Terroir 2008 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The wine country, between landscape and promoting tool. The example of Chinon and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil vineyards (France)

The wine country, between landscape and promoting tool. The example of Chinon and Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil vineyards (France)

Abstract

When talking about wine, terroirs are never too far. The National Institute of Apellation d’Origine (INAO) defines it as a system inside of which interact a group of human factors, an agricultural production and a physical environment. This definition leads to see terroirs as entities deeply linked to the wine landscape. The latter is above all cultural, which means it was born not only from a land use outstand by the omnipresence of vineyards, but also mainly by men who make the wine, their knowledge and history. In a worldwide wine producing context, the notion of terroirs, full of culture and history, symbolizes the promotion of a product in an old traditional wine area. For this study, we followed the course of two Appellations d’Origine Conrôlée (AOC) situated in North West Touraine (West Centre of France), the Chinon and Saint Nicolas de Bourgueil wines. We realized a diachronic work starting from the end of the 19th century and the phylloxera crisis which marked a break in the French vineyard history, to nowadays strategies to face the new wines. This long lasting course naturally brought us to be interested in the links between terroirs and landscape. From this study, we concluded that the terroirs becomes the link between a more or less glorious past, which created an important wine culture, and a doubtful economical future. The terroirs notion flies to the wine economy’s assistance and perpetuates symbolic landscapes. On the contrary, the value of theses landscapes in particular thanks to the interventions of different actors such as the Mission Loire or the Parc Naturel Régional (PNR) Loire-Anjou-Touraine, takes part directly or indirectly in the promoting of the wine production and in the highlight of terroirs.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: December 8, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2008

Type : Article

Authors

 Jean Louis YENGUE (1,2), Cécile RIALLAND-JUIN (1,3), Sylvie SERVAIN-COURANT (1,4)

1) UMR CITERES 6173. 33, allée Ferdinand de Lesseps, BP 60449, 37204 Tours Cedex 03
(2) Maître de Conférences. Université de Tours, UFR Droit, Sciences économiques et sociales, Département de Géographie, BP 0607, 37206 Tours Cedex 03
(3) Maître de Conférences. Directrice du Master Professionnel Paysages et territoires ruraux. Université de Tours, UFR Droit, Sciences économiques et sociales, Département de Géographie, BP 0607, 37206 Tours Cedex 03
(4) Maître de conférences. Ecole Nationale Supérieure de la Nature et du Paysage, 9 rue de la Chocolaterie, cs 2902, 41029 Blois cedex

Contact the author

Keywords

Landscape, vineyards, terroir

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2008

Citation

Related articles…

Effect of Saccharomyces species interaction on alcoholic fermentation behaviour and aromatic profile of Sauvignon blanc wine

Enhancing the sensory profile of wine by the use of different microorganism has been always a challenge in winemaking. The aim of our work was to evaluate the impact of different fermentation schemes by using mixed and pure cultures of different Saccharomyces species to Sauvignon blanc wine chemical composition and sensory profile.

Read More

Management of cover plants impacted the composition of Cabernet Sauvignon red wines in a temperate region of Brazil

– Several practices can be applied to vineyards in order to ensure good healthy for grapevines, adequate yield and fruit quality. Among them, the use of cover crops is a relevant option for soil management. It increases the organic matter, improves water infiltration, reduces risks of soil erosion and greenhouse gas emissions, in addition improving biodiversity in the vineyard.

Read More

High-altitude vineyards under extreme conditions in the PIWI context of cultivation: economic and marketing evidence from an exploratory study in Northern Italy

Viticulture has spread to unexpected locations, such as high-altitude terrain. Among these, high-altitude viticulture has captured considerable attention, not only for the uniqueness of its products and landscapes but also because it offers an effective response to climate changes
The aim of this study is to analyse and compare wineries that used Piwi varieties (acronym for the German Pilzwiderstandfähig, i.e., cryptogame-resistant) at high altitudes (between 500 and 920 m a.s.l.) with the traditional non-mountainous viticulture model.

Read More

Generation and characterization of a training population in Vitis vinifera for enhanced genomic selection

Context and purpose of the study. Modern viticulture is facing significant challenges due to global climate changes, spanning from extreme heat spells and water scarcity to the acceleration of grapevine’s phenological development with important consequences from budbreak to harvest.

Read More

Varietal thiol precursors in Trebbiano di Lugana grape and must

Trebbiano di Lugana (TdL) is a white variety of Vitis vinifera mainly cultivated in an Italian area located south near Garda lake (Verona, north of Italy). This grape cultivar, also known as “Turbiana,” is used for the production of TdL wine with recognized Protected Designation of Origin whose volatile profile was recently determined [1]. The presence of varietal thiols in TdL, namely 3-mercaptohexan-1-ol and its acetate form, conferring the tropical and citrus notes, has been documented. Winemaking strategies were also described with the purpose of protecting and maintain these desired aromas [2]. To the best of our knowledge, the varietal thiol precursors (VTPs) were not previously determined in TdL grape and must. This study aimed to quantify VTPs in both grape during the ripening and must during the pressing. Volatile C6 compounds were also measured in the must fractions.

Read More