Terroir 2006 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The impact of differences in soil texture within a vineyard on vine development and wine quality

The impact of differences in soil texture within a vineyard on vine development and wine quality

Abstract

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has rapidly gained an international reputation for style and quality. The extent to which this can be attributed to the climate, soils or vineyard management is at present unclear. However, the young alluvial soils of the Wairau Plains are considered to play an important role in determining this unique wine style. Marked changes in soil texture occur on the Wairau Plains over short distances. These changes reflect the historical braided nature of the Wairau River, and often run at right angles (east-west) to the north-south orientation of vineyard rows. Trunk circumferences were measured on whole rows of vines in a vineyard on the Wairau Plains to identify vines exhibiting different vigour levels. Vine vigour as reflected by trunk circumference and pruning weight was increased with the depth to gravel, while fine root density was greater in the gravelly phases of the soil profile. Vine phenology was more advanced where vines were growing on gravelly soils, in particular time of flowering (by 3 days), veraison (by 7 days), soluble sugars at harvest (by 11 days) and the onset of leaf senescence (by 60 days). We conclude that within a vineyard, the higher the proportion of gravelly soils, the more advanced the vine phenology and the riper the fruit and ultimately wine style will be on a particular date.

DOI:

Publication date: December 22, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2006

Type: Article

Authors

Michael TROUGHT (1), Robyn DIXON (1), Tim MILLS (2), Marc GREVEN (3), Robert AGNEW (3), Jeffrey L. MAUK (2) and John-Paul PRAAT (4)

(1) Marlborough Wine Research Centre, PO Box 845, Blenheim, New Zealand
(2) Auckland University, Auckland, New Zealand
(3) HortResearch, Marlborough Wine Research Centre, Blenheim, New Zealand
(4) Lincoln Ventures Ltd., Hamilton, New Zealand

Contact the author

Keywords

terroir, Sauvignon Blanc, soil texture, fruit development, vine phenology

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2006

Citation

Related articles…

Challenges for the Implementation of commercial inoculum of arbuscular fungi in a commercial Callet vineyard (Vitis vinifera L.)

Over the past 70 years, scientific literature has consistently illustrated the advantageous effects of arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi (AMF) on plant growth and stress tolerance. Recent reviews not only reaffirm these findings but also underscore the pivotal role of AMF in ensuring the sustainability of viticulture. In fact, various companies actively promote commercial inoculants based on AMF as biofertilizers or biostimulants for sustainable viticulture. However, despite the touted benefits of these products, the consistent effectiveness of AMF inoculants in real-world field conditions remains uncertain.

CHARACTERIZATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF YEAST BIOACTIVE PEPTIDES RELEASED DURING FERMENTATION AND AUTOLYSIS IN MODEL WINE

Aging wine on lees is a consolidated practice during which some yeast components (e.g., polysaccharides,
proteins, peptides) are released and solubilized in wine thus, affecting its stability and quality.
Apart from the widely studied mannoproteins, the role of other yeast components in modulating wine
characteristics is still scarce. Wine peptides have been studied for their contribution to taste, antioxidant,
and antihypertensive potentials. However, the peptides detected in wine can be influenced by the
interaction between yeasts and grape components.

Towards an ecological architecture inspired by underground cellars: An example of the thermal inertia of Moldovan underground cellars and new geothermal and Canadian well approaches

The search for underground shelters is one of the oldest forms of human habitation, providing refuge in extreme environments such as deserts and polar regions.

Report on the work carried out by the zoning group of the O.I.V.

La création officielle du groupe Experts Zonage Vitivinicole à l’O.I.V., qui s’inscrit dans la Commission Viticulture, est récente. Le Professeur Mario FREGONI en assure la présidence depuis 1998, assisté du vice-président et du secrétaire général Mario FALCETTI. Ils ont été confirmés dans leurs fonctions lors des sessions de mars 2001. Actuellement, le groupe d’experts Zonage Vitivinicole de l’O.I.V. se compose de 40 délégués, représentant 18 pays membres. La mise en place de ce groupe a tout d’abord été initiée par l’Instituto Agrario de San Michele (Italie) et l’Unité de Recherches Vigne et Vin du Centre INRA d’Angers (France). Une collaboration entre les chercheurs s’est installée très tôt, dès 1987.

Plant fibers in comparison with other fining agents for the re-duction of pesticide residues and the effect on the volitile profile of Austrian white and red wines.

Pesticide residues in Austrian wines have so far been poorly documented. In 250 wines, 33 grape musts and 45 musts in fermentation, no limit values were exceeded, but in some cases high lev-els (>0.100 mg/l) of single residues were found, meaning that a reduction of these levels before bottling could make sense. In the course of this study, a white and a red wine were spiked with a mix of 23 pesticide residues from the group of fungicides (including botryticides), herbicides and insecticides. The influence of the following treatments on residue concentrations and volatile profiles were investigated: two activated charcoal products, a bentonite clay, two commer-cial mixed fining agents made of bentonite and charcoal, two yeast cell wall products, and a plant fiber-based novel filter additive. The results of this study show that all the agents tested reduced both residues and aromavolatile compounds in wine, with activated charcoal having the strongest effect and bentonite the weakest. The mixed agents and yeast wall products showed less aroma losses than charcoal products, but also lower residue reduction. Plant fibers showed good reduction of pesticides with moderate aroma damage, but these results need to be con-firmed under practical conditions.