Terroir 2020 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 A vine physiology-based terroir study in the AOC-Lavaux region in Switzerland

A vine physiology-based terroir study in the AOC-Lavaux region in Switzerland

Abstract

OENO One – Special issue

Understanding how different pedoclimatic conditions interact with vine and berry physiology, and subsequently impact wine quality, is paramount for an good valorization of viticultural terroirs and can help to optimize mitigation strategies in the face of global warming.
The aim of the present study was to establish terroir zones in a steep slope region in Switzerland based on vine and berry physiology. The study area, Villette in the AOC Lavaux, was a unique experimental site due to the homogeneity of plant material in a relatively small microclimate (140 ha) and a multiplicity of different expositions, soil types and altitudes. Vine and berry physiology as well as temperature of twenty-two plots were monitored during three consecutive seasons to investigate whether a link with pedoclimatic parameters can be established.

The annual temporal variation of the average temperature was 142 growing degree days (GDD) over all years. Remarkably, spatial temperature variability was twice as high, with a variation between most extreme plots of 395 GDDs on average over all years. PCA and hierarchical clustering of assessed vine and berry physiological parameters resulted in a vintage dependent grouping of plots differing between years, which was not congruent with geological entities. This highlights the importance of the vintage effect, which had a large influence on vine and berry physiology and impacted terroir zones more than soil groups. Important differences in budburst and flowering were observed between plots, whereas altitude was the main driver of precocity in all years, being relatively independent of the vintage, which confirms the importance of topography in viticultural terroirs.

DOI:

Publication date: March 16, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2020

Type: Video

Authors

Markus Rienth1*, Frédéric Lamy1, Patrick Schoenenberger1, Dorothea Noll1, Fabrice Lorenzini2, Olivier Viret4and Vivian Zufferey3

1 Changins, University of Sciences and Art Western Switzerland, Changins College for Viticulture and Enology, route de Duillier 60, 1260 Nyon, Switzerland
2 Agroscope, route de Duillier 50, 1260 Nyon, Switzerland
3 Agroscope, avenue Rochettaz 21, 1009 Pully, Switzerland
4 Service de leo’agriculture et de la viticulture (SAVI), Avenue de Marcelin 29, 1110 Morges, Switzerland

Contact the author

Keywords

Viticultural terroir, berry ripening, temperature variability, phenology, climate change

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2020

Citation

Related articles…

Interaction among grapevine cultivars (Sangiovese, Cabernet-Sauvignon and Merlot) and site of cultivation in Bolgheri (Tuscany)

Different “landscape unit” have been identified in Bolgheri area (a viticultural appellation in the Tirrenian coast of Tuscany) by the aid of pedological, landscape and agronomic observations in the 1992-1993 period. In all cultivar (Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) x landscape unit combinations, experimental plots were chosen in homogeneous vineyards, single cordon trained (about 3300-4500 vines/hectare). Grape maturation was studied by weekly samples of berries from veraison to vintage in the 1992-1995 period. At harvest yield and must composition traits were measured and, from the most représentative plots, sixty kilograms of grapes were harvested each year and vinified according to a standardised scheme. Wines were evaluated by standard chemical and sensory analyses.

Shoot heterogeneity effects in a Shiraz/R99 vineyard

Nous avons fait des recherches sur l’effet de l’hétérogénéité des bourgeons sur les paramètres de la croissance végétative et reproductive, la physiologie de la vigne et la composition du raisin dans une parcelle de Shiraz/Richter 99. Des bourgeons sous-développés (typiquement plus courts et moins mûrs à la véraison) ont été comparés avec

Impact of harvest date on the terroir expression and the aroma profile of Touraine Sauvignon wines

L’objectif d’une étude sur trois années vise, pour des terroirs différents et connus pour le profil des vins qui en sont issus, à exploiter au mieux le potentiel des raisins en optimisant la date de récolte ; pour chacun des trois terroirs, les minivinifications sont réalisées à partir de trois dates de récolte . Il s’avère, grâce à un suivi analytique important (sol, précurseurs et arômes) et une caractérisation organoleptique bien encadrée (analyse sensorielle pertinente et objective), que le choix de la date de récolte, en fonction du terroir, a une incidence sur le profil du vin et devient un outil pour l’élaborateur.

Caratteristiche fisico-chimiche dei suoli coltivati a vite e loro influenza nella diffusione del mal dell’esca

Il mal dell’esca é una malattia della vite della quale sono state studiate sintomatologia, eziologia, patogenesi ed epidemiologia. Essendo una malattia che colpisce soprattutto la parte epigea delle piante, le caratteristiche dei suoli non sono mai state considerate fra le responsabili della sua insorgenza e diffusione.

Modélisation du régime thermique des sols de vignoble du Val de Loire : relations avec des variables utilisables pour la caractérisation des terroirs

Temperature has a decisive influence on the growth and development of plants (Carbonneau et al., 1992). In particular, in the case of the vine, the temperature is an omnipresent variable in the climatic indices (Huglin, 1986). For reasons of convenience, these indices use the temperature of the air measured under shelter in a meteorological station, making the implicit hypothesis of a concordance between this temperature and that of the sites of perception of the thermal stimulus by the plant. However, development may be more dependent on soil temperature than air temperature (Kliewer, 1975). Morlat (1989) thus verified that the variability in the precocity of the vine, positively correlated with the quality of the harvest and of the wine in the Loire Valley, was mainly explained by differences in temperature of the root zones.