WSET3 Viticulture Flashcards
(107 cards)
1
Q
Typical maritime- climate regions
A
Bordeaux
Eastern coast of New Zealand
Northern Portugal
1
Q
Important environmental needs for vines
A
Sunlight, water & carbon dioxide - photosynthesized by Chorophyll to produce glucose
CO2 always available, so only sunlight and water matter
2
Q
Vines’ dormancy temperature
A
10 C
3
Q
Vine growth to peak temperature
A
22-25 C
4
Q
Growing season in the northern hemisphere
A
April to October
5
Q
Growing season in the southern hemisphere
A
October to April
6
Q
The annual weather pattern of an area averaged over several years
A
Climate
7
Q
Climate parameters
A
Rainfall Temperature
8
Q
Regional climate classification (by temperature)
A
Cool - 16.5 C or lower
Moderate - 16.5 C - 18.5 C
Warm - 18.5 C - 21 C
Hot. 21 C+
9
Q
Typical cool-climate regions
A
Champagne
Mosel
Southern England
Anderson Valley
Tasmania Carneros
10
Q
Cool-climate wines
A
Early ripening varieties
e.g. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
11
Q
Basic building block of the vine
A
GLUCOSE
Combines to produce cellulose for roots, trunks, shoots, leaves and fruit
Tannins, acids and flavor molecules in the grape
12
Q
Typical moderate-climate regions
A
Bordeaux
N Rhone
Rioja
Piedmont
Tuscany
Coonawarra
Marlborough
Napa & Sonoma
13
Q
Moderate-climate wines
A
Medium-bodied wines from intermediate-ripening varieties e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese
14
Q
Typical warm-climate regions
A
S Rhone
Douro
Jerez
McLaren Vale
Paarl
15
Q
Warm-climate wines
A
Heat-loving varieties e.g. Grenache, Mourvedre, Ruby Cabernet
Fortified wines
16
Q
Typical hot-climate regions & wines
A
San Joaquin Valley, CA
Table & Drying Grapes
17
Q
Define Continentality
A
Difference between the average mean temperature of the hottest month and the coldest month
18
Q
Regional climate classification
(by degree of “continentality”)
A
Maritime
Mediterranean
Continental
Tropical
19
Q
Maritime climate characteristics
A
Low annual range of temperature
Warm summers and mild winters
Relatively high rainfall and cloud cover
Near large bodies of water
20
Q
Maritime-climate wines
A
Medium-bodied wines with moderate alcohols
e.g. Bordeaux reds and whites, Muscadet, Rias Baixas, Vinho Verde
21
Q
Mediterranean climate characteristics
A
- *Low annual** range of temperature
- *Warm** sunny summers and mild winters
- *Dry** summers with most rain in winters
- *Long growing season**
22
Q
Typical Mediterranean- climate regions
A
Mediterranean
West coast of the United States
Chile
SE Australia
W Cape, S Africa
23
Q
Continental climate characteristics
A
Wide annual range of temperature
Hot summers and cold winters Inland
Dry
Short growing season
24
Mediterranean-climate wines
**Full-bodied**, rich-textured reds with **ripe tannins**
25
Typical cool continental- climate regions
- continentality and long day length
- cool autumns
Burgundy
Champagne
Northern regions of Germany British Columbia
Alsace
Austria
26
Grapes in regions with continentality and long days
Early-ripening varieties
- Riesling
- Pinot Noir
27
Cool continental-climate wines
Intensely-flavoured, late- harvested whites
High alcohols,
Sweet wines
28
Typical warm continental-climate regions
Mendoza
Central Europe
Central Spain
29
Warm continental- climate wines
- long warm autumns
Malbec
Cabernet Saurignon
30
Tropical climate characteristics
Minimal annual range of temperature
Hot summers and warm winters
Rainfalls more deciding factor
Unsuitable for high quality viticulture
Shortened vine productive lifespan
**Brazil India Thailand**
31
What is aspect? How does it affect a vineyard?
