The Vine

Question 1

Two important species in modern Viticulture (grape growing)

Answer 1

A - Vitis Vinifera (main Eurasian species)
B - American vines (rootstocks)

Question 2

Vitis Vinifera has how many grape varieties

Answer 2

Thousands

Question 3

Principle differences for consumers between grape varieties

Answer 3

Colour
Flavour
(both come from the grape itself)

Question 4

Grape selection criteria / factors

Answer 4

• budding times
• ripening times
• colour
• flavour
• disease resistance

Question 5

Can grapes be grown using seeds

Answer 5

No

Question 6

To preserve unique grape varietal (cultivar) qualities

Answer 6

• cutting
• layering
  (new plant is identical to original)

Question 7

Cutting is

Answer 7

a section of a vine shoot (green) that is planted and then grows as a new plant (widely used in commercial nurseries)

Question 8

Layering

Answer 8

Used in the vineyard, bend down a cane, bury a section, make sure the end / cane tip is pointing upwards out of the ground. When the section takes root, the part connected to the original plant is cut. Not used as much now because of phylloxera risk.

Question 9

Grape variety is a

Answer 9

group of individual plants that can trace their lineage back through series of cuttings and/or layerings to a single plant

Question 10

Vine variety = grape variety

Answer 10

Variety = cultivar

Question 11

Individual grape varieties are genetically identical, but

Answer 11

Mutations sometimes occur when the vine grows

Question 12

Positive mutations result in

Answer 12

better quality fruit
better disease resistance

Question 13

Vines with positives mutations are

Answer 13

selected for further propagation by cutting or layering

Question 14

Clonal section is

Answer 14

vines with positive mutations that are selected for further propagation by cutting or layering

Question 15

In grape growing, each individual vine or group of vines that shows a particular set of unique characteristics is known as a

Answer 15

clone

Question 16

Clone differences are often small and clones are still considered

Answer 16

to be from the same grape variety

Question 17

When ordering new plants, growers often

Answer 17

specify which clone they would like in addition to the grape variety

Question 18

Significant effect mutations mean

Answer 18

resulting plants are treated as a new variety (even though they are still clones of the original plant)

Question 19

Ancient variety Pinot resulted in

Answer 19

grape varieties Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and Meunier

Question 20

Researchers searching for grape varietals to thrive in

Answer 20

certain climates
soil conditions
improved disease resistance

Question 21

Cross fertilisation Creates a New Variety by

Answer 21

Pollen from a male part of the flower of one vine is transferred to the female part of the flower on another vine and fertilisation occurs, then the new grape & seeds are planted creating a new variety

Question 22

Genetic material of cross fertilisation is different

Answer 22

from the two parent plants - even if the parent vines are from the same grape variety

Question 23

New varieties come to market

Answer 23

infrequently, because consumers resist new varieties

Question 24

With seed planting, growers

Answer 24

must wait at least 2-3 years before vines flower and produce grapes to see the new characteristics

Question 25

Grapevine genetics are now used

Answer 25

by scientists to select offspring with characteristics they desire

Question 26

Crossing

Answer 26

New variety produced from two parents of the same species

Question 27

Cabernet Sauvignon

Answer 27

Cabernet Franc X Sauvignon Blanc

Question 28

Bred by researchers, Muller Thurgau is

Answer 28

Riesling X Madeleine Royale

Question 29

Bred by researchers, Pinotage is

Answer 29

Pinot Noir X Cinsault

Question 30

Hybrids are

Answer 30

vine whose parents come from at least two different vine species (typically have one American vine as a parent)

Question 31

American vines are

Answer 31

Rarely used for winemaking, but crucial role for rootstock

Question 32

Vidal (grown in Canada for icewine) is

Answer 32

a hybrid used for wine

Question 33

Phylloxera is

Answer 33

an insect (underground louse) that lives underground and feeds on a vine's roots

Question 34

American vines are resistant

Answer 34

to Phylloxera by clogging its mouth with sticky sap, and form protective layers behind the feeding wound preventing secondary infections

Question 35

Where is Phylloxera NOT a problem

Answer 35

Chile, some parts of Argentina and South Australia

Question 36

What protects against Phylloxera

Answer 36

Only strict quarantine procedures - it cannot be controlled with chemicals

Question 37

What struck Europe in the late 19th century

Answer 37

Phylloxera - Vitis Vinifera was not resistant, but American Rootstock could be used by graft

Question 38

Rootstocks can also

Answer 38

protect agains nemadtodes provide better drought resistance

Question 39

Grafting is the technique

Answer 39

used to joint a rootstock to a Vitis Vinifera variety

Question 40

What are two main types of grafting?

Answer 40

Bench grafting, and Head grafting

Question 41

Bench grafting happens

Answer 41

by a specialist in a plant nursery - short cane sections of both varieties are joined by a machine and stored in a warm environment encouraging the two parts to fuse

Question 42

Head grafting happens

Answer 42

in the vineyard when an established vineyard decides to switch varieties between seasons

Question 43

What is head grafting?

Answer 43

Existing vine is cut back to its trunk, a bud or cutting of the new variety is grafted to that trunk.

Question 44

Why head graft?

Answer 44

- If head graft is successful, the new variety will produce fruit that next year, - cheaper than replanting a whole vineyard - variety starts life with an established root system - allows grower to quickly adjust to market demand

Question 45

Newly planted vines take how long to produce a commercially viable crop

Answer 45

at least three years

Question 46

Vidal, a French hybrid is from

Answer 46

Ugni Blanc (trebbiano) plus Seibel 4986 (Rayon d'or) Makes good icewine in Canada

Question 47

Vines have four sections

Answer 47

- green parts - one year old wood - permanent wood (trunk) - roots

Question 48

Green parts, grow new each year and include

Answer 48

- shoot (principal structure) - leaves - buds (between leaf and shoot become next years shoots) - tendrils (supporting structure) - flowers or berries

Question 49

One year old wood is a

Answer 49

shoot that turned woody during the winter after it grows green

Question 50

One year old wood management is vital because

Answer 50

vines will normally only produce fruit on shoots that grow from buds that developed the previous year

Question 51

Every winter the vine is pruned to either a

Answer 51

Cane or Spur

Question 52

A cane is one year old wood with

Answer 52

length 8-20 buds

Question 53

A spur is one year old wood with

Answer 53

short piece of one year old with two to three buds

Question 54

Permanent wood is

Answer 54

more than one year old, and made up of truck and (where present) arms of the vine

Question 55

The amount of permanent wood is

Answer 55

restricted by pruning

Question 56

Roots function to

Answer 56

- absorb water and nutrients from the soil - anchor the vine - store carbohydrates to allow the vine to survive winter

Question 57

In modern vineyards, most vitis vinifera are

Answer 57

grafted onto other species' root systems that are phylloxera resistant

Question 58

Vine Arm is also called

Answer 58

Cordon and is permanent wood

Question 59

One year old wood can be either a

Answer 59

Cane (8-20 buds) or a Spur (2-3 buds)

Question 60

Head grafting is often

Answer 60

- canes held into place with tape - painted with pruning paint to protect the wound

Question 61

Newly planted bench grafted vines are often

Answer 61

protected with wax at the joining location between the two sections of cane