Grape Growing / Viticulture

Question 1

Name four common types of viticulture.

Answer 1

1. Organic
2. Biodynamic
3. Sustainable
4. Dry farming

Question 2

Give a general definition of climate.

Answer 2

General weather conditions in an area over a long period of time, which includes:

• temperature
• humidity
• air pressure
• rainfall
• sunshine
• cloud cover
• wind
• other elements that are relatively stable from year to year

Question 3

List:

four climate types

Answer 3

1. Continental
2. Maritime
3. Mediterranean
4. Desert/Arid

Question 4

List:

four climate descriptors

Answer 4

1. Cool
2. Moderate
3. Warm
4. Hot

Question 5

Define:

macroclimate

Answer 5

The climate of an area, such as a wine region.

Question 6

Define:

mesoclimate

Answer 6

The climate of a vineyard.

Question 7

Define:

microclimate

Answer 7

The climate around a single vine.

Question 8

What are degree days?

Answer 8

Growing Degree Days (GDD) is defined as the daily average temperature (the sum of daily maximum and minimum temperatures divided by two) of a site on a daily basis during the seven month growing season (April to October in the Northern Hemisphere, October to April in the Southern Hemisphere) minus a threshold of 50 degrees F (10°C) needed for vine growth and time.

GDD is also known as the heat summation index.

Question 9

Fill in the blank.

Most wine-growing regions are within the ___ degree latitudinal lines.

Answer 9

30-50°

Wine-growing regions may exist outside this range mainly due to climate moderators.

Question 10

Climate Moderators

Six factors that affect the general climate of an area include:

Answer 10

1. Altitude/elevation
2. Diurnal shifts
3. Sunshine hours
4. Bodies of water
5. Wind
6. Rain shadow effect

Question 11

Climate moderator

Which two regions does the San Pablo Bay affect?

Answer 11

Napa and Sonoma counties in California

Question 12

Climate moderator

What area does the Benguela Current affect?

Answer 12

South Africa

Read here for more information.

Question 13

Climate moderator

What area does the Humboldt Current affect?

Answer 13

Chile

Read here for more information.

Question 14

Climate moderation

What climate moderating effect do Alsace, Mendoza, and Columbia Valley, Washington have in common?

Answer 14

They’re all in a rain shadow.

Question 15

What is topography?

Answer 15

Surface features of the land, such as local elevation or altitude.

It includes local mountains, hills, valleys, and bodies of water.

Question 16

What is the most important topopgraphy feature of Alsace, France?

Answer 16

Vosges Mountain Range

Question 17

What region is affected by the Cascade Mountain Range?

Answer 17

Columbia Valley, Washington

Question 18

The Andes Mountains create a rain shadow for this wine region.

Answer 18

Mendoza, Argentina

Question 19

List the seven most commonly found soil types for viticulture.

Answer 19

1. Clay
2. Slate
3. Limestone
4. Granite
5. Chalk
6. Sand
7. Schist

Question 20

List five properties of soil.

Answer 20

1. Drainage or water retention
2. Sun reflection
3. Nutrient content
4. Temperature regulation
5. Pest resistance

Question 21

What is the major soil type of Champagne?

Answer 21

Chalk

Specifically, Belemnite chalk which has a high limestone content. This allows vine roots to dig deeply and is linked to increased acidity.

Question 22

What is the major soil type of Chablis?

Answer 22

Kimmeridgian marl

Question 23

What are the major soil types of the Côte d’Or?

Answer 23

Limestone and clay

Question 24

What is the major soil type of Coonawarra?

Answer 24

Well-drained red terra rossa.

Question 25

What is the main soil type of Gimblett Gravels?

Answer 25

Deep, pure gravel beds.

Question 26

What is the main soil type of Haut-Médoc?

Answer 26

Well-drained gravelly soils.

Question 27

What is the main soil type of Pomerol?

Answer 27

Generally, the soils of Pomerol are **clay** based. ## Footnote But there is also sand, clay and gravel, with a subsoil of iron pan and rich clay (crasse de fer).

Question 28

What is the main soil types of St.-Émilion?

Answer 28

St-Émilion contains a diversity of soils broadly categorized into two types: the côtes and graves. As a simplification, the hillside **côtes are steep limestone slopes** and **graves is a gravelly limestone plateau** resembling soils of the Médoc.

Question 29

What is the soil like in Châteauneuf-du-Pape?

Answer 29

Sand, gravel, and clay with "pudding stones” called galets.

Question 30

What is the soil type in Cornas?

Answer 30

Granite

Question 31

What is the soil type in Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie?

Answer 31

Granite and schist

Question 32

Name six key parts of the grape vine.

Answer 32

1. Rootstock 1. Trunk 1. Cordons 1. Shoots/canes 1. Grape clusters/bunches 1. Canopy

Question 33

What is a hybrid?

