The Vine Flashcards
What are the two main species of vine?
**Vitis vinifera **
- Main Eurasian species
- Produces nearly all the grapes used in winemaking
American Vines
- Three important species but rarely used for winemaking.
- widely used tu produce roostocks onto which V. Vinifera is grafted
- Resistent to Philoxera
What are the two techniques to grow or propagate a grape variety, while preserving its unique qualities ?
Cutting
Layering
Explain Cutting in the growth and propagation of a grape variety
- Cutting is a section of a vine shoot that is planted and then grows as a new plant
- It is used in commercial nurseries
- The new plant is identical to the original
Explain Layering in the growth and propagation of a grape variety
- Layering takes place in a vineyard
- A cane is bent down and a section of it is buried in the ground.
- The cane tip points upwards out of the ground
- The buried section takes root and once the roots are established,the cane linking the new growth to the original plant is cut.
- The new plant is identical to the original
Why most grape growers are now using cutting instead of layering?
Due to the risk of phylloxera.
What is a grape variety ?
- Group of individual plants that can all trace their lineage back through a series of cuttings and/or layerings to a single plant.
- Thousands of grape varities belonging to V. vinifera species.
What are the other terms for Grape variety?
Vine variety
Cultivar can be used instead of variety
What is Clonal selection ?
When a vine naturally mutates and its new, positive characteristics are propagated by cutting or layering.
What is a clone ?
- Each individueal vine or group of vines that shows a particular set of unique characteristics is known as a clone. The difference between clones is often small and vines are still considered to be from the same grape variety.
- Some mutations have such a significant effect that the resulting plants is treated as a new variety : ex. Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Meunier are all mutations of Pinot.
- Vine that naturally mutates
growers often specify which clone they would like when buying new plants
What grapegrowers want to improve with new vine varieties ?
- Thrive in certain climates and soil conditions
- Improved disease resistance
- Deliver a higher quality or quantity of grapes
Name and explain the technique to create new vine varieties
Cross-fertilisation
- Pollen from the male part of a flower of the vine is transferred to the female part of the flower of another vine and fertilisation occur
- Pollinated flower develops into a grape with seeds
- If the seed is planted, its genetic material will be different from that of its parents.
- A new variety will be produced even if the parent vines are from the same grape varieties
- take two to three years to see the characteristic of the new vine, but with the development of science, it is easier to select the genetic markers.
- There is a restistance to new variety from consumers.
What is a crossing ?
A new variety produce from two parents of the same species.
Explain crossing
- two varieties from the same vine species (Vitis vinifera or Vitis labrusca) are ‘crossed’ to create an entirely new variety
- Commonly used for V. Vinifera although crossing of American vines exist too
- Every grape variety used today is a crossing. For example, Cabernet sauvignon is a crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon blanc.
- This term is normally reserved for new varieties bred by researchers ex. Müller Thurgau (Riseling X Madeleine Royale), or Pinotage (Pinot Noir X Cinsault
Explain Hybrids
- A Hybrid is a vine whose parents come from two differnt vine species.
- Typically have a least one American vine as a parent
- Hybrids of amercian vines are not used for winemaking but for rootstocks.
- Exception of Vidal, which is grown in Canada.
Name the four sections of the anatomy of the vine
- Green parts of the vine
- One-year-old wood
- Permanent wood
- Roots
