“Terroir” and climate change in Franconia / Germany

Abstract

Franconia which is a “cool climate” winegrowing region is well known for its fruity white wines. The most common grape cultivars are Silvaner and Mueller-Thurgau.
Franconia is a landscape of contrasts with various climatic conditions. The vineyard sites are located at a height between 120 m and 420 m above sea level on slopes and steep slopes as well as on terraces.
In favourable south orientated sites the maximum temperatures reach about 40° C (peak value year 2003), while winter frosts cause deep temperatures down to about -27°C (year 2002) in valleys or exposed sites.
At present, the Franconian winegrowing region is being affected by the global climate change. Several forecasts predict an average annual temperature increase of approximately 2°C for Southern Germany until the year 2050. During the same period an increased occurrence of temperature-related extreme events is expected.
In case of permanent increase of the average air temperatures and temperature-related extreme events, the cultivation of grapes on E, W and NW slopes could be considered appropriate to preserve the fruity character of traditional white wines.

DOI:

Publication date: December 3, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2010

Type: Article

Authors

Ulrike Maaß, Arnold Schwab

Bavarian State Institute for Viticulture and Horticulture An der Steige 15, D-97209 Veitshöchheim

Contact the author

Keywords

Vineyard Climate, Climate change, Terroir, Topoclimate, Microclimate

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2010

Citation

Related articles…

Mapping grapevine metabolites in response to pathogen challenge: a Mass Spectrometry Imaging approach

Every year, viticulture is facing several outbreaks caused by established diseases, such as downy mildew and grey mould, which possess different life cycles and modes of infection. To cope with these different aggressors, grapevine must recognize them and arm itself with an arsenal of defense strategies.
The regulation of secondary metabolites is one of the first reactions of plants upon pathogen challenge. Their rapid biosynthesis can highly contribute to strengthen the defense mechanisms allowing the plant to adapt, defend and survive.

Les terroirs : variae causarum figurae

The jurist feels like an intruder when talking about terroirs. He looks at the press and tries to understand. We can read there about the cooking festival of May 30, 1996 which “..highlights products whose quality depends on a region”, that Camembert du pays d’Auge is the only one to be protected, I was thinking of camembert from Normandy, that 80% of Greek feta is made in the Netherlands, I thought it was in Denmark, and that the European Community protects geographical indications of IGP origin, probably a new category replacing the indications protected areas (1). I also learned that distributors are asking for more local products because “they come to confuse the cards in the part engaged with the big brands”. Carrefour has its “Terroirs and drawers”, Prisunic its “Vent d’Ouest”, Intermarché “Les bouquets du terroir”, Monoprix “Les terroirs de France” (2), Promodés and its brand “Reflets de France” for the “Continent” hypermarkets (3). At the same time it is asserted that “The term is a mere common noun. Unprotectable and therefore unprotected” (4).

Fermentation Products, Degradation Parameters, (Poly)Phenols And Potassium Content In Tokaji Aszú Winemaking

The historic Tokaj Wine Region in northeast Hungary, a UNESCO World Heritage region since 2002, encompasses 5,500 ha vineyards. Produced from “noble rot” grapes, Tokaji Aszú is known as one of the oldest botrytized wines all over the world. Special microclimatic conditions (due to Bodrog and Tisza rivers, Indian summer), soil conditions (clay, loess on volcanic bedrock) and grape

AI and blockchain synergy-driven reconstruction of nutritional health value chains in the wine industry

The increasing demand for healthier, more transparent, and sustainable wine products has prompted the need for innovative solutions to optimize the wine health value chain.

Old but gold: the interest for minor grapevine varieties – a case study in the Veneto region (Italy)

The biodiversity of cultivated vines has been significantly reduced due to a series of factors that have favoured the cultivation of a limited number of varieties and clones over time. In veneto, since 1980, a series of important actions have been implemented to counter this process. These actions have focused on the conservation of germplasm identified in the territory and the recovery of varieties historically present in the region, which were in danger of being abandoned and disappearing.