Terroir 2004 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Study of wine-growing land (“terroir”) characteristics in the canton of Vaud (Switzerland): ecophysiological behaviour of the vine (cv. Chasselas)

Study of wine-growing land (“terroir”) characteristics in the canton of Vaud (Switzerland): ecophysiological behaviour of the vine (cv. Chasselas)

Abstract

A study of the physiological and agronomical behaviour of the vine (cv. Chasselas) was conducted between 2001 and 2003 by the Swiss Federal Research Station for Plant Production at Changins (Agroscope RAC Changins) on various wine-growing farms (terroirs) in the Canton of Vaud (Switzerland), as part of a study project on Vaudois vines and vineyards in association with the firm I. Letessier (SIGALES) in Grenoble and the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL).
In order to identify the typical characteristics of Vaudois wine-growing plots or “terroirs”, the chosen working method attempted to integrate all factors susceptible of influencing “terroir” functions : on the one hand, natural parameters (geology, soil and climate), and, on the other hand, vine response, the most important indicator of ‘terroir” value.
The study of vine behaviour was carried out over a region comprising about fifty Chasselas plots spread out over four pilot zones (1000 ha approximately). The defined pedological units, which are representative of vineyards, led to pertinent plant responses, in particular concerning hydrous plant reactions in the vine, its vegetative outgrowth, in addition to qualitative characteristics of the harvest.

Related articles…

Politics meets terroir. The story of Prosecco – Are GI’s just a protectionist racket?

The recent Free Trade Agreement negotiations between Australia and the European Union have again put the issue of Geographical Indications (GIs) in the spotlight. Australia has long demonstrated its understanding of GIs and maintains a clear and rigorous GI protection system for wine. For many years, Australia’s wine sector was a strong advocate for GIs and a strong system to protect the

Yeast interactions in chardonnay wine fermentation: impact of different yeast species using ultra high resolution mass spectrometry

During alcoholic fermentation, when yeasts grow simultaneously, they often do not coexist passively and in most cases interact with each others

Carry over effect of shoot trimming and deficit irrigation on fruit yield and berry total soluble solids

The increase in air temperature that is occurring in many important wine-growing areas around the world is resulting in the decoupling between the phenolic and the technological maturity of grapevine berries. This new ripening pattern leads to the production of light-bodied high alcoholic wines, but this is in countertendency with the increasing consumers’ demand for wines with low-to-mid alcohol concentrations. The oenological techniques proposed to reduce wine alcohol content are often very expensive and lead to detrimental effects on wine quality. Many viticultural practices have been proposed to slow down sugar accumulation the berry. One possible strategy that was previously found to be suitable for Aglianico grapevine is post-veraison shoot trimming. The aim of this work was to assess the carry over effects on the following year of shoot trimming and vine water status on yield and total soluble solids because the expected reduction in vine fertility could lead to a reduction in the effectiveness of shoot trimming.

Optical visualization of embolism spread in drought‐induced leaves: revealing differences across three grapevine genotypes

‐Evaluation of xylem embolism is an important challenge in identifying drought tolerant genotypes within the context of climate change.

Market entry strategies in the U.S. alcohol distribution: The case of French wine exporters

This study examines the different strategies adopted by wine exporters located in France for penetrating international alcohol distribution networks in the U.S. market (and to a lesser extent the Canadian market). Grounded in the Business-to-Business (B2B) marketing literature (Ellegaard and Medlin, 2018), this study adopts a framework integrating a ‘Stakeholder’ approach for understanding the logics behind exporters’ strategies to penetrate the alcohol distribution networks (wholesalers, importers, alcohol monopolies).