Terroir study and pragmatic approach to decide the best practices at the scale vineyard area

Abstract

The principle terroir of studies consists of mapping environmental factors and characterizing the viticultural potential. Also, it is advisable to realizing this study, that recommendations should be made viticultural practices such as soil management, suitable grapevines varieties and even potential wine styles. Wine growers expect much from these maps, yet their construction is difficult, as it is necessary to make decisions environmental factor, while considering all individual practices of wine growers.

In theory, the terroir study will consider the best practice as the one most adapted to the natural terroir unit. But in the reality of a vineyard, for the same environmental conditions, the best practice can be multiple and the wine grower know-how techniques singular.

The information contained in the recommendations maps can be constructed using different approaches: by expertise, by statistical processing of vineyard plot surveys and finally by qualitative group interviews.

As much as some maps can easily stay within the order of the expertise (drainage, potential soil water reserves), as much the maps of adapting viticultural practices at terroir units is an opportunity to open a discussion during group interviews and give the study a pragmatic orientation, that is to say, where decisions are rich in several views taken together and not taken from an external view. Therefore, this logical map express a dialogue between the different levels of constructing information that are, the expertise, the quantitative vineyard plot survey and the qualitative group interview. Its objective is to situate itself within the context of elaborating information and recommendations close to the reality and in relation with the proposed, possible and futures actions.