Wines & Vines

March 2011 Vineyard Equipment & Technology Issue

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WineEast the senior author: Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada L2S 3A1. Terroir factors How growing conditions impact Riesling wine sensory profiles The major focus of this research was to explain terroir effects that might impact wine varietal character. Authors sought to elucidate potential determinants of terroir by choosing vine water status as a major factor of the terroir effect. One hypothesis was that consistent water status zones could be identified within vineyard sites and that differences in wine sensory attributes could be related to vine water status. To test this hypoth- esis, 10 commercial Riesling vineyards representative of each sub- appellation created by the Vintners Quality Alliance of Ontario were selected within the Niagara Peninsula. These vineyards were delin- eated using global positioning systems (GPS), and 75 to 80 sentinel vines were geo-referenced within a sampling grid for data collection. During the 2005-07 growing seasons, vine water status measure- ments (mid-day leaf water potential) were collected bi-weekly from a subset of these sentinel vines. Data were collected on soil texture and composition, soil moisture, vine performance (yield components; vine size) and fruit composition. These variables were mapped using GIS software, and relationships between them were elucidated. Vines were categorized into "low" and "high" water status regions within each vineyard block through the use of these geospatial maps and replicate wines were made from each region. Research Many geospatial patterns and relationships were found to be spatially and temporarily stable within vineyards. Vine water status was found to be temporally stable within vineyards despite different weather conditions during each growing season. Generally, spatial re- lationships between vine water status, soil moisture, vine size, berry weight and yield also were stable from year to year. Vine water status also had some impact on the fruit composition in several vineyards. A sorting task (multidimensional scaling) was performed on wines from the 2005 and 2006 vintages, and wines of similar water status had similar sensory properties. Descriptive analysis using a trained panel further indicated that water status had an effect on wine sensory profiles. Similar attributes were different for wines from different water status zones. Through multivariate analyses, specific sensory attributes, viticulture and chemical variables were associated with wines of different water status. Vine water status was a major contributor to the terroir effect, as it had a major im- pact on vine size, berry weight and wine sensory characteristics. Willwerth, J.J.; Reynolds, A.G.; and Lesschaeve, I., Progres Agricolet Viticole 127(8):159-168 (2010). Contact address of the senior author: Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada L2S 3A1. WE Andrew G. Reynolds is professor of biological sciences/viticulture at the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario. He has written the Wine East column "What's New in Re- search: Summaries of Current Literature on Grapes and Wine" for Wine East since 1997. To comment on this article, e-mail edit@winesandinvines.com. LakewoodCork_WE_Oct08.qxp 9/8/08 2:20 PM Page 1 GÜLTIG® CORKS The benchmark of quality for over 40 years 1953 – Gültig revolutionizes bottling with "Sterile Corks", PE bags injected with SO2 now an industry standard. 1986 – Gültig introduces the Hydrogen Peroxide cork with no residual H2 O2 1995– ISO NORM 9002 Certification monitored Quality Assurance. 2001– VISION® synthetic stoppers introduced. 2002– Quality control assuredwith GC/MS testing for TCA on every batch. 2004– Introduction of the HACCP system in the cork production. Mention this code: BGW11VE to receive 10% OFF entire order! Always– Fast, knowledgeable service. East Coast Gültig® Sales Representatives: Chris & Liz Stamp • Lakewood Cork 4024 State Route 14, Watkins Glen, NY 14891 607-535-9252 or 607-426-4551 • Fax: (607) 535-6656 Oenoman@onlineimage.com 50 Wines & Vines MARCH 201 1 –

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