Remote sensing and ground techniques, applied to the characterization of a new viticultural region at Pinto Bandeira, Brazil

The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing from year to year. Taking into account the calculations of the greenhouse gas inventory, it was found that approximately 70% of CO2 in the atmosphere is absorbed by vegetation (forests, agricultural land, etc.).

Since 1980, Château de l’Éclair has belonged to SICAREX Beaujolais and has been involved in experimentation for the Beaujolais vineyards. However, it is a commercial estate with profitability and quality constraints, which means that it has to meet the growing environmental expectations of consumers. Given the number of practices claimed to be environment-friendly, it is sometimes difficult to prioritize actions.

With wine fraud, being a widespread problem [1], the need for more sophisticated and precise analytical methods of its detection remains ever persistent.

Under-vine (UV) management has traditionally consisted of synthetic herbicide use to limit competition between weeds and grapevines. With growing global interest towards non-synthetic chemical use, this study aimed to capture the effects of alternative UV management at two commercial Shiraz vineyards in South Australia, where the sole management variables were UV management since 2016. In adjacent treatment blocks, cultivation (CU) was compared to spontaneous vegetation (SV) in McLaren Vale (MV), and herbicide was compared to SV in Eden Valley (EV). Soil water infiltration rates were slower and grapevine stem water potential was lower in CU compared to SV in MV, with the latter having a plant community dominated by soursob (Oxalis pes-caprae) during winter; while in EV, there was little separation between the treatments. Yields were affected at both sites, with SV being higher in MV and HE being higher in EV. In MV, the only effect on grape must was a lower 13C:12C isotope ratio in CU, indicating greater grapevine water stress. In the grape must at EV, SV had higher total soluble solids, total phenolics, anthocyanins, and yeast available nitrogen; and lower pH and titratable acidity. Pruning weights were not affected by the treatments in MV, while they were higher in HE at EV. Assessments revealed that the differing soil types at the two sites were likely the main determinants of the opposing production outcomes associated with UV management. In the silty loam soil of MV, the higher yields in SV were likely due to more plant-available water, as a potential result of the continuous soil bio-pores formed by winter UV vegetation. Conversely, in the loamy sand soils of EV with a lower cation exchange capacity, the lower yields and pruning weights in SV suggest the UV vegetation competed significantly with the grapevines for available water and nutrients.

Context and purpose of the study. Cultivation techniques are widely recognized for their significant impact on the aroma profile of grapes and wines.