Terroir 2010 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Changing the scale of characterization of a wine area: from a single protected designation of origin to a vineyard Loire Valley observatory (viLVO)

Changing the scale of characterization of a wine area: from a single protected designation of origin to a vineyard Loire Valley observatory (viLVO)

Abstract

Terroir is increasingly important today in wine markets. In a large wine production area such as the Loire Valley, the whole territories/terroirs can be distinguished according to different combinations of geological, soil, climatic and landscape features but are also characterized by their differences and likenesses in terms of combinations of terroir units and practices.
The objective of the study is to obtain a systemic analysis of the typicality of wines conferred by the terroir in a large territory and identify which practices are associated with the production of typical wines in a given territory or a specific area of wine production.
In a previous work, a method was designed to identify some viticultural and enological practices that allow distinguishing wines at the scale of a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin1), in a small territory. The new challenge is to extend the method to the different sub-basins of the Loire Valley, and to check if the same results can be obtained for other types of wines. The extension of our method to study the practices of the winegrowers requires some adaptations before it may be applied on a larger scale as in a Vineyard Loire Valley Observatory. The choice of the strategy was to combine a small scale diagnosis with a participatory method with Research Development and Extension (RDE) officers to answer our questions and organize ViLVO.
We were thus able (i) to solve some problems such as the working organization of ViLVO users and databases property, (ii) to combine RDE officers and searchers goals around the identification of significant practices associated with wine quality and fame and (iii) to focus on outstanding practices involved in terroir typicality of Loire Valley wines.

DOI:

Publication date: December 3, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2010

Type: Article

Authors

M. Thiollet-Scholtus (1), M. Badier (2), G. Barbeau (1)

(1) INRA, UE 1117, UMT Vinitera, F-49070 Beaucouzé, France
(2) Chambre d’Agriculture 41 Rue Gutemberg ZA 41140 Noyers sur Cher, France

Contact the author

Keywords

Practices, vineyard, scale, observatory, participatory method

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2010

Citation

Related articles…

Pacific Northwest wine regions and climates

This paper presents a review of wine regions in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) of North America. The PNW consists of the states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho and the province of British Columbia.

Diversificazione e valorizzazione di produzioni tipiche sul territorio: I cesanesi

The zone in which the Cesanese vines are cultivated has a secular tradition of red wine­making. This zone is placed between the Simbruini mountains slopes and the surrounding hills and has pedologicai variability but a very homogeneous microclimate.

OENOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF AUTOCHTHONOUS SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE STRAINS AND THEIR EFFECT ON THE PRODUCTION OF TYPICAL SAVATIANO WINES

Due to the global demand for terroir wines, the winemaking industry has focused attention on exploiting the local yeast microflora of each wine growing region to express the regional character and enhance the sensory profile of wines such as varietal typicity and aroma complexity. The objective of the present study was to isolate and compare the indigenous strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae present in different vineyards in the Mesogeia – Attiki wine region (Greece), evaluate their impact on chemical composition and sensory profile of Savatiano wines and select the most suitable ones for winemaking process.

Modulation of berry composition by different vineyard management practices

High concentration of sugars in grapes and alcohol in wines is one of the consequences of climate change on viticulture production in several wine-growing regions. In order to investigate the possibilities of adaptation of vineyard management practices aimed to reduce the accumulation of sugar during the maturation phase without reducing the accumulation of anthocyanins in grapes, a study with severe shoot trimming, shoot thinning, cluster thinning and date of harvest was conducted on Merlot variety in Istria region (Croatia), under the Mediterranean climate. Four factors which may affect grape maturation and its composition at harvest were investigated in a two-years experiment; severe shoot trimming applied at veraison when >80% of berries changed colour (in comparison to untreated control), shoot thinning (0 and 30%), cluster thinning (0 and 30%), and the date of harvest (early and standard harvest dates). Shoot thinning had no significant impact on berry composition, despite the obtained reduction in yield per vine. Lower Brix in grapes were obtained with earlier harvest date and if no cluster thinning was applied, although at the same time a reduction in the concentration of anthocyanins in berries was observed in these treatments. On the other hand, if severe shoot trimming was applied when >80% of berries changed colour, a reduction of Brix was obtained without a negative impact on berry anthocyanins concentration. We conclude that in cases when undesirably high sugar concentrations at harvest are expected, severe shoot trimming at 80% veraison may effectively be used in order to obtain moderate sugar concentration in berries together with the adequate phenolic composition.

Identification and biological properties of new resveratrol derivatives formed in red wine

Resveratrol is a well-known wine constituent with a wide range of activities. In wines, resveratrol can be oxidized to form various derivatives including oligomers [1]. In this study, resveratrol derivative transformation in hydroalcoholic solution was investigated by oxidative coupling using metals. De novo resveratrol derivatives were synthetized and analysed by NMR and MS experiments