Terroir 2012 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Vine nitrogen status and the terroir effect: a study on cv. Doral in the Vaud vineyard (Switzerland)

Vine nitrogen status and the terroir effect: a study on cv. Doral in the Vaud vineyard (Switzerland)

Abstract

A 3-year study was conducted in the Vaud vineyard (Switzerland) to evaluate the effects of « terroir » on the ecophysiology and fruit compostion of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Doral and the characteristics of the wine made therefrom. The impact of soil on the vine-fruit-wine continuum was evaluated at 13 locations in the Vaud during the 2007-2009 seasons. Except for soil, the vineyards presented almost identical climatic characteristics and used similar cultivation techniques. The aim of this chapter was to assess whether soil might be a major environmental factor explaining the terroir effect through its effect on vine nitrogen status. We monitored the nitrogen status of the vines by measuring yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) in the must. The soil modulated vine nitrogen status by its fertility and rooting depth. Low vine nitrogen status induced a highly-soluble solids content, low malic acid content and high pH in fruits, resulting in small berries and low vine vigour. Wines were produced in a standardised manner from each location; then, they were subjected to sensory and chemical evaluation. YAN in musts was the parameter that best explained the variation in sensory characteristics of the wine made from grapes from the different locations. Wines made from grapes with low YAN values had negative sensory characteristics such as astringency and low aroma complexity scores. Therefore, vine nitrogen status was a key parameter contributing to the terroir effect. Furthermore, this work provides evidence of how geopedology can influence vine nitrogen status, fruit composition and sensory attributes of wines.

DOI:

Publication date: October 1, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2012

Type: Article

Authors

Vivian ZUFFEREY, Jean-Sébastien REYNARD, Geneviève Clara NICOL, François MURISIER

Station de recherche Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW, CH-1260 Nyon, Switzerland

Contact the author

Keywords

soil categories, rooting depth, leaf and must nitrogen status, wine characteristics

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2012

Citation

Related articles…

Water relations, growth and yield of grapevines in Portugal’s Douro wine region

The hot and dry climate of the Demarcated Region of Douro (DRD), Portugal, particularly during the summer, induces soil water deficits that influence the growth and development of grapevines.

Immunotestπ: a new test for the determination of proteic stability in white and rosé wines

Proteic haze is a problem which may occur in all fruit-based beverages and fermented juices (beer, cider, wine). When it occurs, the economic loss is important.

Designing and managing a sustainable vineyard in a climate change scenario

Extension of the growing season, compression of the annual growth cycle and higher frequency and severity of weather extreme events are consistent features of global warming. While mitigation of factors causing global warming is necessary in the medium-long term, wine growers need “ready to go” adaptation practices to counteract negative effects bound to climate change. This must be done in a sustainably way, meaning that remunerative yield, desired grape quality, low production cost and environment friendly solutions must be effectively merged. In this work, we will review contribution given over the last two decades prioritizing issues related to scion and rootstock choice, changes in vineyard floor management, new perception related to the use of irrigation in vineyards, adaptation practices aimed at decompress maturity, solutions to counteract or minimize damages due to late frost and sunburn and, lastly, some hints on how precision viticulture can help with all of this.

Effects of oak barrel aging monitored by 1H-NMR metabolomics

The study of wine evolution during barrel aging is an important aspect of wine quality. Our previous works have shown that wine metabolome monitoring by

1H-NMR approaches allows determining the impact of different winemaking processes including traitements using enzymes or finning agents [1].

Influence of precipitation on the phenolic and isotopic composition of Vitis Vinifera red wines

This study investigates how precipitation from November to February during each harvest year, influence the phenolic and isotopic profiles of red wines, particularly focusing on trans-resveratrol, total phenolic compounds, and carbon and oxygen isotopes (¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O).