Swiss terroirs studies

Abstract

A multidisciplinary approach aiming at studying the grape-growing areas also referred as “Terroir” was initiated a few years ago in Switzerland. Collaborative studies are carried out on soil characteristics (I. Letessier, Bureau SIGALES; S. Burgos, Ecole d’Ingénieurs de Changins), climatic parameters (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne) and aspects of the plant physiology (Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil). The study of the soil includes the collection of geological and pedological characteristics and viticulturalist’s practical knowledge. It emerged that a large diversity in type and composition of soils was found and highlighted the importance of the parameter of soil water holding capacity (SWHC). In order to evaluate the climatic component of the “Terroir”, a model was built resulting in a climatic index taking into account temperature, radiation and wind protection. Agronomical studies revealed a good correlation between the physiology of the plant (water status, vegetative growth, sugar accumulation in berries) and the water content present in the soil (SWHC). Current studies aim at determining the influences of pedo-climatic factors on the quality of the final product in wine-growing areas in Switzerland.

DOI:

Publication date: December 8, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2008

Type: Article

Authors

Vivian ZUFFEREY, Jean-Sébastien REYNARD, Karine PYTHOUD, Cristina MONICO, François MURISIER, Isabelle LETESSIER (1)

Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil ACW, CH-1260 NYON (Suisse)
(1) Bureau SIGALES, F-38410 St Martin d’Uriage (France)

Contact the author

Keywords

terroirs, soils, climate, ecophysiology, grape quality

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2008

Citation

Related articles…

Influence of the temperature of the prise de mousse on the effervescence and foam of Champagne and sparkling wines.

The persistence of effervescence and foam collar during a Champagne or sparkling wine tasting constitute one, among others, specific consumer preference for these products. Many different factors related to the product or to the tasting conditions might influence their behavior in the glass

Rootstock drought tolerance under dry-farmed conditions in Oregon’s Willamette Valley

Rootstocks are used in vineyards worldwide and have been the focus of many studies. However, rootstock performance varies based on regional climates and soil types. As Oregon experiences warmer seasons and variable precipitation patterns, growers are interested in rootstocks with more drought tolerance than the commonly planted rootstocks: 3309C, Riparia Gloire, and 101-14 Mgt. In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, annual precipitation is typically sufficient to make dry-farming possible and use of irrigation is limited.

Effect of scion-rootstock combinations on the performance of a near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy method for determining vine water status

In the context of sustainable viticulture, modern and efficient techniques to determine water status are required to optimize irrigation practices. Proximal techniques such as thermography and spectroscopy have shown promising results. When these techniques are incorporated into mobile systems is possible to evaluate the water status on-the-go, offering the possibility to generate variability maps. However, in most cases, complex protocols of data acquisition and analysis are required. Also, the inherent physiological behaviour of the plants under certain water stress conditions needs to be considered. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of scion-rootstock combinations on the performance of a predefined plant-based method based on proximal near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy.

The influence of culture medium on the dynamics of fermentation of wine yeasts

Wine yeast strains Saccharomyces ellipsoideus have important applications in food industry and in this regard is sought isolation as pure cultures and selecting those strains, which in laboratory investigations which have great biotechnological properties This study was intended as the ratio of live cells and autolysates cells also the influence of culture medium on this report. Yeasts selected for this study were isolated from industrial strains of indigenous grape varieties, namely: Feteasca Royal (FR) Feteasca White (FA), black Feteasca (FN), Romanian Tamaioasa (TR), Babeasca Black (BN) and Cotnari Grasa (GC).

Optical visualization of embolism spread in drought‐induced leaves: revealing differences across three grapevine genotypes

‐Evaluation of xylem embolism is an important challenge in identifying drought tolerant genotypes within the context of climate change.