Grapevine responses to terroir: a global approach

Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca. Horticulture, 2015

In evaluating the quality of the viticultural terroir there are use different quality parameters. The exposed leaf area (SFE) currently considered an indicator better than planting density to be used as a quality factor in the AOC regulations. Getting a projected yield, in terms of quality and quantity, it can be achieved only by limiting the vegetative growth at a certain level to stimulate the fructification, but under the conditions of maintaining a photosynthetic activity to satisfy the metabolic needs of grapes (SFE/kg grapes). Exposed Leaf Area/production is an indicator that allows keeping under control the quality of grape production. The optimal value of this index is specific to the variety and viticultural terroir. Under the ecopedoclimatic conditions of the area DOC Dealu Mare-Valea Calugareasca the maximum sugars potential of carbohydrate metabolism, determined by the correlation analysis, was achieved as the SFE/P 1.85 sqm/kg at 'Riesling italian', 1.41 sqm/kg at 'Feteasca regala', 1.85 sqm/kg at 'Merlot', 1.78 sqm/kg at 'Cabernet Sauvignon' and 1.83 sqm/kg at 'Burgund mare'. SFE/P correlation is specific to each viticultural terroir. The alcoholic potential of wine colour intensity was strength correlated with the SFE/P report. The optimal values of the SFE/kg report, identified at the varieties studied, underlying the differentiated technologies for viticulture in the area DOC Dealu Mare Valea Calugareasca.

Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca

High wine quality can be only achieved with an appropriate vineyard management. However a lot of other factors will play also a decisive role: climate, soil, topography, micro-climate, human factors genetics, environmental and technological factors a.s.o.. Since years exists a discussion about the influence of the pedo-climatic system on wine quality. It can be summarized as "terroir". The purpose of this study is to delimit some micro-areas in the Cotnari region which warrant the production of a certain type of wine, a quality. This is the first study attempting to characterize the "terroir concept" for Cotnari vineyards. It is applied on the behavior of traditional varieties of wine grapes grown in the region: 'Grasa de Cotnari' , 'Feteasca alba' , 'Francusa' and 'Tamaioasa romaneasca' . In a first run it was found out that the two "Natural territorial base unit" exert a distinct influence yield, sugar content and must acidity. This system has to be improved with further research in order to judge the vineyards in that region more precisely. The results of this study can be used to determine with precision crop micro-areas and parcel level that will produce quality wines.

Journal of Wine Research, 2006

Terroir is a highly important concept in viticulture because it relates the sensory attributes of wine to the environmental conditions in which the grapes are grown. Quality hierarchy and wine style may, to a considerable extent, be explained by terroir. However, terroir is difficult to study on a scientific basis because many factors are involved, including climate, soil, cultivar and human practices, and these factors interact. The best expression of terroir is achieved when the precocity of the grapevine variety is suited to the local climatic conditions in such a way that full ripeness is reached by the end of the growing season. For the production of high quality red wines, environmental conditions should induce moderate vine vigour, either through moderate water deficit stress or through low nitrogen supply. These conditions are most frequently met on shallow or stony soils, in moderately dry climates. Regular but not excessive vine water and nitrogen supplies are needed to produce high quality white wines. However, great terroir emerges only when socioeconomic conditions are favourable to the establishment of quality-orientated wine production.

— This work assesses the relative importance of the terroirs factors: climate, soil and the relation source-sink, on the vegetative development, yield, berry composition and plant sanitary status. The study was carried out between 2011 and 2014 in nine vineyards from six viticultural regions over the coast of Río de la Plata (Uruguay). The cultivar studied was Tannat, vertically trellised and north-south oriented. The year effect refers to climate, which was characterized using solar irradiation and three indices. The soil was characterized using pits and physico-chemical analyses, to determine three textural categories and to define soil depth and water availability. The source-sink relationship referred to four categories of relations between leaf surface and yield per vine. Statistical analyses included a Mixed Model with random effects to determine the relative importance of each factor to the total variability within the dataset. Total yield per vine was explained by the source-sink relationship, the year and their interaction, both linked to the rainfall amount occurred during the maturation period. The synthesis of primary compounds in the berries was more dependent on the year and the interaction of soil and year with the source-sink relationship. Secondary compound concentrations in the berry depended mainly on the source-sink relationship and climate. This study represents a significant advance to the knowledge of grapevine adaptation to the Río de la Plata terroirs, assigning a fundamental role to the vine grower actions. The growers can modulate grapevine balance as a function of the environment.

Negro Amaro is a red wine grape variety grown mainly in Salento (Apulia region, Southern Italy) in Lecce and Brindisi provinces. This variety is used for high quality wines produced in renowned DOC. The complex interactions between the genotype (variety, clone and rootstock) and the environment (mesoclimate and canopy microclimate, soil conditions, vineyard management and winemaking technologies) contribute to obtain different responses of the grapevines. In this research the physiological responses, the vegetative and the productive behavior of Negro Amaro vines cultivated in two different Salento’s area were evaluated. The study was conducted over two years (2011-2012) in two commercial vineyards with the same clone, rootstock, age and canopy management system. Measurement of vine canopy structure and microclimate, and assessment of bud fertility and nutritional status (SPAD index) were carried out during the growing seasons. Plant water status was monitored measuring both stem wa...

