Terroir 2012 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Conventions and methods towards landscape quality: an application in the Douro (Portugal)

Conventions and methods towards landscape quality: an application in the Douro (Portugal)

Abstract

Vineyards are one of the most recognizable icons of the Mediterranean landscapes and of its cultural identity. In Portugal, in the areas where the terroir are particularly adjusted to the vine culture (Appellation of Origin) important changes have been affecting the landscapes, as a result of both European Agricultural Policy and the international trade market of wine. In fact, important features of traditional vineyard landscapes have not always been taken into consideration as amenities or commodities to the regions development and the market of the wines.

The recognition of some wine regions as World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO and the recommendations of the European Landscape Convention may be seen as great opportunities to set up innovative concepts into innovative actions towards landscape quality as a fundamental pillar to sustainable development and to the commitment of the different stakeholders in its implementation. The definition of Landscape Quality Objectives in a collaborative way could be seen as the starting point to the implementation of concrete actions targeting the protection, planning and management of the winescapes on a multifunctional basis.

A discussion on opportunities and constrains of spatial planning tools and sector policies, like tourism, will be made, to find out concrete and legal opportunities. A combined reflection amongst the wine producers and other local stakeholders, technical and administration entities, local population and tourists are needed, in order to better understand the relevance of landscape quality in the future development of the winegrowing regions. An example in Douro Demarcated Region will be presented, based on results of the project ORTE as well as of other recent perception studies.

DOI:

Publication date: October 1, 2020

Issue: Terroir 2012

Type: Article

Authors

Ana LAVRADOR (1), Rosário OLIVEIRA (2), Elisabeth KASTENHOLZ (3)

(1) and (2) e-GEO, Research Centre for Geography and Regional Planning, Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal.
(3) Research Unity GOVCOPP, University of Aveiro, Portugal – Telephone: 00351962383275

Contact the author

Keywords

landscape quality, perception, tourism, Douro Demarcated Region

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2012

Citation

Related articles…

Effects of winemaking variables on the chemical and sensory quality of Schiava wines up to one year storage in bottle

The interactive effects of three major enological variables were evaluated on the quality of Schiava wine up to one year of storage in bottle.

USDA national grapevine germplasm resources: new curators, new directions

The National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) in the United States Department of Agriculture safeguards numerous species. Grapevines are split in two locations: Davis, CA and Geneva, NY. The two germplasms maintain 43 Vitis species with over 4500 genetically unique accessions.

Removal of white wine heat unstable proteins by using proteases and flash pasteurization-comparison with bentonites treatments

White wine protein haze can be prevented by removing the grape juice proteins, currently achieved by bentonite addition. To avoid wine volume loss and to minimizes aroma stripping, degrading haze-forming proteins in wine with proteases is a particularly interesting alternative to bentonite. In the present study, two fungal proteases treatments combined with different heating (50, 60, 72 °C) + refreshing steps, were applied on Gewürztraminer grape juice, and compared to bentonite treatments. The impact of these 19 treatments on the wine haze risks was determined by using two heat tests at 50 °C (heating during 30 to 120 min) and 80 °C (heating during 5 to 60 min). The protein contents and compositions were also estimated using the SDS-PAGE + densitometric integration techniques.

FUNGAL DIVERSITY AND DYNAMICS IN CHAMPAGNE VINEYARDS: FROM VINE TO WINE

Champagne is a well-known wine region in Northern France with distinct terroirs and three main grape varieties. As for any vineyard, wine quality is highly linked to the microbiological characteristics of the raw materials. However, Champagne grape microbiota, especially its fungal component, has yet to be fully characterized. Our study focused on describing this mycobiota, from vine to small scale model wine, for the two main Champagne grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Meunier, using complementary cultural and omics approaches.

Iso-/anisohydric behavior in wine grapes may be a matter of soil moisture

There are claims that wine grape cultivars are either isohydric or anisohydric; the former maintaining, and the latter decreasing, their plant water status as soil moisture declines. However, available information is inconsistent. There are those that show an existence of a continuum in cultivar response to soil moisture rather than a distinct categorization. Others even show both behaviors in the same cultivar grown in different environments. In this study we investigated the behavior of 30 own rooted Vitis vinifera cultivars during successive drydown and rewatering cycles over two growing seasons in arid eastern Washington (<200 mm annual precipitation).