The role of œnology in the enhancement of terroir expression

The interaction between wine and landscapes is of an unsuspected richness. On the one side, the vineyards form part of the landscapes which they model. On the other side, the wines are related in their perception to the image of a region, a landscape and are at the origin of a cultural richness.

Xinomavro is the most important indigenous red wine variety grown in Northern Greece. It participates in the production of several PGI wines in Macedonia while from 100% Xinomavro the PDO “Amyndeon” and “Naoussa” are produced. The viticultural area of Amyndeon lies in a plateau of 550 ‐700 m of altitude, in a semi‐continental climate with mostly deep sandy loamy soils derived from limestone and marl bedrocks while in Naoussa, Xinomavro is grown in a Mediterranean climate on more heavy textured soils, sandy clay loam to clay, derived from ophiolithic, limestone and marl bedrocks, in an altitude which varies from 150 to 400 m. Different soil, climate and viticultural technique interactions, result in great variability with respect to morphological, ampelographical and physiological characters of Xinomavro as well as in the characteristics of the wines produced. 

The characterization of « the soil effect » in vine growing is often limited to the description of the physical components of the terroir. Many works were done in this direction and corresponded to geological, pedological or agronomical approaches. However, if the physical environment influences the vine and its grapes, its effect becomes limited at the scale of exploitation. Thus, it could be important to consider how the viticulturist « translated » the potential.

Besides location and microclimatic conditions, soil plays an important role in the quality of grapes and wine. Soil properties influence…

Terroir is not only a geographical site, but it is a more complex concept able to express the “collective knowledge of the interactions” between the environment and the vines mediated through human action and “providing distinctive characteristics” to the final product (OIV 2010). It is often treated and accepted as a “black box”, in which the relationships between wine and its origin have not been clearly explained. Nevertheless, it is well known that terroir expression is strongly dependent on the physical environment, and in particular on the interaction between soil-plant and atmosphere system, which influences the grapevine responses, grapes composition and wine quality. The Terroir studying and mapping are based on viticultural zoning procedures, obtained with different levels of know-how, at different spatial and temporal scales, empiricism and complexity in the description of involved bio-physical processes, and integrating or not the multidisciplinary nature of the terroir. The scientific understanding of the mechanisms ruling both the vineyard variability and the quality of grapes is one of the most important scientific focuses of terroir research. In fact, this know-how is crucial for supporting the analysis of climate change impacts on terroir resilience, identifying new promised lands for viticulture, and driving vineyard management toward a target oenological goal. In this contribution, an overview of the last findings in terroir studies and approaches will be shown with special attention to the terroir resilience analysis to climate change, facing the use and abuse of terroir concept and new technology able to support it and identifying the terroir zones.