Terroir 2006 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2006 9 Integrated approach in terroir studies (Terroir 2006) 9 The use of local knowledge relating to vineyard performance to identify viticultural terroirs in Stellenbosch and surrounds

The use of local knowledge relating to vineyard performance to identify viticultural terroirs in Stellenbosch and surrounds

Abstract

A terroir represents grouping of homogenous environmental units, or natural terroir units, based on the typicality of the products obtained. Identification and characterisation of terroirs depends on knowledge of environmental parameters, the functioning of the grapevine and characteristics of the final product, which must be placed in a spatial context. Field studies, resulting in point data, are considered to be necessary to investigate the functioning of the grapevine, but the use of representative sites to determine the response of the grapevine to its environment is time consuming and costly and limits terroir studies to research related investigations. We surveyed vineyard managers on their perceptions of the functioning of established Sauvignon blanc vineyards in the Stellenbosch Wine of Origin District. Comparison of data generated with these questionnaires to measured data in commercial vineyards suggested that the vineyard managers were able to characterise the performance of vineyards with respect to vigour, signs of drought stress and yield. Each vineyard was mapped and the responses were linked to modelled environmental variables. This data was used to construct decision trees, which could be applied to environmental data in a geographic information system to determine viticultural terroirs for production of Sauvignon blanc.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2006

Type: Article

Authors

Victoria A. CAREY (1), Eben ARCHER (1), Gérard BARBEAU (3) and Dawid SAAYMAN (3)

(1) Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, 7602 Matieland, South Africa
(2) Unité Vigne et Vin, Centre INRA d’Angers, 42 rue G. Morel, BP 57, 49071 Beaucouzé, France
(3) Distell, P.O. Box 184, 7599 Stellenbosch, South Africa

Contact the author

Keywords

GIS, survey, Sauvignon blanc, vineyard managers, terroir

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2006

Citation

Related articles…

Evaluation of wood starch content on bench grafting success rate in grapevine

Since the emergence of phylloxera, grafting has been the most used propagation method in viticulture. Despite all the improvement measures implemented in the nurseries, it is frequent that graft success rates vary depending on the nursery process and scion/rootstock combinations. The reasons behind this unsatisfactory behaviour are still unknown and can be diverse, although carbohydrate reserves might be hypothesised to be crucial, since callus, root, and new tissue formation will be built based on them. In order to identify the effect of carbohydrates on grafting success, nine combinations were established based on the starch content in grapevine scionwoods (cv. Tempranillo clone VN69) and rootstocks cuttings (110 Richter clone 237) used for grafting: Low (L), Medium (M), High (H).
Read More

Unraveling the role of grape cell wall in shaping the fermentation rate, the polyphenolic profile and quality of red wines from disease-resistant and drought-tolerant grapes in Occitanie varietal selection

Climate change and an evolving environmental and societal context call for the exploration of disease-resistant and/or drought-adapted grape varieties that meet the demands of consumers and society.

Read More

Towards the definition of a detailed transcriptomic map of grape berry development

In the last years the application of genomic tools to the analysis of gene expression during grape berry development generated a huge amount of transcriptomic data

Read More

Oenological potential of indigenous greek grape varieties and their clones

Vine clone selection aims at the survival of clones with particularly desireable attributes for the production of high quality wines. The purpose of this research was to study the enological potential of the clones of Greek indigenous grape varieties over two vintages, 2018 and 2019.
METHODS: Two clones of the white grape varieties Moschofilero (E26 and E27), Assyrtiko (E11 and 16), Roditis (25E16 and 02E1E21) and two clones of the red grape varieties Xinomavro (19 and E2E30) and Agiorgitiko (03E40 and 41E47) were vinified under the same protocol for the white wines and common for the red wines in 2018 and 2019. The resulting products were studied for several enological parameters such as alcohol content, volatile acidity, pH, total phenolics, anthocyanins and tannins for the red wines, as well as browning tests for the white wines. The aroma profile of these ten samples was investigated through sensory analysis with intensity rating of individual attributes on a five-point scale by a trained panel.

Read More

Impact of dried stems in winemaking on Veneto Passito wines

The use of stems during fermentation is generally avoided due to the herbaceous off-odors they can impart to the wine. [1].

Read More