Direction a vineyard slope faces
- an important characteristic of a vineyard site
- determines exposure to sun
32
Preferred aspect in cool climates in northern hemisphere
South facing
- warmer
- aiding the ripening process
33
What is slope? How does it affect a vineyard?
Degree of incline
- determines intensity of sunlight received
34
Advantages of east facing vineyards
Sun's rays scattered less in the morning, when the earth has cooled overnight, and dust has settled
35
Disadvantages of west facing vineyards
Sunlight scattered more by dust that has been lifted by warming air during the day; Face damper, cooler prevailing weather conditions
36
Aspect and slope for locations that would otherwise be too hot
Slopes that face away from the equator
37
Influence of slope or incline on a vineyard
Sunlight interception
Air movement
Soil properties
Cost of working the land
38
Advantages of sloping vineyards
Air movement on slopes (i.e. cold and dense air move downhill displacing warm and less dense air to produce warm thermal layers on the slope) deters frost and offers slightly improved ripening potential;
Soils on slopes tend to be poorer, more coarse for better drainage
39
Disadvantages of sloping vineyards
Increased risk of erosion;
Higher costs (manual), e.g. the Mosel Valley
40
Ideal vineyard sites
Isolated hills
- no big currents of colder air flowing down from the main hills
e.g. Burgundy's hill of Corton at Aloxe-Corton, Montagne de Reims in Champagne
41
Effects of canopy management
Affect climate in the fruiting zone, therefore style and quality of wines
42
Effects of thick vigorously-growing canopy in cool-climate regions
Reduce flower initiative and berry set due to shading; Higher acid retention due to cooling;
Reduce sugar accumulation due to humidity & shade; Encourage competition for sugar
43
Temperature's effects on yield
Rate of growth;
Number of flower clusters and size;
Success of the setting of flowers into berries
44
Conditions for finest tastes and aromas
Slow, cool, berry ripening
45
Temperature's effects on quality
Level of yield;
Accumulation of sugars and reduction of acidity; Development of wine aromas Phenolic ripeness (tannins)
46
Disadvantages of excess rain
1. Cool the mesoclimate;
2. More difficult for machinery to work;
3. Increase risk of fungal disease; Reduce fruit set (esp. in low temp);
4. Brunch compaction and berry splitting;
5. Dilute must if rains before harvest
47
Purpose of sunlight
Energy source for vines to build sugars
Increase temperature of vineyard
48
Effects of sunlight in cool temperature
Rate of photosynthesis slows; Increase leaf area and canopy to compensate;
Exposure of fruit to sunlight enhance ripening;
Eliminate pyrazines in Bordeaux varieties
49
Exposure of fruit to sunlight
Increase rate of ripening;
Increase risk of sunburn;
50
Effect of day length
| (photoperiod)
Regions in high latitudes have longer summer days (more exposure to sunlight) to offset lower temperatures
e.g. Mosel, S England, Central Otago
51
Effects of sunlight on yield and quality
Amount of sugar produced by photosynthesis
- warm & cloudy (Hunter Valley) --\> low sugars;
- cool & sunny (Central Otago) --\> high sugars
52
Sunlight required for vitis vinifera
\> 1250 hours of sunshine to produce ripe fruit
53
Geographical features affecting climate
Bodies of water;
