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70 P R A C T I C A L W I N E R Y & V I N E YA R D July 2015 B O O K E X C E R P T This excerpt is edited from the pub- lished book of 280 pages, $39.95 available online at oup.com/us. Chapter 6: Putting it all together Managing soil for specific winemaking objectives There is no doubt that wine grapes can be grown on a range of soils and that some soils such as deep red and brown loams and alluvial soils will provide a better growing medium for vines than others such as shallow soils on slate, schist or hard limestone. Nevertheless, the optimum growing conditions and soil property values will inevitably be different according to the style of wine to be produced. Thus winegrowers should manage the soil in a way that enables them to achieve their specific objectives of wine style and market price point. Soil amelioration, fertilizers, water management and bio- logical tools can be used to modify soil behavior and the vines' response to it. In setting objectives, the question arises: Is the wine to be an expression of place (terroir), or is it to conform to a brand image or "house style" that is consistent from year to year? In the for- mer case, soil variability occurring over distances of tens of meters is a potential boon, with subtle differences in soil prop- erties conferring typicity on the wine produced from different blocks. This approach is more likely to be followed by small winegrowers who produce distinc- tive wines of one variety or another from blocks of two to three hectare or less. Winegrowers in the Mornington Pen- insula region, Victoria, Australia, provide a good example from the New World of a conscious effort being made to relate their Pinot Noir wines to subtle differ- ences in the soil and mesoclimate (see photo on book cover). Although the dis- tribution of soil orders in this region has been mapped at a broad scale, soil dif- ferences need to be identified at a much higher resolution to demonstrate a true terroir effect. However, we should also recognize that, collectively, single-variety wines produced from whole regions, such as the C.te d'Or or Beaujolais in France, come to reflect, over a long period of time, a regional distinctiveness, which wine writer David Schildknecht (eRobert- Parker.com) calls a "strong" terroir effect. The second approach to winemaking is more likely to be taken by large wine companies with extensive estates, where a blended wine is made from fruit pro- duced on several soil types. In some cases, wineries adopt both approaches, depending on the characteristics of a par- ticular season's vintage. For example, Tim Smith (2007) of Chateau Tanunda in the Barossa Valley region, South Australia, has said, "We blend different Shiraz wines to achieve a 'house style,' but wines within the blend are occasionally worthy of keeping sepa- rate to show their individuality." Single vineyard wines and wines deemed to reflect a particular terroir are increasingly being promoted as offering the consumer a distinctive wine experience. Irrespective of whether grapes are grown to make a terroir wine or a blended varietal wine (vin de cépage), there are sev- eral broad issues confronting the wine industry that relate directly or indirectly to soil management. These issues relate to the "sustainability" of a winegrowing enterprise in the face of changing con- sumer preferences and market demands and the need to ensure that appropriate inputs are available and natural resources conserved. The main issues to be consid- ered here are: Robert E. White BY Understanding Vineyard Soils SECOND EDITION The author explains how soil properties in a vineyard in the Mornington Peninsula region, Victoria, Australia, could contribute to the typicity of Pinot Noir wines made from that site. (Photo courtesy of Ms. Cheryl Lee, Mornington Peninsula Vignerons Association, Victoria, Australia.) Behind Every Great Winery... Is a Great Chiller System Auburn, WA Mocksville, NC Mock prochiller.com 800-845-7781