Wines empirical perception and growers management practices in the Anjou Villages Brissac vineyard (France)

The concept of viticultural terroir includes soil, sub-soil, and climatic factors but also many management viticultural and oenological practices which are chosen according to know-how of the winegrowers. Most of the terroir studies deal with analysis of the variability of plot ecophysiological parameters and, also, their impacts on vine functioning (mainly water balance and vine earliness). Usually, in the research networks, management practices are fixed (cultivar, root-stock, soil cover crop). However, viticultural and oenological practices play a major role in the grape composition. For this reason, the present paper proposes to study terroir impact regarding an inventory of both environmental factors, and management practices that are used for the production of Anjou Villages Brissac (AVB) or Anjou Rouges (AR) wines. In addition, the empirical perception of sensory characteristics of AVB wines by farmers was studied.
The goals of this work were to compare ‘AVB’ practices to AR practices. Also, an approach of links between the empirical sensory perception of wine and types and practices classes, was carried out. To realize the study an exhaustive survey has been made at both farm and plot scales according to the nature of questions. This survey was proposed to all winegrowers of AOC AVB (41 farmers and about 100 ha vines). AVB wines but also AR wine can be produced on this area.
Practices and practices classes had been studied and crossed with environmental factors of the plots. Statistical analysis allowed showing which practices and practices modalities are significantly different between AVB and AR plots. 18 viticultural and 10 oenological practices are statistically significant to distinguish AVB plots from AR plots. Winegrowers think AVB wine is a well-known figure of the wines of Val de Loire with good oral characteristics as fine tannins, matter and volume, intense colour and ripped fruit aromas. Results have been also crossed with the winegrowers’ perception of AVB wines characteristics.
Prospects of this study are 1) to compare survey sensory perception with tasted sensory profiles and 2) to validate practices combinations with an experimental study using a plot network.