Overall winegrowing

Question 1

Factors affecting temperature for Sparkling winegrowing

Answer 1

Affecting style:
* Cool marginal climates are ideal for many wine styles.
* Very cool climates produce just-ripe grapes with high acidity—perfect for high-quality sparkling wines.
* Slow sugar accumulation results in base wines with:

• High acidity
• Low alcohol (9–11% abv)
• Low alcohol is necessary because second fermentation adds 1–2% abv.
• Commonly grown in high-latitude regions (e.g., Champagne, England, Tasmania).
• Also found in lower latitudes with cooling influences:
  • Coastal areas (e.g., Sonoma, California)
  • Higher altitudes (e.g., Trentodoc, Italy)
• Lees flavours take time to develop:
  • Short lees ageing in warmer areas = dominant fruit flavours
  • Long lees ageing = dominant lees flavours preferred; intense fruit less desirable
• Less intense flavours are easier to achieve in cooler locations.
• Sparkling wine grapes are grown in diverse geographic areas.
• Land cost impacts final price:

Affecting price
* Expensive land (e.g., Champagne) = expensive wine
* Cheaper land = more affordable wine
* Flat, fertile land is easier for vineyard operations.
* Some vineyards are in areas unsuitable for quality still wine (insufficient ripeness/concentration).

Question 2

Overall considerations in planting materials for sparkling wines

Answer 2

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir:

most commonly used for premium and super-premium;

especially traditional method

grown in many wine regions around the world.
in addition to premium wines also used to make less expensive

Question 3

Overall Chardonnay charactristics

Answer 3

Here’s your revised version in bullet points, shortened but fully informative:

• Well-suited for autolytic sparkling styles (brioche/biscuit aromas from yeast breakdown).
• Just-ripe apple and citrus aromas complement autolytic notes.
• Early-ripening—reliable in cool climates where flavours usually ripen.
• Low sugar accumulation; high acidity retained in cool climates.
• More disease-resistant than Pinot Noir, but still faces risks:
  • Early budding → vulnerable to spring frosts
  • Prone to coulure and millerandage
  • Susceptible to powdery mildew, grapevine yellows, grey rot (especially before harvest in wet conditions)
• Pronounced flavours not needed for autolytic styles.
• High yields possible in good years without quality loss—makes Chardonnay attractive to growers.

Question 4

Overall Pinot Noir Characteristics

Answer 4

• early budding
• prone to spring frosts
• early ripening
• suited to a cool climate

** risks:**
* prone to spring frosts
* coulure
* thin skinned = prone to downy mildew especially
* powdery mildew
* botrytis bunch rot
* fan leaf
* leaf roll

• yields are more moderate than Chardonnay
• quality drops if the yield level is too high
• lends body to the blend

Question 5

Examples of Other varieties for spakling overall and why they are chosen

Answer 5

• Some sparkling varieties are local to their region:
  • Macabeo, Xarel·lo, Parellada in Cava
  • Glera in Prosecco
• Outside European appellations, few restrictions on grape varieties for sparkling wine.
• Grape variety traits that influence style:
  • Aroma intensity (aromatic vs. neutral)
  • Ability to retain acidity during ripening
  • Response to autolysis (when applicable)
    • E.g., Chardonnay becomes creamy; Xarel·lo becomes toasty/smoky

Question 6

overall Considerations in managing nutrients and water

Answer 6

often grown at higher yields than for still wines

h. acid levels, low potential alcohol levels and delicate flavours are desirable
* better achieved by high yields.
* output from the vineyard can be maximised

In cool, relatively rainy climates, (Champagne) assurance that even if damaged fruit has to be removed, reasonable sized crop left

Question 7

overall Considerations in canopy management

Answer 7

• No specific training or trellising systems dedicated to sparkling wine.
• Choices depend on:
  • Region and climate
  • Grape variety
  • Soil nutrient levels
  • Appellation rules (in the EU)
• Main goal: produce clean, healthy fruit.
• Off-flavours from diseased grapes are amplified by effervescence.
• Grey rot must be avoided:
  
  • Botrytis-infected grapes release laccase enzyme, causing significant oxidation.

Question 8

overall Harvest considerations

Answer 8

typically earlier than for still for high acid

low potential alcohol

also likely to harvested before rainy autumn

risk of fungal disease lowered

unripe flavours not desired - these are more prominent as a wine matures

Question 9

Hand harvest vs machine harvest for sparkling wines

Answer 9

Here’s your revised text as clear and concise bullet points:

• Harvest method depends on location and local regulations.

Hand harvesting:

• Allows for sorting during and after picking to exclude diseased grapes.
• Preferred when wine prices justify higher labour costs.
• Small crates reduce risk of crushing and splitting.
• Minimizes oxidation and extraction of phenolics (color, tannin).
• Slow, labor-intensive, and expensive.

Machine harvesting:

• Faster and cheaper—suits large estates targeting optimal ripeness.
• Disease/damage can be removed beforehand, but increases costs.
• Allows night harvesting—cooler grapes = slower oxidation, fresher wine.
• Necessarily destems and may break skins:
  • Exposes juice to oxidation
  • Increases phenolic extraction unless protective measures are used immediately.