Ocean currents
Forest
Altitude and mountain ranges
54
Advantages and disadvantages of proximity to water
**Pro**:
Store of heat,
Reflects sun's rays,
Source of irrigation,
Reduce risk of ground frost
Morning mist for "Noble Rot"
**Cons:**
Increased humidity; eg potential fungal disease (downy mildew)
55
Effects of ocean currents
Create cooling mists and fogs
e.g. Pacific Ocean current off California; Humbolt current off Chile
Warm up the climate
e.g. Gulf stream on west coast of UK
56
Proximity to forests
**Pros**: windbreaks; store heat; reduce erosion
**Cons**: cool the mesoclimate in warm weather and increase humidity; birds
57
Effects of altitude
Mean annual temp decreases by 0.6 C for every 100m rise in altitude (or a reduction of 105 degree-days a year)
Increase the cooling effects of wind exposure
58
Mountain ranges
Protection from excessive wind and rain (rain shadow)
e.g. Alsace & Vosges mountains
59
Purpose of soil
Support vine; Provide nutrients
60
Soil characteristics
Nutrients
Pets & rootstock
Water holding capacity and availability Heat retention
Fertility
61
Soil fertility
Soil texture
Soil structure
Organic matter content Mineral content Availability of air and water Level of acidity/akalinity
62
Soils with low fertility
Vines grow best on these soils - restrict canopy growth;
- often stony and well-drained
63
Heavy soils
High clay or silt content
Hold more water
64
Lighter soils
More sand and gravel
ore free-draining
65
Advantages of clay soils
```
More moisture
More nutrients (negative charge)
```
66
Disadvantages of clay soils
Take longer to heat up in spring and tend to be colder all year round (coz water);
Swell when they absorb water and shrink when dry leading to cracking and water loss;
Sticky when wet;
Wet clay soils' structure deteriorates when worked
67
Loam
Balanced mixture of clay, silt and sand Both nutrient holding abilities of clay and good drainage of sand
68
Soil types
Limestone
Chalk
Slate
Granite
Volcanic rocks
69
Limestone
Sedimentary rock from deposition of shells & skeletons of marine life; mainly calcium carbonate; alkaline & free draining
e.g. central and eastern Loire, Piedmont, N Spain, Burgundy, Limestone Coast Zone in S Australia
Limestone-rich soils inhibits uptake of iron & other micronutrients (risk of chlorosis)
70
Chalk
Lower density than limestone; better drainage
e.g. Champagne, Jerez
71
Other sedimentary rocks
**Dolomite** - similar to limestone but with high level of magnesium
**Sandstone** - compressed sand and quartz
**Shale** - soft clay
72
Slate
Shale that has been altered by high pressures and temperature;
harder and less porous than shale;
heat retention
e.g. Mosel
73
Granite
Igneous rock from solidified magma from volcanoes; extremely hard and desnse but free-draining
e.g. Baden, N Rhone, Beaujolais
74
Volcanic rocks
Lava on surface
e.g. Santorini, Madeira
75
Humus & Benefits of humus
Partially decomposed organic matter
maintain soil structure; retains nutrients; holds water;
low plasticity and cohesion for easier soil management; gradual release of nutrients as humus slowly mineralised; darken colour to retain heat
76
Macronutrients
N - plant cells, nucleic acids, chlorophyll and hormones; second to water for plant growth
P - energy fixation, root growth, ripening K - regulate flow of water and sugar, ripening
