Terroir 2008 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The influence of tertiary and quaternary deposits on the viticultural potential of the terroirs to be found in Geneva, Switzerland

The influence of tertiary and quaternary deposits on the viticultural potential of the terroirs to be found in Geneva, Switzerland

Abstract

The 1365 ha of the Genevese vineyard are located at the south-western corner of the Swiss plateau, between 395m and 505 m altitude. The vineyard is spread on quaternary deposits left behind after the melting of glaciers (12000 years BP) and tertiary molassic rocks (Chattien, 24 Ma). A soil map on the scale of 1:7500 was produced from 850 auger probes and 90 soil profiles. Based on this map, 69 parcels of Gamaret and Gamay are used as indicators to study the meso-climate and to follow the vines’ development. Thirty-seven parcels are equipped with temperature sensors at the depths of 2, 10 and 50 cm.
The glacial deposits are either made up of basal tills, mostly compacted, or by lateral and frontal stony tills more or less compacted or by glacio-lacustral and fluviatil deposits which show a textural composition going from clay to coarse gravel. The tertiary rocks present a succession of mudstone and sandstone stratas. The presence of these different deposits means there is great spatial variability. The textural and spatial variability are therefore present in the soils which developed from these parent materials.
More than half of the soils (55%) are located on basal or lateral tills. The glacio-lacustres and the tertiary rocks are to be found under 21 and 26 % of the soils respectively. Seven percent is situated on molasse with shallow till deposit. The CALCOSOLS, BRUNISOLS and LUVISOLS cover 63, 21 and 8 % of the surface respectively. Their clay, calcite and stone content differs widely. The deposits also influence the soils’ thermal and hydrological properties. The soils with excess of water are mostly located on fine textural deposits like mudstone and glacio-lacustral clay and on compacted tills The available water content goes from 50 to 250 mm. The plant behaviour is being observed in an on-going study to better under stand the meso-climate of the vineyard.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: December 8, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2008

Type : Article

Authors

BURGOS Stéphane, DAKHEL Nathalie and ALMENDROS Sébastien

Ecole d’ingénieurs de Changins, 1260 Nyon, Switzerland

Contact the author

Keywords

terroir, géologie, sols, climat, dépôts glaciaires

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2008

Citation

Related articles…

Seasonal variations and climate interactions with phenolic extractability of Pinot noir across the whole winemaking process

Context and Purpose of the Study. A deeper understanding of the relationship between weather conditions and wine quality is essential for assessing the impact of climate change and developing effective adaptation strategies.

Read More

Contribution of soil for tipifiyng wines in four geographical indications at Serra Gaúcha, Brazil

Brazil has a recent history on geographical indications and product regulation for high quality wines. The first geographic indication implemented was the Vale dos Vinhedos Indication of Procedence (

Read More

Effect of pre-fermentative addition of oenological tannins on the volatile composition and colour characteristics of white wines

This study investigates the effect of pre-fermentative addition of oenological tannins on basic physicochemical parameters, total polyphenols index (TPI), antioxidant activity (DPPH method), colour traits, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of white wines made from ‘Vermentino’ or ‘Erbaluce’ grapes (Vitis vinifera).

Read More

The modification of cultural practices in grapevine cv. Syrah, does it modify the characteristics of the musts?

The work shows the results of a year of experimentation (2020) in a Syrah variety vineyard in La Roda (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain). The trial approach was on a randomized block design with two factors: Irrigation (I) and Pruning (P).
Irrigation schedules were adjusted to apply amounts close to 1,500 m3/ha. With this provision, 2 different irrigation treatments were proposed: I1) Start of irrigation from pea-sized grape to post-harvest (providing at least 20 % of the total amount of irrigation water to be provided post-harvest); I2) Start of irrigation from pea-sized grape to harvest (usual irrigation practice in the study area). Pruning was proposed with two treatments, one at the end of January (P1), which is pruning on a conventional date; and P2) pruning carried out at the beginning of budding. In total, 4 repetitions were designed with 4 elementary plots, each one of them representing one of the proposed treatments (I1P1; I1P2; I2P1; I2P2). In total, 16 plots were worked on and each elementary plot consisted of 30 strains, distributed in 3 lines.
The productive response was evaluated with the yield results of the harvest harvested at 23 ºBrix. The qualitative response was measured in the musts through the indices of technological (acidity, pH and potassium) and phenolic maturity and aromatic compounds in free and glycosylated fractions. The treatments tested had, in general, an effect on the different variables analyzed.

Read More

Typicality related to terroir: from conceptual to perceptual representation: study of the links with enological practices

The conceptual image of a wine related to the terroir has consequences in technical terms. Among factors affecting the typicality, producers put forward the environmental factors of the terroir system

Read More