Vineyard managment

Question 1

What will a grape grower use to determain site selection?

Answer 1

environmental conditions - average temp, soil, rainfall, sunlight

business considerations - proximity to power, water, availability of workforce, accessibility for machinery, cost and financial viability

grape variety - suit climatic conditions and a demand for grapes

Question 2

what happens to a new vineyard

Answer 2

plants are ripped out, new planted, yield after 3 years

test soil and fertilize accordingly

left fallow for 3 years before planting to recover

Question 3

why may a vine be high trained or low trained?

Answer 3

high trained to avoid frost

low trained to absorb heat from soil

Question 4

what is head training vs cordon training?

Answer 4

head training - have little permanent wood,
can be spur pruned or replacement cane pruned

cordon training - trunk with one or more horizontal arms (cordons) usually spur pruned - makes machine harvesting easier

Question 5

describe spur pruning:

Answer 5

one year old wood cut down to 2 or 3 buds, distributed along a cordon permanent wood (cordon training) or along top of trunk (head training)

Question 6

describe replacement cane pruning

Answer 6

canes are longer 1 year wood that can have 8-20 buds 1 or 2 are retained and tied horizontally to trellis, more complex.

sometimes referred to a guyot training one cane - single guyot 2 cane - double guyot

Question 7

summer pruning involves?

Answer 7

trimming canopy to restrict vegetive growth and direct sugar production to grape, leaf stripping for maximum sunshine

Question 8

how are bush vines typically trained

Answer 8

head trained spur pruned

Question 9

bush vines do well in hot climates such as barossa and the southern rhone because?

Answer 9

the canopy helps shade the leaves

not suitable for machine harvesting

in cooler regions they can impede ripening and lessen airflow

Question 10

what training system is referred to as gobelet?

Answer 10

head trained, spur pruned, tied at tips on trellis to maximize air and sunlight

Question 11

describe VSP

Answer 11

vertical shoot positioning, tied vertical, keeping the shoots open alows air flow and shade free

in hot sunny regions VSP can be adapted so tops flop over creating shade

makes mechanical harvesting and spraying easier based on position

Question 12

what determines a growers planting density choice?

Answer 12

availability of nutrients and water

Question 13

why would a grower plant in high density as opposed to low?

Answer 13

limited water availability- low density

low levels of nutrients / high rainfall - high density to provide competition for vines to restrict vegetive growth - also ensuring vine has current number of buds in winter to avoid buds having too much energy any growing vigorous vice versa

high nutrients / high rainfall - new world - low density planting using vines with multiple cordons or canes = good quality high yields

Question 14

green harvesting is removing immature grapes shortly after verasjon to control yields, this is risky because?

Answer 14

if done at the wrong time the vine will compensate for loss by increasing size of grapes that have been retained, increasing yields and diluting flavour

Question 15

what are pests that damage vines?

Answer 15

phylloxera

nematodes - worms that attack roots, interfering with water and nutrients or transmitting vine virus - sanitize soil and use resistant rootstocks

birds and mammals - eat, and leaf to fungal disease if half eaten or crushed - netting and fencing

insects - feeding on grapes and leaves

Question 16

fungal diseased that damage vines?

Answer 16

downy and powdery mildew- warm humid environments, grapes lose fruit flavour and get a mouldy butter taint

grey rot - botrytis cinerea - damp conditions, taints flavour and leads to colour loss in black grapes

Question 17

how can fungal diseases be controlled?

Answer 17

powdery mildew - sulfer based spray
downey mildew - bordeaux mixture (copper spray)

now chemical sprays exist, more spraying is required in maritime climates

canopy management - creating airflow

Question 18

briefly describe rules of sustainable, organic, and biodynamic viticulture

Answer 18

sustainable - still allowed sprays but restricted - integrated pest management (predators), supporting a range of plants to habitat predators and pests providing nutrients when mowed into soil

organic - varies around the world limited number of traditional pest treatment, must undergo a period of conversion working to organic standards

biodynamic - rudolf steiner and maria thun, organic and philosophy and cosmology, vineyard is connected with earth, air and other planets - growing aligns with moon plants and stars, homeopathic remedies called preparations are used to fertilize, treat, and ward off pests

Question 19

at harvest, sugar levels rise and acidity drops, the grape grower will determain when a grape has the perfect ripeness however list the things that may impact this choice

Answer 19

poor weather - hair can destroy, rainfall can swell grapes and dilute them

Question 20

pros and cons of machine harvesting?

Answer 20

pros - faster, especially if a threatened vineyard, or with grapes that can become overripe quickly, can work through the night - saving money and energy on cooling the grapes and slows oxydation

cons - unwanted material and unripe grapes, only on flat or gentle slopes, only for uneasily damaged grapes that come away from stem, cannot be used for while bunches

Question 21

pros and cons of hand harvesting

Answer 21

pros - unripe grapes can be left on vine (essential for noble rot because it can vary by bunch) less damage occurs to grapes, stems are retained giving while intact bunches that produce pure clean juice

cons - expensive and time consuming