Wine Quiz 3

Macro Climate: large scale overall climate of a specific region

Mesoclimate: smaller scale regional climate - altitude, soil types and the distance from large bodies of water

Microclimate: few rows of vineyard- agency to topography, trees, rocks and large bodies of water - some things vineyard may have control over

Canopy Microclimate: individual climate under leaf canopy

Ideal Cool Climates

Hot years in cool climates: warm creates more sugars etc

Cold years in warm climates

Ideal cool climate for red wine - centre of the latitude band

  • Montpellier, …

Tony Shaw - Shaw Characterizing cool climates

- balancing sugar, acids, alcohol, fruit: timing…

  1. ripening capacity of cool climate region is dependent on…

  • accumulated heat energy

  • mean temp of warmest month is <20°C

  • Degree days = <1390°C

  1. LTI - Latitude Temperature Index

  • 4 groups based on cultivars (according how high in latitude they are)

  • LTI <370

  1. Autumn Temperatures

  • cool autumn slows development

  • balances wine, maturation - developing flavour now not so much sugar

  • Day moderate, night cool

Nova scotia - grow L’acadie and some pinot noirs if protected

What temp. they ripen at best in the fall - Alpha and Beta

Alpha Grape: ripen best 15°c

Beta Grape: ripen best 16°c+

How is a grape like a good steak?

  • Taking steak off grill before fully cooked to allow flavours to develop

  • “Taking steak off grill” = to incoming cool autumn temperatures

Pelee Island: most southern point in Canada

  • too warm to be alpha region cool climate

  • Canada’s warmest growing region

  • Lake Eerie north shore

  • almost completely flat - very sandy soils

  • comparable to california latitude

  • more continental climate moderated by lake eerie

  • warm, moist, semi maritime climate

    • Bordeaux red varieties - good potential here

      • Meritage - bordeaux style red wine, bit cannot be called that

    • comparable to napa valley and madoc? region in france

Niagra

  • Maritime warm climate

  • topological feature - Niagara escarpment

    • limestone

    • mesoclimate bc of escarpment

    • microclimates

  • niagra peninsula produces lots of grapes despite being a very small land mass

    • Individual benches create micro climates within the mesoclimate created by the peninsula

Warm continental climate? - actually more maritime due to moderating effects of LARGE lakes

  • Ontario (North): small scale, deep lake

    • semi maritime climate, winter open waters, heat storage

    • water temp higher than land(in october), delays autumn frost

    • (april-sept) lake is cooler than the land

  • Eerie (south): expansive surface, shallow

    • heat reservoir, prolong growing season into fall

    • ice covered winters

    • unstable sept - january

    • stable march - august

Growing season conditions (Niagra peninsula)

  • frost free days: range 185-2021 (very long frost free period)

  • precipitation and soil moisture

    • humid continental climate …

Wine and Climate Change (General impacts on wine)

Vitis Vinifera poleward:

  • Warmer at the poles

  • greater chnage at night

  • greater chnage in winter

  • precipitation patterns

  • climate regimes?

Temp limited pests, diseases and infection

  • Pierces diseases (glassy winged sharpshooter)

Increases in CO2

  • Doubling??

  • increased photosynthesis

  • significant increase in biomass

    • Leaves/large canopy growth and must be pruned accordingly

  • The idea of perfection??Terroir/climate/AOC?

Rising sea level

melting ice sheets

  • euro weather patterns

  • atlantic flows

Drowning of vineyards

  • bordeaux, Nantes, Colares (portugal)

  • USA, carneros, washington, oregon, new zealand, chile

Biggest Challenges facing viniculture in new zealand?

Climate change positive impacts

  • better ripening conditions

  • options for viability of new varieties

Compounding and cascading risks

  • climate change is compounding with other risks that are arising

    • changes to water regulations and allocations

Physical properties vs. chmeical properties importance

  • Physical soil properties are MORE important than chemical

    • Soil depth prior to hitting bedrock (at least 5 m)

      • rooting depth

        • rooting depth impacts water logging and dispersion

    • soil texture

      • drainage

      • water holding capacity

      • strength

      • root penetration

        • some grapevines really prefer limestone/chalky environments and some are less finicky

    • Soil colour

      • darker soil = warmer soil

      • red soil = better draining

      • rocky soil (large) = warms up and retains heat quickly and well

      • stoney (smaller) = forces roots to penetrate deeper to access water

    • Soil pH:

      • Ideal pH 5.5-10

        • limestone component of this contributes to alkaline pH

White: 2009 Soils for fine wine and white (2016) Terroir congress, Oregon

  • Low potential soil:

    • purely sedimentary and metamorphic rock

    • very little weathered or weatherable material

    • shallow, sandy, little water holding capacity

    • pH extremes (high or low), little organic matter, low nitrogen

    • weak structure, poorly drained

  • High potential soil:

    • Igneous rocks, un-weathered shales, limestones, metamorphic rocks and alluvial fan sediments

    • Deep soils

    • pH 5.5 - 7.5 (white says this [donna likes him better so go with this pH range])

    • no aluminum, salts, high organic matter in the A horizon

Scott Burns says 7 factors influence character of wine

  1. grape (varietal)

  2. bedrock geology —> which impacts soil characterustics such as…

    1. depth, structure, strength, chenistry, organisms

  3. climate

  4. soil hydrology

    1. determined by… texture and structure

  5. Physiography

    1. orientation, elevation (bricco)

  6. winemaker

  7. vineyard management

    1. row orientation to solar radiation and wind, trellising, pruning, trimming, irrigation

Geomorphologist = Burns

Pedologist = seguin

Climatologist = Jones

Scott Burns - Willamette valley, Oregon

  • Growing lots of really high quality pinot noir

    • Jory: Produces Pinot noir that is Light red in colour and has a strong bouquet —> red cherries, raspberries, plums

      • Pinot’s grown in Okanagan are more similar to this in the colour and bouquet

    • Willakennzie: dark red in colour, strong finish —> dark cherry, blackberry and black plum

    • Laurelwood

  • Jory = fruit driven

  • Willakenzie = floral and spice

Soil (light to heavy)

Riesling

Chardonnay

Sauvignon Blanc

Semillon

Trebbiano

Muscat

Granite

Chalk

x

x

Limestone

x

x

x

x

Marl

x

x

Loam

x

Gravel

x

x

Clay

Sandy

Slate

x

/

Soil (light to heavy)

Cabernet Sauvignon

Syrah

Pinot Noir

Merlot

Grenache

Cabernet Franc

Granite

x

x

Chalk

x

Limestone

x

x

x

Marl

x

Loam

x

x

Gravel

x

x

x

x

Clay

x

Sandy

Slate

Landscapes of Wine: Quaternary period geological features

  1. edges of faults

    • Temperate climates

      • grown on east or south east facing slopes - absorb a lot of radiation

      • increased sunshine and little frost

        • FAULTED AREAS IN FRANCE: BEST GROWING REGIONS

          • Alsace

          • Burgundy

            • 5 steps of Burgundy (5 famous faults)

              • Auxois

              • Montagne

              • Hautes Cotes

              • Cote (or Cote d’)—> “Nirvanna of wine production” - this stuff is the shit

              • Saone plain

          • Cote de Nuits

          • Cote de Beaune

        • types of wines

          • Riesling

          • gewurztraminer

    • Formed slopes/faults/alpine ridges in the tertiary

      • Slippage (throw) of fault and vertical displacement

      • types of sediments deposited in faults

      • number of faults

  2. sedimentary basins

  3. terraces

  4. ancient basement

  5. foothills