Acta Horticulturae, 2019

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) represents a particularly interesting species in terms of phenotypic plasticity, considering that the terroir, meaning the contribution of geography, geology, and climate of a certain place, together with the agronomic practices utilized, may deeply influence the berry phenotype of a particular cultivar at the physiological, molecular, and biochemical level. This phenomenon can lead to the production of wines that, although produced from the same clonal cultivar, present totally different enological profiles, and represents an issue of increasing interest not only from a biological but also from an economic point of view. The present study is aimed at a deeper understanding of the determinism of phenotypic plasticity in grapevine, trying to deconstruct the concept of terroir into two of its principal components, the soil and climate factors, and to describe the singular effect that different chemical and microbiological soil profiles, on one hand, and different geoclimatic conditions, on the other, can produce in terms of berry plasticity at the molecular, biochemical, physiological, and enological level. Here, we present preliminary results comparing physiological and phenological data in both the vegetative and reproductive phases of two grapevine cultivars, 'Corvina' and 'Glera', grown in different soils located in the same geographical location and, conversely, in the same soil under different environmental conditions. Both soil and climate strongly drove differences in vine growth and berry traits in terms of phenological development, sugar accumulation, and berry morphology. Moreover, two parameters considered in this study, sugar content and berry morphology, showed different behavior depending on the terroir factor combination (cultivar-soil-climate), and this supports the importance of a delicate balance among terroir inputs for obtaining a final product with unique characteristics.

South African Journal for Enology and Viticulture

The water relations and physiological status of the grapevine are critical for obtaining a quality product and for fully exploring vineyard and grape potential. The objective of this investigation was to determine the effect of grapevine water status (induced by means of two field water capacity-based irrigation levels, 75% and 100%, applied at single and combined vine developmental stages) on morphological and physiological changes in flhis vinjfera L. cv. ShirazfRichter 99 grapevines and grapes (harvested at different soluble solid levels) under field conditions. The integrative effects of vine water relations and grape ripeness level, specifically in a Mediterranean high winter rainfall area, have not yet been investigated systematically. The terroir affected the reaction of the vines to treatments. The soil displayed high water-holding capacity and a buffer against favourable evapotranspiration conditions, even with a western aspect and being subjected to long and relatively dry seasons, with frequent occurrence of high temperatures and grapevines with fully developed canopies. The vines did not seem overly stressed-in line with the relatively high base soil water fractions of mostly more than 50% of field water capacity. Primary and secondary leaf water potential and stem water potential displayed similar patterns and the water potential of the primary and secondary leaves was similar. Despite relatively high base soil water contents that prevented excessively low plant water potential and classic leaf and berry behaviour to surface, the vines stifi responded in a noticeable way to volume and timing of irrigation in relation to the grape ripeness level status. Water relations, ripeness level and terroir conditions showed an integrated, steering impact on physiological, vegetative and reproductive behaviour. Post-véraison irrigated vines were expected to maintain relatively high water potential during the last weeks of the ripening period, but this seemed not to be the case. All vines seemed to have recuperatedlstabffised during this time, maintaining their water balances. Physical, physiological and compositional changes in the berry during late ripening under field conditions were clarified further. New information was obtained on the relationships between the behaviour of the root system, canopy and grapes and the changing terroir conditions during the ripening period.

Aiming to evaluate the potential of the portuguese Dão winegrowing region for the production of Touriga Nacional (TN) red grapes, climatic, ecophysiological and viticultural data from two different climatic years (2004, wet year and 2005, dry year) are presented and discussed. The data was collected in the control non-irrigated plants of an irrigation experiment installed at the Dão Research Station, Nelas, Portugal. The vineyard is established in a typical granitic soil and trained on a vertical shoot positioning. According to the Géoviticulture Multicriteria Climatic Classification System, the Dão region is classified as temperate/temperate warm for the heliothermal index, with cool nights (night cold index) and moderately dry (dryness index). In 2004 the predawn leaf water potential presented always values higher than -0.2 MPa from flowering to harvest but in 2005 moderate to severe water stress was observed during the ripening period (-0.4 MPa at veraison to -0.6 MPa at harvest). Leaf stomatal conductance and photosynthetic rate displayed a decreasing pattern from flowering to harvest in both years but attained much lower values in the 2005 ripening period as compared to that of 2004. The yield was similar in both years but 2005 showed lower sugar content, similar titratable acidity and a higher anthocyanin berry skin content. Our data shows that the Dão terroir presents a high inter-annual climate variability which has important repercussions on TN responses being the most unfavorable climatic years those were the high temperatures are coincident with water stress during the first half of the ripening period. In those years irrigation should be applied in order to obtain better quality grapes.

Acta horticulturae, 2005

A study was conducted to investigate the role played of climatic and soil variables on viticultural and enological parameters of 'Sangiovese' in central Italy. Ten vineyards located on 7 farms were studied in 2002 and 2003. A large portion of the variance of the considered parameters was explained by soil type and water holding capacity. Measured soil water availability discriminated among the different vineyards, while the effect of rainfall was significant only between years. Soil temperature had no effects. High soil water availability from veraison to harvest induced more vegetative growth and reduced sugar, color and phenol contents in the berries. However, vineyards with low soil water availability during hot, dry summers had a low sugar content, acidity and color. The outcome of this research indicates that there is not an optimum soil water availability content for each year. However, a reduced availability of water during August and September, on average less than 1.5% by volume, seems to induce better quality 'Sangiovese' fruit.

Annals of the University of Craiova, Series Biology, Horticulture, Food products processing technology, Environmental engineering, 2021

The areas favourable to grapevine cultivation have most various pedoclimatic conditions which, correlated with the ecological requirements of varieties and parent stocks, are key elements in obtaining high level production of grapes and wine in terms of both quantity and quality. The quality of viticultural and wine-making products depends to a great extent on environmental conditions that leave their mark on production areas. The knowledge of physiological particularities determined by the pedoclimatic conditions is important for elaborating and supporting the viticultural technical activities. In this paper studies were focused on the influence of the climatic variable regime on physiological processes.