Ca - regulate cell acidity, cell walls
S - amino acids and enzymes
Mg - chlorophyll, regulate acidity, sugar metabolism, ripening
77
Parts of the vine
**Roots** - absorb water and nutrients, anchor vine, store carbohydrates
**Trunk/arms** (Permanent Wood) - more than 1 year old; restricted by pruning; transport water, store carbohydrates
**Shoots (one year old wood)** - support leaves & buds.
**Nodes** - from where leaves, flowers and tendrils grow
**Buds** - prompt, latent/dormant
**Leaves** - photosynthesis, transpiration
**Petioles** - leaf stalks (petiole analysis for nutrients)
**Flowers** - reproduction, hermaphroditic, inflorescences
**Tendrils** - "fingers" that hold on to trellis wires, cannot support themselves
**Berries** - inflorescenes, attract birds
78
Growth cycle of the vine
**Budburst** - April/May (Sep/Oct)
**Shoot growth** - May/Aug (Oct/Jan)
**Flowering and fruit set** - Jun/Jul (Nov/Dec)
**Berry growth & veraison** - Jul/Sep (Dec/Feb)
**Wood ripening** - Sep/Nov (Feb/Apr)
**Berry ripening** - Sep/Nov (Feb/May)
**Winter dormancy** - Nov/Jan (May/Jul)
79
Veraison
Berry skins change colour
Translucent for white varities
Red for black varieties
80
Most important stages in the growth cycle
**Floral initiation** (depend on temp and sunlight)
**Budburst** (affected by spring frosts)
**Flowering** (temp, affected by rain)
**Fruit set** (coulure = failure of berries to set)
**Shoot growt**h (in balance with yield)
**Berry ripening** (sugar/physiological ripening)
81
Life cycle of the vine
Yr 1-3 Trunk/Wood (Vegetable growth/drop fruit)
Yr 3-4 1st Crop (good fruit to leave balance)
Yr 7-20 Wood thicken (vigorous vine/high yield)
Yr 20+ Yield decline (vielles vignes, alte Reben)
82
Criteria for vine selection
Adaptation to the climate: cold, short growing season, drought etc
Resistance to disease: phylloxera, nematodes, mildews, oidium, botrytis
Adaptation to the soil conditions: lime, drought, acidity, salt (most important for rootstocks)
Economic characteristics: high yield, high quality, suitablity for mechanisation
83
Clonal selection
Vines taken from one parent (genetically identical)
Criteria
- yield, fertility, berry size, sugar, acidity, colour, flavour, aroma, disease, drought, virus free, ease of grafting, cost
84
Crosses
**Intraspecific**
New variety is produced from two parents of **same species** (eg V Vinifera)
CAbSav = CabFranc x SavBlanc
Muller-Thurgau = Riesling x Madeleine Royale
85
Disadvantages of clonal selection
Spread of disease
Limited to certain regions
Limited to certain styles Overproduction
Reduction in vine genetic resources
86
Hybrid
Interspecific
Usually 1 American as parent with V Vinifera (such as Vidal )
Reasons for hybridisation
- Phylloxera & Downy Mildew (Plasmopara viticola)
- winter cold resistance
87
Layering
Canes are buried in the ground and then separated from the parent plant once they have established their own roots
Vitis berlandieri and rotundifolia
Vitis vinifera only layered in Phylloxera- free soils
88
Cuttings
Pieces of parent plant develop into new plants
Hardwood winter cuttings from canes (carbohydrates)
Cuttings 30-45 cm in length
Stored at 5 C prior to grafting
Heat treated at 50 C for 30 mins (pests, virus)
89
Grafting
Vinifera scion grafted onto American rootstock
Purpose
- Phylloxera, Nematodes
- soil conditions (lime)
- high or low vigour
- change varieties (top or head-grafting)
90
Grafting methods
**Field grafting:**
Bench grafting (in nursery)
Whip (by hand)
Omega (by machine)
**Top grafting:**
chip-budding
T-budding
cleft-grafting
91
Key environmental and financial factors for site selection
Water availability
Regional climate (temp & sunshine hour)
Soil type and quality
Access to the site
Availability of labour and resources
Proximity to market
92
What is a trellis?
A physical structure, consisting of posts and wines that largely supports the grapevine framework (canes, shoots, foliage)
**Simple**: low vigor, low potential site
**Complex**: high vigor sites, disease control
93
What factors affect the choice of a trellis system?
