high productivity, grape quality, resistance to fungal diseases and their adaptability to stresses using the hybridization method using European high-quality varieties.

WINE RACKING IN THE WINERY AND THE USE OF INERT GASES: CONTROL AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE PROCESS

Atmospheric oxygen (O₂) generates oxidation in wines that affect their physicochemical and sensory evolution. The O₂ uptake in the different winemaking processes is generally considered to be negative for the sensory characteristics of white and rosé wines. Wine racking is a critical point of O₂ uptake, as the large surface area of the wine exposed during this operation and the inability to maintain an effective inert gas blanket over it.
The aim was to study the uptake of O₂ during the racking of a model wine as a reference and to compare with purging the destination tank with different inert gases.

Rootstock differences in soil-water uptake during drying-wetting cycles imaged with 3d electrical resistivity tomography

Limited knowledge has been acquired on grapevine roots and rhizosphere processes because of harder access when compared to aerial parts. There is need for new methods to study root behavior in undisturbed field conditions, and relate these effects on canopy and yield. The aim of this multidisciplinary study was to image and quantify spatial-temporal differences in soil-water uptake by genetically different rootstocks and to assess the response of the canopy during drought and rewetting.