Terroir 2014 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Terroir Conferences 9 Terroir 2014 9 Grape growing climates, climate variability 9 The terroir of winter hardiness: a three year investigation of spatial variation in winter hardiness, water status, yield, and berry composition of riesling in the niagara region using geomatic technologies

The terroir of winter hardiness: a three year investigation of spatial variation in winter hardiness, water status, yield, and berry composition of riesling in the niagara region using geomatic technologies

Abstract

Grapevine winter hardiness is a key factor in vineyard success in many cool climate wine regions. Winter hardiness may be governed by several factors in addition to extreme weather conditions – e.g. soil factors (texture, chemical composition, moisture, drainage), vine water status, and yield– that are unique to each site. It was hypothesized that winter hardiness would be influenced by specific terroir factors of a vineyard, and that vines with low water status [based on leaf water potential (leaf ψ)] would be more winter hardy than vines with high water status (less negative leaf ψ). Six different Riesling vineyard blocks throughout the Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada were chosen. Data were collected every six weeks, at fruit set, lag phase, and veraison (soil moisture, leaf ψ), at harvest (yield components, berry composition), and three times during the winter (LT50; the temperature at which 50 % of the buds die; bud death) in the 2010-12 seasons. Interpolation and mapping of the variables was completed using the kriging interpolation method (ArcGIS 10.1) and statistical analyses (linear correlation, k-means clustering, principal components analysis, multilinear regression) were performed using XLSTAT. Clear spatial trends were observed in each vineyard for soil moisture, leaf ψ, yield components, berry composition, and LT50. GIS and statistical analysis revealed that both leaf ψ and berry weight could predict the LT50 value, with particularly strong positive correlations observed between LT50 and leaf ψ values in most of the vineyard blocks in 2010-11 (4/6 and 5/6, respectively). In the extremely dry 2012 season, leaf ψ (range across sites at veraison 0.9 to 1.4 MPa) was positively correlated to LT50, yield, titratable acidity, pH, and Brix and negatively to soil moisture and monoterpene concentration in Riesling. Overall, vineyards in different appellations showed many similarities (Niagara Lakeshore, Lincoln Lakeshore, Four Mile Creek, Beamsville Bench). These results suggest that there is a spatial component to winter injury, as with other aspects of terroir. Furthermore, this study allows for means by which to compare winter hardiness to other critical variables in order to better understand the terroir of the Niagara region. 

DOI:

Publication date: August 11, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2014

Type: Article

Authors

Andrew REYNOLDS, Mary JASINSKI, Fred DIPROFIO, Audrey PASQUIER, MAXIME TOUFFET, and Rea FELLMAN

Contact the author

Keywords

Soil moisture, leaf water potential, LT50, monoterpenes, GPS, GIS 

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2014

Citation

Related articles…

Identification of key-odorants in Sauternes Wines

The aim of the present work was to investigate Sauternes wines aromas. The flavor profiles of two wines (vintages 2002 and 2003) were investigated. Key-odorants have been determined by AEDA applied to Amberlite XAD-2 resin extracts. Various complementary techniques were used to identify the compounds (pHMB extraction, chemical synthesis of non-commercial standards, co-injections on two capillary columns, odor description at the sniffing port, GC-MS and GC-PFPD).

GrapeBreed4IPM: developing sustainable solutions for viticulture through multi-actor innovation targeting breeding for integrated pest management

According to the World Economic Forum and the European Union’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the loss of biodiversity and the collapse of ecosystems are major threats facing humanity in the future.

The impact of selected odorant combinations in wine oxidative aroma and their interactive role on the olfactory perception

It is widely known the impact that oxidation has on wine sensory degradation and eventually, in the shortening of its longevity.

Characterization of winegrape berries’ composition on sorting tables using hyperspectral imaging and AI

Comprehensive evaluation of grape composition at winery receiving areas often requires multiple measurements to ensure representativeness, as well as the use of analytical techniques that are time-consuming and involve sample preparation.

Estimating bulk stomatal conductance of grapevine canopies

In response to changes in their environment, grapevines regulate transpiration using various physiological mechanisms that alter conductance of water through the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Expressed as bulk stomatal conductance at the canopy scale, it varies diurnally in response to changes in vapor pressure deficit and net radiation, and over the season to changes in soil water deficits and hydraulic conductivity of both soil and plant. It is necessary to characterize the response of conductance to these variables to better model how vine transpiration also responds to these variables. Furthermore, to be relevant for vineyard-scale modeling, conductance is best characterized using data collected in a vineyard setting. Applying a crop canopy energy flux model developed by Shuttleworth and Wallace, bulk stomatal conductance was estimated using measurements of individual vine sap flow, temperature and humidity within the vine canopy, and estimates of net radiation absorbed by the vine canopy. These measurements were taken on several vines in a non-irrigated vineyard in Bordeaux France, using equipment that did not interfere with ongoing vineyard operations. An inverted Penman-Monteith equation was then used to calculate bulk stomatal conductance on 15-minute intervals from July to mid-September 2020. Time-series plots show significant diurnal variation and seasonal decreases in conductance, with overall values similar to those in the literature. Global sensitivity analysis using non-parametric regression found transpiration flux and vapor pressure deficit to be the most important input variables to the calculation of bulk stomatal conductance, with absorbed net radiation and bulk boundary layer conductance being much less important. Conversely, bulk stomatal conductance was one of the most important inputs when calculating vine transpiration, further emphasizing the need for characterizing its response to environmental changes for use in vineyard water use modeling.