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.

Download the PDF

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…

A microbial overview of txakoli wine: the case of three appellations of origin

The Txakoli, a white wine produced in the Basque Country (North of Spain), has recently gained popularity due to wine quality improvement and increase in both acreages of production and wine consumption. The aim of this study was to characterize the chemical and microbiological differences between Txakoli wines made with grapes from different sites.
Read More

What to do to solve the riddle of vine rootstock induced drought tolerance

Climate change will increase the frequency of water deficit situation in some European regions, by the increase of the evapotranspiration and the reduction of rainfalls during the growing cycle. This requires finding ways of adaptation, including the use of plant material which is more tolerant to drought. In addition to the varieties used as scions that result in the typicality of wines, rootstocks constitute a relevant way of adaptation to more stressful environmental conditions.

Read More

Grape stems as preservative in Tempranillo wine

SO2 is the most widely used preservative in the wine industry. However, there are several drawbacks related with the use of SO2 in wine such as its toxicity and the unpleasant odor in case of excess.

Read More

Late pruning, an alternative for rainfed vine varieties facing new climatic conditions

In Chile there is a dry farming area known as a traditional wine region, where varieties brought by the Spanish conquerors still persist. These varieties, in general, are cultivated under traditional systems, with low use of technical and economic resources, and low profitability for their grapes and wines. In this region, as in other wine grape growing areas, climatic conditions have changed significantly in recent decades. In particular, the occurrence of spring frosts, when bud break has already begun, have generated significant losses for these growers.

Read More

1H NMR spectroscopy data to discriminate Petit verdot wines from three different soil types in the São Francisco valley, Brazil

Tropical wines have been produced in the São Francisco river Valley thirty years ago, in the Northeast of Brazil. The main grape cultivar used for red tropical wines is ‘Syrah’, but wines have presented fast evolution, if they were made in the first or second semester, due to the high values of pH in grapes and wines and high climate temperatures.

Read More