Terroir 2006 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The sensory features of the landscapes

The sensory features of the landscapes

Abstract

When someone watches a hilly landscape, the image beauty creates emotions and frames of mind not easily forgettable, but sometimes man’s intervention by means of soil movement and reduction of the natural biodiversity can significantly modify the landscape and consequently the above-mentioned emotions. One speculates if sensory appreciation of a wine may be strongly affected by psychological factor: landscape beauty. Just before the beginning of the trial, an analysis of the territorial features (morphology, vineyard extension, biodiversity, etc.) was performed in order to well characterise the typical landscape of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene hills. Since 2004 sensory evaluations of Prosecco wines coming from the two above mentioned viticultural areas was carried out with the aim to evaluate how landscape emotionally influences wine appreciation. The results proved the important role of the frame of mind (created by the projected images) on wine perception: landscape becomes an added value for the wines. A change in the original morphology of the landscape will result in a different emotional acceptability, and also the wine quality perception will be affected. In this trial, both the chemical composition of the grapes (sugars and aroma compounds) and the sensory perception of the wines (olfactory notes) were shown to be significantly influenced by soil movement. There is a loss of vocation due to the soil disruption, and a comparison between natural and moved soils proved that there was a great difference in terms of microbial activity and root development probably due to the lack of organic matter.

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2006

Type: Article

Authors

Diego TOMASI (1), Paolo SIVILOTTI (1), Domenico LUCIANI (2) and Marzio POL (3)

(1) CRA-Istituto Sperimentale per la Viticoltura, Viale XXVIII Aprile 26, 31015 Conegliano (TV), Italy
(2) Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche, Treviso, Italy
(3) Enologist, Treviso, Italy

Contact the author

Keywords

Landscapes, earth movement, root distribution, grape composition, wine sensory analysis

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2006

Citation

Related articles…

Phenolic composition and physicochemical analysis of wines made with the Syrah grape under double pruning in the Brazilian high-altitude Cerrado

This study explores the growing potential of vitiviniculture in Brazil’s Federal District, an emerging wine region marked by unique climatic conditions and innovative cultivation techniques.

Potential of new genetic resources to improve drought adaptation of grapevine rootstocks

Grapevines are grown mainly as grafts worldwide, but the rootstocks most commonly used were selected between the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are based on reduced genetic diversity[1]. In the context of climate change, it is indeed urgent to diversify the range of rootstocks with genotypes much more adapted to drier environments, than the existing ones[2]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of new genetic resources for grapevine rootstock breeding programs. For this purpose, 12 American and Asian wild Vitis species (3 to 5 accessions per species = 50 accessions) were evaluated for their rooting ability and drought response.

From vine to wine : a multi-trait experiment for increasing the varietal diversity in the bordeaux wine region. How to adapt to climate change without damaging terroir expression?

Context and purpose of the study climate change is impacting wine typicity across the globe, raising concerns in wine regions historically renowned for the quality of their terroir. Replacing some of the plant material can be an efficient lever for adapting to climate change. However, the change of cultivars also raises questions about the region’s wine typicity. This study, based on seven years of data, investigates the potential adaptability of over 50 different varieties in the bordeaux wine region.

Characterizing the molecular basis of the differences in aromatic precursors found in commercial clones of Vitis vinifera cv. Tannat

Uruguay is known for the production of Tannat wines, which is a neutral variety from an aroma point of view, but capable of providing aromatic precursors that are of interest in the production of wines for ageing. The main aromatic precursors present are glycosidic compounds and carotenoids. The contribution of carotenoid degradation by-products such as norisoprenoids to wine aroma is fundamental, as they are associated with pleasant aroma descriptors and very low olfactory perception thresholds. Several factors have been shown to influence carotenoid concentrations in grapes, such as cultivar, climatic conditions, viticultural region, plant water status, exposure to sunlight and ripening stage.

Perception, liking and emotional response of tropical fruit aromas in Chardonnay wines

Tropical fruit aromas in wines are thought to be important to wine consumers, although there is little research to confirm this statement. With so many wine styles available, it has become important to understand the qualities that are desirable to consumers and how to achieve those qualities. Thiols and esters are compounds that have been found to cause tropical fruit aromas in chardonnay (ref). Fermentation temperature gradients and skin contact were found to increase these compounds using micro scale fermentations. This work aimed to scale up these fermentations/operations to determine if the desired tropical fruit aromas could still be achieved and if there is a perceivable difference in tropical fruit aromas, liking, and emotional response in the wines at the consumer level.