Anthropogenic intervention in shaping Terroir in a California Pinot noir vineyard

This work gives a summary of the most important programmes about viticultural « terroirs », developed on the « Côtes du Rhône » controlled appellation area for about twenty years.

This paper follows the one presented by Saayman at the International Symposium on Landscapes of Vines and Wines in the Loire Valley during July 2003. Where Saayman’s paper described the heritage and development of South African vineyard landscapes, this one focuses on how the landscape is used to assist in decision-making concerning the most important long term practices.

Cover cropping in vineyard is a sustainable and alternative soil management system to conventional tillage that is gaining more and more importance among winegrowers and is being promoted, among other organizations, by the European Union through the eco-schemes of the Common Agricultural Policy.
However, the use of cover crops in Mediterranean viticultural environments is conditioned, to a large extent, by the availability of irrigation water which, in a context of global warming like the one we are experiencing, must be adjusted to savings strategies, supplying to the vine only what it needs in each moment.

Cabernet Sauvignon is the top red wine cultivar in CA, however, the hot climate in Fresno is not ideal for Cabernet Sauvignon, particularly for berry color development. Fruit-zone leaf removal and irrigation were studied previously to have the significant effect on grape yield performance and berry quality. But the timing of leaf removal and the timing of irrigation are still inconclusive. Also, mechanical fruit-zone leaf removal is relatively new in CA. Our study aims to identify the interactive effect of mechanical fruit-zone leaf removal and irrigation on Cabernet Sauvignon’s yield performance and fruit quality and find the ideal timing of leaf removal and irrigation to maximize the berry color while maintaining the sustainable yield level.

Wine grapes exposed to wildfire smoke have resulted in wines with burnt and ashy sensory characteristics¹, that are undesirable qualities in wine. In extreme wildfire events, this can lead to total loss of grape crop. Currently there are no effective solutions in the market to prevent the uptake of smoke compounds into grapes. In this study, previously developed innovative film coatings were tested to analyze their effectiveness in reducing smoke phenol absorption². Four different cellulose nanofiber-based film types were investigated.