Terroir 2008 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 The influence of tertiary and quaternary deposits on the viticultural potential of the terroirs to be found in Geneva, Switzerland

The influence of tertiary and quaternary deposits on the viticultural potential of the terroirs to be found in Geneva, Switzerland

Abstract

The 1365 ha of the Genevese vineyard are located at the south-western corner of the Swiss plateau, between 395m and 505 m altitude. The vineyard is spread on quaternary deposits left behind after the melting of glaciers (12000 years BP) and tertiary molassic rocks (Chattien, 24 Ma). A soil map on the scale of 1:7500 was produced from 850 auger probes and 90 soil profiles. Based on this map, 69 parcels of Gamaret and Gamay are used as indicators to study the meso-climate and to follow the vines’ development. Thirty-seven parcels are equipped with temperature sensors at the depths of 2, 10 and 50 cm.
The glacial deposits are either made up of basal tills, mostly compacted, or by lateral and frontal stony tills more or less compacted or by glacio-lacustral and fluviatil deposits which show a textural composition going from clay to coarse gravel. The tertiary rocks present a succession of mudstone and sandstone stratas. The presence of these different deposits means there is great spatial variability. The textural and spatial variability are therefore present in the soils which developed from these parent materials.
More than half of the soils (55%) are located on basal or lateral tills. The glacio-lacustres and the tertiary rocks are to be found under 21 and 26 % of the soils respectively. Seven percent is situated on molasse with shallow till deposit. The CALCOSOLS, BRUNISOLS and LUVISOLS cover 63, 21 and 8 % of the surface respectively. Their clay, calcite and stone content differs widely. The deposits also influence the soils’ thermal and hydrological properties. The soils with excess of water are mostly located on fine textural deposits like mudstone and glacio-lacustral clay and on compacted tills The available water content goes from 50 to 250 mm. The plant behaviour is being observed in an on-going study to better under stand the meso-climate of the vineyard.

DOI:

Publication date: December 8, 2021

Issue: Terroir 2008

Type : Article

Authors

BURGOS Stéphane, DAKHEL Nathalie and ALMENDROS Sébastien

Ecole d’ingénieurs de Changins, 1260 Nyon, Switzerland

Contact the author

Keywords

terroir, géologie, sols, climat, dépôts glaciaires

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2008

Citation

Related articles…

Phenology, thermal requirements and maturation of the SR 0.501-17 wine grape hybrid cultivated in contrasting climate

The use of hybrids in viticulture is one of the alternatives for sustainable production in hot and rainy regions during grapevine maturation. This sustainable production concerns the reduction of pesticide use, adaptation to climate and control of vine decline. The SR 0.501-17 wine grape hybrid, developed in the grapevine program of the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), is characterized by producing white grapes with small spherical berries with seeds. The agronomic characterization of this hybrid, especially in different climatic conditions, as well as the evaluation of its performance in winemaking are necessary. The objective of this work was to characterize the duration and thermal requirements of the different phenological stages and the influence of rainfall on the physicochemical characteristics of the must in two contrasting climate regions of the State of São Paulo.

Vitis vinifera ‘Ráthay’ on the rootstocks ‘Kober 5BB’, ‘Fercal’, and ‘3309 C’: results of a long-term field trial

Context and purpose of the study. Ráthay is an Austrian red quality wine variety with increased resistance to fungi.

Analysing consumers’ decision-making process for non-alcoholic spirit drinks and dehalcolized aromatized wines 

In recent years, the consumption of alcoholic beverages is changing, driven by evolving consumer preferences and societal trends, including a wave of health consciousness. Among these changes, the emergence and proliferation of nolo (no alcohol/low alcohol) alcoholic beverages have gained significant attention within the industry. Nolo alcohol beverages are produced to emulate the appearance, aroma, and taste of alcoholic beverages, potentially facilitating a sense of social integration when consuming a product that closely resembles alcohol.

100 ans d’évolution des règles relatives à l’encépagement des AOC viticoles françaises : quelles perspectives face aux enjeux contemporains

To characterize a wine, the most frequently used criteria describe its color, its origin, the grape varieties from which they come, or even for white wines its residual sugar content (dry, semi-dry, sweet). In france, the system of appellations of origin set up in 1919 was initially based solely on the notoriety and origin of the wines. But given the unfavorable consequences that this lack of details generated, the public authorities quickly integrated in 1927 into the “capus” law criteria for access to designations of origin, relating to the specific characteristics of the soils of the vineyards and the grape varieties used, in particular exclusion of interspecific hybrid varieties. In 1935 the creation of the aoc system confirmed the interest in precisely defining all the production conditions that must be implemented to be able to claim the benefit of an aoc, and grape varieties were an essential condition for acquisition.

Overcoming habit formation in the production of wine

Evidence indicates that climate change affects the environment, human health, and well-being via drought, increasing greenhouse effect, and climatic catastrophes. As the wine sector is also negatively affected by climate change, the role of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies is important in wine production. One example of an adaptation policy is the implementation of grapevine genetics (duchene, 2016), while organic farming may be used as an approach to mitigate the consequences of climate change (vinci et al., 2022). To this end, the european commission’s objective is to reach the european green deal target of at least 25% of the european union’s agricultural land under organic farming by 2030.