Terroir 2010 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2010 9 Historic and future climate variability and climate change: effects on vocation, stress and new vine areas (T2010) 9 Effect of vine nitrogen status on grape and wine quality: Terroir study in the Vaud vineyard (Switzerland)

Effect of vine nitrogen status on grape and wine quality: Terroir study in the Vaud vineyard (Switzerland)

Abstract

This study was conducted on soil-climate-plant relations (terroir) and their impact on grape composition and wine quality in the canton of Vaud by Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW. An assessment of the vine nitrogen status on different terroirs was made by means of chlorophyll index, leaf nitrogen content and yeast assimilable nitrogen. Vine nitrogen status was observed to be highly related to soil type. Vines on the soil type “bottom moraines” showed lower vigour, smaller berries and a lower nitrogen status. Sensory analysis discriminated wines from different soil types. Vine nitrogen status through yeast assimilable nitrogen turned out to be strongly correlated with wine positive sensory descriptors and negatively correlated to wine astringency. In our study, the main environmental factors influencing vine development and wine quality was the soil type via its effect on vine nitrogen level. Our results confirm the role on nitrogen supply in grape and wine quality and underline nitrogen as a key factor in understanding the terroir effect.

DOI:

Publication date: December 3, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2010

Type: Article

Authors

J-S Reynard, V. Zufferey, F. Murisier

Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW, CH-1260 NYON, Switzerland

Contact the author

Keywords

Soil component of terroir, vine nitrogen status, ecophysiology, grape and wine quality

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2010

Citation

Related articles…

Effect of pre-fermentative cold soaking and use of different enzymes on the chemical and sensory properties of Catarratto wines

The wine industry widely recognizes that early-harvested grapes or those with uneven ripeness at harvest can produce wines with an “unripe fruit” mouthfeel [1,2]. Despite this, it is still unknown which compounds cause these sensory flaws or the most effective winemaking techniques to address them.

New technologies to characterize spatial variability in viticulture

Measurements of parameters spatialy positionned, with on line sensors mounted on classical machinery or airborne imagery is no more a problem in viticulture. In a short time, high resolution data dedicated to the assessment of the vine characteristics, the soil, the harvest, etc. will become a reality.

POTENTIAL OF PEPTIDASES FOR AVOIDING PROTEIN HAZES IN MUST AND WINE

Haze formation in wine during transportation and storage is an important issue for winemakers, since turbid wines are unacceptable for sale. Such haze often results from aggregation of unstable grape proteinaceous colloids. To date, foreseeably unstable wines need to be treated with bentonite to remove these, while excessive quantities, which are often required, affect the wine volume and quality (Cosme et al. 2020). One solution to avoid these drawbacks might be the use of peptidases. Marangon et al. (2012) reported that Aspergillopepsins I and II were able to hydrolyse the respective haze-relevant proteins in combination with a flash pasteurisation. In 2021, the OIV approved this enzymatic treatment for wine stabilisation (OIV-OENO 541A and 541B).

A multilayer interactive web map of the wine growing region carnuntum with emphasis on geochemical and mineralogical zoning

During a three-year study the vineyards of the wine-growing region Carnuntum have been investigated for their terroir characteristics (climate, soil, rocks) and major viticulture functions. As an outcome of the study, various thematic layers and geodata analyses describe the geo-environmental properties and variability of the wine growing region and delimit homogenous multilayer mapping units by using a Geographic Information System.

Rootstock effects on Grüner Veltliner ecophysiology in the Kremstal wine region of Austria

Understanding the impact of rootstocks on grapevine water relations is crucial to face climate change maintaining vineyard productivity and sustainability.