Legislation
Geographical features of site
- topography
- wind
- rainfall
- temperature
- frost risk (higher trellis at bottom of slope)
- soil fertility
Effectiveness of light interception
Cost/time (establishment and maintenance)
Mechanical potential
Popularity and attractiveness
94
Untrellised
S Europe
**bush (trunk trained short)**
**no trellis**
spur-pruned (bush vines or gobelets) cane-pruned (basket; Santorini, Greece)
* *Pros**: low cost
* *Cons**: low yields, disease, manual
95
Staked vines
Cote Rotie, S France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, California, S Africa
**Post to support vine
Trained higher than bush**
Trained to form a crown (head) 20-30 cm above the ground
Spur-pruned without a crown
**Pros**: air circulation -\> less disease
**Cons**: low yield, not for high vigor sites
96
Single wire
**Cordon** trained and **spur** pruned **Head** trained and **cane** pruned
**Pros**: continuous foliage, inexpensive
**Cons**: new shoots hang down -\> sunburn
97
Two-wire, vertical
California in mid-1980s
Most basic form of multi-wired trellis system
Single fruiting wire, single foliage wire above
Pros: mechanical pruning and harvesting
98
Vertical shoot position (VSP)
France, Germany, cooler regions of Austalia and NZ
Places with high risk of fungal diseases
Non-divided canopy
Movable foliage wires
**Cane-pruned (guyot)**
Spur-pruned (unilateral/bilateral cordons)
Pros: mechanical operations & harvest
**Cons**: high shoot density, not for high vigor varieties and high potential sites
99
Pergola/tendone trellis
Chile, Agentina, Italy, Portugal
Table grapes
2m high trunks
Cane or spur pruned
**Cons**: high cost of construction/maintenance; not for high potential sites; shading problems (powdery mildew, botrytis)
100
When is terracing needed?
Slope over 20 degrees
101
Why pruning and training?
* *Un-pruned vines**
- irregular yields
- high-acid, low-sugar berries
* *Pruning and training to increase yield/quality**
- balance between fruit and leaf
- ideal canopy (15 shoots/m; 1-1.5 leave thick)
- shoot about pencil thick, 12-15 nodes long
- appropriate crop size
- trellis to capture max sunlight
- avoid leave bunching/disease risk - uniform bunch ripening
- allow mechanical spraying and harvesting
- young vines pruned lightly with flower removed
- older vines pruned lightly to raise crop
102
What is canopy management?
Organisation of the shoots, leaves and fruit of the grapevine to maximise the quality of the microclimate of the leaves and fruit to improve quality and yield and to minimise disease risk.
Where is it importance?
- cool-climate regions
- New World: high vine vigor in fertile soils
103
Main aims of canopy management
Max light interception
- large canopy surface
- early development of canopy in spring
- avoid inter-row shading (1:1 height:alley width)
Min canopy shading
- shaded leaves use, rather than produce energy
- Dr Richard Smart: vegetative cycle
Uniform microclimate for fruit
Balance between fruit and leaf
Min disease
Mechanization (pruning, pesticide, harvesting)
104
Types of Irrigation
Flood - lots of water required; desert areas for bulk wine eg Argentina
Sprinklers - effective for large vineyards; cheap to instal; frost control; induce noble rot **Cons: water waste; fungal disease; labour intensive (traveling sprinklers)**
**Drip -** better control of water supply; save water. **Con -** expensive, constant monitoring
105
Pests
**Phylloxera** - nematode destroyed 2/3 of V Vinifera, eats roots
**Nematodes** - microscopic worms, can transmit vine virus, need to sanitize soil before planting
**Birds/animals** - eaten off vine can lead to fungal disease for 1/2 eaten grapes. Netting is the best option for birds. Fences for animals
**Insects** - feed on grapes and leaves. Either use insecticides or integrated pest management eg introducing predators of pests
106
Fungal Disease
**Downy & powdery mildew** - thrive in warm, humid conditions. Attacks green shoots & leaves Leaves: yellow oil spots, white downy patches. Lives in the tissue (not on surface); Flowers dry up and drop off; Berries go grey
**Grey Rot:** Botrytis Cinerea (same as Noble Rot); High humidity and warm temp; Enter vine through wound; Attacks leaves & fruit; Brown then black patches; Berry infections most serious
Affect tight clusters from middle outward
**Prevention**: canopy management to open air flow and keep as dry as possible; spraying at flowering
copper salts (preentative); organic and systemic pesticides
