A GIS Analysis of New Zealand Terroir

Aim: Early leaf removal, generally applied before flowering, is mostly conceived as a technique to control grape yield and improve the health of grapes and focused on the final objective of increasing wine quality.

A good knowledge of the soil physicochemical properties, as well as its ability to retain and put the necessary water available to the plants, is essential when it comes at the design of an irrigation plan.

Despite their significant impact on wine quality and stability, colloids in red wine remain relatively under-researched. A series of studies, developed in the context of the d-wines project, aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the structure, composition, and formation mechanisms of red wine colloids by studying monovarietal wines from 10 of the most significant Italian red grape varieties. Starting from the idea that proteins, polysaccharides, and tannins should be involved in colloid formation, 110 monovarietal red wines were analysed for these components, revealing high inter- and intra-varietal diversity [1].

The Valpolicella appellation, mainly known for Amarone and Ripasso, is experiencing growing interest in Valpolicella Superiore (VS), a lighter red wine aligning with consumer demand. However, anecdotal evidence suggests different stylistic interpretations of VS, potentially causing consumer confusion.

The mechanisms behind thiol precursor accumulation in grapes remain incompletely understood, nor are the ways in which they can be improved by agronomic practices. A six-year field trial studied the physiological response of the Swiss white cultivar Vitis vinifera Arvine, rich in varietal thiols and precursors, to canopy management, i.e. leaf removal and canopy height.. Five treatments were set up in a randomized block design to assess the impacts of 1) pre-flowering LR (i.e. pre-flowering or full-flowering stages) and 2) compensating for the leaf area removed in the cluster zone by increasing the trimming height (i.e. 100 or 150 cm canopy height), compared with a non-defoliated control treatment.
Intensive pre-flowering LR severely reduced yield potential (–47% on average) and reduced the concentration of 3-mercaptohexanol precursors (P-3MH) in the must (–21%; p-value < 0.10).