Terroir 2006 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2006 9 Contributions to the definition of terroir (Terroir 2006) 9 Wine growing terroirs: management of potential. New issues at stake for AOCs in France

Wine growing terroirs: management of potential. New issues at stake for AOCs in France

Abstract

Terroirs represent a heritage that must be studied and managed with appropriate methods; recourse to agronomic and oenological sciences alone is necessary, but is in no way sufficient without the contribution of the humanities.
The wine growing terroirs have undergone five major transformations in the space of 150 years, but nowadays we are witnessing a threefold pressure in terms of change concentrated over a short period:
– climate change, altering the « vine varieties – environments » correlation.
– a change in wine consumption habits, especially among young people and throughout the world.
– the emergence of environmental concerns with their consequences on the chemical means used to combat the enemies of the vine.
To rise to the challenge posed by these changes, recent research results must be taken into account by the AOCs, considering not the techniques in isolation, but the socio-technical itineraries all along the chain of potentialities in the production process from the grapes to the wine in the glass. To the extent that AOCs put in place collective structures for controlling the vine vigour and furthering the integrated control over their demarcated areas, they will be rapidly able to meet the challenges presented by these change-related pressures. Recent results have made it possible to support initiatives by producers and are meeting with success: several examples are analysed and discussed.

DOI:

Publication date: December 22, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2006

Type: Article

Authors

François RONCIN

Délégué national recherche et environnement, INAO, 51 rue d’Anjou, 75008 Paris, France

Contact the author

Keywords

wine growing terroirs, AOC, integrated production

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2006

Citation

Related articles…

The use of unripe frozen musts for modulating wine characteristics throughout acidity correction – effects on volatile and amino acid composition

As environmental issues come more to the fore, vineyards residues are being looked at as solutions rather than problems. Aiming to develop a sustainable methodology for musts acidity correction in the process of winemaking, much needed in warm regions, the present study was performed according to Circular Economy values.

Study of the grape glycosidic aroma precursors by crossing SPE-GC/MS, SPME-GC/MS and LC/QTOF methods

Depending on the variety, grapes contain several chemical classes of aromatic compounds (i.e., terpenols, norisoprenoids, benzenoids) mainly stored as glycosides in berry skin.

Phenotypic variations of primary metabolites yield during alcoholic fermentation in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae species

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as the workhorse of alcoholic fermentation, is a major actor of winemaking. In this context, this yeast species uses alcoholic fermentation to convert sugars from the grape must into ethanol and CO2 with an outstanding efficiency: it reaches on average 92% of the maximum theoretical yield of conversion. Moreover, S. cerevisiae is also known for its great genetic diversity and plasticity that is directly related to its living environment, natural or technological and therefore to domestication. This leads to a great phenotypic diversity of metabolites production.

Reaction Mechanisms of Copper and Iron with Hydrogen Sulfide and Thiols in Model Wine

Fermentation derived sulfidic off-odors due to hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and low molecular weight thiols are commonly encountered in wine production and removed by Cu(II) fining. However, the mechanism underlying Cu(II) fining remains poorly understood, and generally results in increased Cu concentration that lead to deleterious reactions in finished wine. The present study describes a mechanistic investigation of the iron and copper mediated reaction of H2S, cysteine, 3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol, and 6-sulfanylhexan-1-ol with oxygen. The concentrations of H2S, thiols, oxygen, and acetaldehyde were monitored over time. It was found that Cu(II) was rapidly reduced by both H2S and thiols to Cu(I).

Data integration via modeling for adaptation to climate change and efficiency breeding in grapevine

Climate can greatly affect grape yield and quality (van Leeuwen et al., 2024). Growing suitable cultivars in a given region and or breed environmental resilient cultivars are essential for maintaining viticulture sustainability, particularly in the face of climate change (Wolkovich et al., 2018).