Terroir and climate: the role of homoclime matching

Abstract

Climate is an important component or determinant of terroir, especially at the regional level. One can define three levels of terroir. These are the macro– or regional scale, which applies over tens of kilometres of the landscape. The second level is the meso- scale, which applies over kilometres or hundreds of meters, at the individual vineyard scale. The third level of terroir is at the micro- level, and it applies to individual vines, or parts of them. This is measured over a scale of meters to centimetres. Over two thousand years of experience of observing terroir, and more recently by scientific studies, man has shown that the principal determinant of terroir at the regional scale is that of climate. At the meso-scale, the principal determinants of terroir are topographical features such as slope or aspect. At the micro level, where differences may be seen from vine to vine, the influences are primarily those of the soil. One can therefore identify appropriate methods of study for terroir at these three levels. For the macro scale terroir the appropriate analysis is that of climate, in particular temperature and rainfall, and typically using long term average data. For the second two levels of terroir, that being meso- and micro-, modern research approaches use GIS (Geographic Information Systems). The use of GIS typically involves imagery showing soil or vine attributes.

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2006

Type: Article

Authors

Richard E. SMART and John GWALTER

Smart Viticulture, PO Box 350 Newstead, Tasmania 7250 Australia

Contact the author

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2006

Citation

Related articles…

Wine metabolomics and sensory profile in relation to terroir: A case study focusing on different wine-growing areas of Piacenza Province (Italy)

Aim: In this work, we have optimized a robust methodology for investigating possible correlations between the phytochemical profile of wine and the terroir (including the climate), considering the specific wine-growing area. In particular, the untargeted metabolomic and sensorial profiles of Gutturnio DOC commercial wines (both still and “frizzante” types) from different production areas in the Piacenza province were determined. The geographical areas taken into consideration for this study consisted in Val Tidone, Val Nure and Val d’Arda.

The colour pattern of flower arrangements influence wine tasters’ sensory description

The arrangements of flowers and wine counterparts are inextricably linked. Whether a fundamental aspect of tablescaping or acolytes to broader entertainment rituals, they have an entangled history since ancient times. The aim of this contribution is to verify the influence of visually delicate and robust flower arrangements on individual description of wines. Changes in the sensory description of wines were investigated during subjects’ (thirty-two participants) exposure to three different conditions: the presence of delicate, robust, or totally absent flower arrangements. In each condition, the same two wines were blind tasted: a wine previously defined as delicate – a Pinot Noir from Australia, and a wine known for its robust character – a Tannat from Uruguay.

Monitoring small-scale alcoholic fermentations using a portable FTIR-ATR spectrometer and multivariate analysis

Although some wine production processes still rely on post-production evaluation and off-site laboratory analysis, the new winemaking industry is aware of a need for a better knowledge of the process to improve the properties of the final product. Thus, more and more wineries are interested in incorporating quality-by-design (QbD) strategies instead of postproduction testing because of the possibility to early detect deviations in fermentation or any other wine process. This would allow to detect unwanted situations and eventually to ‘readjust’ the process, thus minimizing rejects.

Molecular approaches for understanding and modulating wine taste

Wine consumers generally demand wines having a perception of softer tannins and less ripe, having a heaviness and richness on palate (full-body wine) with a limpid and stable color. However, polyphenol
(tannins)-rich wines have been also correlated with unpleasant taste properties such as astringency and
bitterness when perceived at high intensities. Modulating these unpleasant properties could be important for consumer’s approval of wines.

Effect of mannoproteins extracted from Torulaspora delbrueckii on wine flavanol composition and on flavanol-salivary protein interactions

Global climate change is exerting an influence on vine phenology, leading to a decoupling of technological and phenolic maturity of grapes. This results in the modification of berry chemical composition, which can translate into wines with excessive astringency. The addition of mannoproteins (MP) to wine has been proposed as a way of mitigating this problem, since some studies have shown that MPs can modulate wine astringency. However, the mechanism underlying the astringency modulation effect of MPs is not well known and it seems to be dependent on the compositional and structural characteristics of the MP.