Terroir 2008 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Terroir Hesse – Soil determines wine style

Terroir Hesse – Soil determines wine style

Abstract

Since 1996, we study the soil in viticulture, specially in the South of France. In the field, we delimit soil units and observe soil profiles and take samples to analyse its physical, mineral, organic and microbial mass composition. We also analyse the rate of roots mycorhization. 
For few years we used both Y. HERODY (BRDA) analysis and Xavier SALDUCCI (CELESTA) ones. Since 2004 we have adopted only Xavier SALDUCCI analysis menu : two compartments of organic matters, microbial mass and mineralization activities of carbon and nitrogen. 
Here are shown the results of 100 organic and biological analysis: 
– Carbon level is low to very low (less than 10 g /kg ) : 56% of the plots. 
– Nitrogen level is low to very low (less than 1 g/kg) : 64% of the plots. 
– Microbial mass is low in 71% of the plots (less than 200 mg of microbial C /kg). No plot has a level higher than 400mg of microbial C /kg. 
– Carbon Mineralization Activity is high to very high, more than 400mg mg C-CO2 /kg/28 days, in 49% of the plots 
– Nitrogen Mineralization Activity is low to very low (less than 1 mg de N-NO3N-NH4+ /kg/28 days) : 53% of the plots. 
Since 2006, we control organic and biological evolution specially in plots where green manures and composted organic matters have been used. In 4 plots where the analysis showed (in 2001) a very high lake of organic matter and microbial mass, we not that : 
– The organic matter level has been partially improved . Bt the rate is still low in two parcels. 
– The microbial mass has been improved even it is still low in two parcels. 
Even, if the levels are still low, the vine is more healthy : no more nutrients deficiency symptom, the vine growth is more homogenous, the yield and the crop quality have increased, with a real expression of the “Terroir”. 

DOI:

Publication date: December 8, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2008

Type: Article

Authors

Prof. Dr. Otmar LÖHNERTZ, Dr. Peter BÖHM, Stefan MUSKAT

Forschungsanstalt Geisenheim,Fachgebiet Bodenkunde und Pflanzenernährung, Rüdesheimer Str. 18-20, D-65366 Geisenheim

Contact the author

Keywords

Terroir, Soil, Wine Style

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2008

Citation

Related articles…

The film-forming Pichia spp. in a winemaker’s toolbox: A simple isolation procedure and their performance in a mixed-culture fermentation of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Gewürztraminer must

Certain yeast species belonging to the Pichia genus are known to form a distinctive film on grape must and wine. In a mixed-culture type fermentation, Pichia spp. (P. kluyveri in particular) are known to impart beneficial oenological attributes. In this study, we report on an easy isolation method of Pichia spp. from grape must by exploiting their film-forming capacity on media containing 10% ethanol. We isolated and identified two Pichia species, namely Pichia kudriavzevii and Pichia kluyveri, and subsequently co-inoculated them with Saccharomyces cerevisiae to ferment Gewürztraminer musts. Noteworthy differences included a significant increase in the 2-phenethyl acetate levels with the P. kluyveri co-fermentation and a general increase in ethyl esters with the P. kudriavzevii co-fermentation. Both Pichia co-inoculations yielded higher levels of glycerol in the final wines. Based on all the wine parameters we tested, the P. kluyveri strain that was isolated performed similarly to a commercial P. kluyveri strain.

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

A synthesis approach on the impact of elevated CO2 on berry physiology and yield of Vitis vinifera

Besides the increase in global mean temperature the second main challenge of a changing climate is the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in relation to physiology and yield performance of grapevines. The benefits of increasing CO2 levels under greenhouse environment or open field studies have been well investigated for various annual crops. Research under free carbon dioxide enrichment on field-grown perennial plants such as grapevines is limited to a few studies. Further, chamber and greenhouse experiments have been conducted mostly on potted vines under eCO2 conditions.

Rootstock differences in soil-water uptake during drying-wetting cycles imaged with 3d electrical resistivity tomography

Limited knowledge has been acquired on grapevine roots and rhizosphere processes because of harder access when compared to aerial parts. There is need for new methods to study root behavior in undisturbed field conditions, and relate these effects on canopy and yield. The aim of this multidisciplinary study was to image and quantify spatial-temporal differences in soil-water uptake by genetically different rootstocks and to assess the response of the canopy during drought and rewetting.

What practices in the vineyard lead to the production of wines that consistently win medals?

High quality wines start in the vineyard however little is known about the role vineyard management practices play in this quality outcome. Gold medals and well-known regionality increase consumer preference for purchasing a wine. An increase in the former will certainly also drive an increase in the latter and therefore practices in production that consistently lead to gold medal winning wines will improve both the marketability of the region and its products. It is argued that vinification is the main driver of wine quality and in fact, the presence of some oak compounds is a well-known consumer and expert mark of quality. However, only select wines are vinified in oak and therefore the original grape quality at the winery door must in fact drive all further downstream vinification decisions.