Answer 33

When the two parent vines are from different species. ## Footnote e.g. Vidal Blanc, often simply called Vidal, is bred from Ugni Blanc (V. vinifera) and a member of the Seibel family (American parentage).

Question 34

What is a crossing?

Answer 34

When the two parent vines are from the same species. ## Footnote e.g. Pinotage Pinot Noir x Cinsault

Question 35

What is a clone?

Answer 35

At each cell division during plant growth there is the risk that random mutations in the genetic code will occur. Many of these mutations have no effect on the vine; however, some will cause the new vine to have slightly different characteristics (e.g. smaller or larger grapes, thicker or thinner grape skins, more or less disease resistance, etc.). This causes diversity within the vines of the same grape variety, and each diverse plant is called a clone. ## Footnote Pinot Noir is a variety with many clones.

Question 36

Give two examples of Vitis Labrusca.

Answer 36

1. Catawba 1. Concord

Question 37

Name two reasons why vineyard management is important.

Answer 37

1. Vineyards need to be managed **to remain viable and healthy**. 1. Vines need to be managed or trained so they grow to a **particular size and ideal shape to ripen grapes best**.

Question 38

What is meant by the term 'canopy management'?

Answer 38

Managing the growth of the vines' leaves.

Question 39

What is 'green harvest'?

Answer 39

A quality measure of removing or dropping unripe grapes or clusters.

Question 40

List the **eight phases** of a vine's growing cycle.

Answer 40

1. Dormancy 1. Bud Break 1. Flowering 1. Fruit Set 1. Ripening (Veraison, Hangtime) 1. Maturity 1. Harvest 1. Pruning

Question 41

What is vineyard (or slope) aspect?

Answer 41

Which direction a slope or vineyard faces. ## Footnote Vineyards that face the sun throughout most of the day (south-facing in the northern hemisphere and north-facing in the southern hemisphere) will receive more solar radiation than those facing the opposite direction.

Question 42

What are the two main vine training systems?

Answer 42

1. **Head training**, such as Gobelet/bush. 2. **Cordon training**, which uses support for growth.

Question 43

What is phylloxera?

Answer 43

A microscopic vine louse. ## Footnote In mid-19th century it destroyed many of the vineyards in France. Use of resistant American vine species rootstock helped to stop the spread. Most wine regions of the world are affected by phylloxera.

Question 44

How is phylloxera controlled?

Answer 44

Grafting of Vitis Vinifera onto Vitis Labrusca rootstock

Question 45

What is Pierce's Disease?

Answer 45

Spread by the glassy-winged sharpshooter, it is **a bacterial disease that quickly kills vines**. ## Footnote **The bacterium lives in the sap channels of vines, which it clogs, leading to grape shrivelling, dropping leaves and the death of the vine between one and five years**. The exact symptoms are unclear and so vines must be tested in a laboratory to ascertain whether they are infected. It originated on the American continent. It initially affected the southern USA and Central America, and is present in California.

Question 46

What is yield, and what influences it?

Answer 46

Yield is **how much fruit a vine produces**. It is influenced by many factors and controlled (or not) by human intervention.

Question 47

How is yield measured?

Answer 47

In two ways: 1. Tons per acre; 1. Hectoliters per hectare.

Question 48

How is grape quality impacted by yield choices?

Answer 48

Should a producer wish to achieve a large yield, quality of fruit tends to reduce (less flavor concentration and intensity); Should a producer wish to achieve a smaller yield, quality of fruit tends to increase (improved flavor concentration and intensity).

Question 49

What are **five considerations** made when deciding on time to pick (or harvest the grapes)?

Answer 49

1. Weather 1. Style of wine being made 1. Producer goals 1. Regional wine law 1. Number of vineyard passes for picking

Question 50

How are grapes picked?

Answer 50

By hand or by machine.

Question 51

Why would a producer harvest their grapes at night?

Answer 51

So the grapes are cool during transportation, reducing chance of oxidation and microbial spoilage.

Question 52

Discuss phenolic ripeness vs. sugar ripeness.

Answer 52

The level of sugar in the grapes is one of the key parameters that determines ripeness. Once grapes accumulate a certain level of sugar to make a viable product, it's considered to have achieved 'sugar ripeness.' In dry wines, the amount of sugar in the grapes will be directly linked to the alcohol in the wine. Phenolic ripeness concerns tannins (and to some professionals, aromas). During ripening, tannins polymerise and become less bitter. Producers are generally looking to avoid bitter unripe tannins, and this will therefore play a part in harvesting decisions. In certain vintages grapes might achieve sugar ripeness due to daytime heat spikes but not achieve phenolic ripeness due to a variety of reasons (e.g. a cloudy or cool growing season).