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…

Thermal risk assessment for viticulture using monthly temperature data

Temperature extremes affect grapevine physiology, as well as grape quality and production. In most grape growing regions, frost or heat wave events are rare and as such conducting a risk analysis using robust statistics makes the use of long term daily data necessary.

Influence of the unité de terroir base on the typicity of winesin the AOC Priorat in Tarragona

L’AOC Priorat, située derrière les montagnes du pré littoral de Tarragone, se caractérise par un climat méditerranéen avec une tendance à la continentalité et très peu de précipitation pendant le cycle végétatif. Les sols sont secs, pauvres et caillouteux, formés par des schistes. Au cours des années 2000 et 2001, une étude de l’influence du terroir sur la typicité des vins du Priorat a été réalisée en prenant comme référence trois cépages cultivés dans différentes parceIles pour mesurer l’effet du terroir et du mésoclimat sur la qualité des vins:

Development of a new sustainable filtering media for wine and beer clarification and sterilisation

Different separation techniques are frequently used during vinification process. Nowadays, clarification and microbiological stabilization of wine or beer can be done using precoat filters or crossflow filters to remove yeast and bacteria. Kieselguhr powders are the most used filter aids for precoat filtration. Their crystalline structure and their pulverulent nature induce ecotoxicological risks when used. Moreover, regeneration and reuse of these filter aids is not efficient and the filtration waste requires cost effective retreatment.

Impact of climate change on the viticultural climate of the Protected Designation of Origin “Jumilla” (SE Spain)

Protected Designation of Origin “Jumilla” (PDO Jumilla) is located in the Spanish provinces of Albacete and Murcia, in the South-eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, where most of the models predict a severe impact of climate change in next decades. PDO Jumilla covers an area of 247,054 hectares, of which more than 22,000 hectares

Fertilization with Seaweed (Laminaria japonica) on the characteristics of the bunch and the quality of the grape must of ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’

The objective of the present work was to study the influence of the foliar application of seaweed (Laminaria japonica), on the bunch and on the must in the ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ grape. The experiment was carried out in the years 2021/2022, in a 21-year-old commercial vineyard, in the municipality of “Dom Pedrito” – “Rio Grande do Sul” (RS). A completely randomized experimental design was used, with 4 treatments and 4 replications (7 plants per replication). The treatments were: T1- control treatment; T2- Exal Powder 5 g L-1; T3- Hidro Exal 15 ml L-1; T4- Exal Powder 5 g L-1+ Hidro Exal 15 ml L-1.