Wset Advanced: Section 02 The Growing Environment

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Climate and Weather

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Region's climate is annual scheme of temperature, sunlight and rainfall averaged out over several years.
Regions weather is annual variation of a climatic average.
Some regions have greater variations than other. (Bordeaux and Central Valley CA)

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Temperature

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is a key factor for growing vine. Below 10C vine is hibernate.
Above 22C cells need more glucose then vine can produce and processes start slowing until stop.
Ideal growing temperature is between 16C - 21C
Temperature will determinate what kind of vine variety will be acceptable for planting

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Factors Affecting the Annual Temerature

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Latitude: Between 30 and 50 parallel N or S from equator.
Altitude: Increase every 100 m of altitude drops temperature 0,6 C
Ocean Currents: can drops temperature in warm regions as well they can rise in cool regions
Fog: is good because is cooling the region in mornings and give humidity to warm and dried regions.
Soil: Dark or big stone soil re-reflecting or accumulate more heat what vine need in cool regions. Soil with high water require more energy to warm up and conduct heat from vine more quickly than dry soils.
Aspects: is directions in which slope faces. Aspect facing to equator receive more heat. Steeper slope can benefit more of this aspect (Mosel).

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Factors Affecting Continentality

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Temperature difference between Summer and Winter is refer as continentality and the main factor that can reduce mentioned temperature difference is a proximity of a large water like sea or lake. Characteristic for large water is slowly heating as cooling so proximity of large water can affect to heating air during the winter or cooling during the summer. (Ontario Lake vs Niagara Peninsula)

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Factors Affecting Diurnal Range

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Huge bodies of water can reduce temperatures differences between day and night (diurnal range).
Small rivers and lakes - similar effect on small regions as huge bodies of water.
Cloudy days - sun penetration
Clear night - quickly drop temperature (highs regions)
Cold nights helping vine to rest and extend growing season, also can slow the loss volatile aromas from grape during the ripening.
HIGH DIURNAL RANGE - wines are fresher and more aromatic.
LOW DIURNAL RANGE - wines are more full bodied.
High continentality and high diurnal range often find together, but there is exceptions, Napa Valley - Low continentality (proximity Pacific) but high diurnal range (due changeable directions of breeze, who can be warm if blowing on-shore direction or cold from off-shore.

Hint 5

о.

Front 6

Temp. Hazards - Winter Freeze

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Below (-20 C) - damage or kill vine
risk part of vine is graft callus.
Protection - protect callus, bury canes or whole vine.

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Temp. Hazards - Spring Frost

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occur when cold air below 0C sink at ground level and freezes water on surfaces. In that case burst buds or shoots die.
Protection:
Great Lengths - minimize risk.
Burners - heating air, smoke
Wind Machines - disintegrated cold air collected on ground level, some of them blow warm air.
Sprinklers - latent heat in tissue due freezing
Vineyard design - avoid depressions, build on slope, trained high

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Temp. Hazards - Mild Winters

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can prevent the vine becoming dormant - no resting, in subtropical regions can fall out from natural cycle and can produce more than one crop each year with low quality.
Vineyards life will shortened.
Vineyards insect, pests are more in mild winter.

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Temp. Hazards - High Summer

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accelerate ripening
altering composition of grape
changing style of wine
With insufficient water grape can stop ripening and shed leafs in extreme cases vine can die.

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Sunlight

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Light is main factor in the process of photosynthesis, in combination with sufficient warmth and water.
Increase sugar content in vine.
Overlay of sunlight can result with sunburning of vine leading to black spots on grape skin and bitter-taste of winie.

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Factor Affecting Sunlight

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Seas and Lakes - near water, cloudy cover but reflecting, central land, more sunnier.
Latitude - Day length during the summer is longer further of equator. Extra sunlight important for regions, Germany-Riesling and Washington - Cab. Sauvignon.
Aspect - slope vineyard is affecting to quantity of sunlight. Aspect to equator more sun energy, distance from equator more important is aspect to getting more sun. Steeper slope more sunlight.

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Sunlight Hazards

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Vine evolved as woodland climber -
Vine in shade or cloud is less fruitful and grape is struggle to ripen and wine have less alcohol, unripe tannins and flavours.
Exceptional sunny conditions can cause sunburn, leading to bitter flavours in grape skin.
right Canopy Management Techniques - ensure normally grape ripening in less or more sunny regions.

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Water

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Photosynthesis - rigidity to shoots and leaves, regulate its temperature and swell its grapes. The amount of water a vine uses is determined by the temperature. Warm-vine's metabolism accelerate and therefore do its water needs. Mild Water Stress - when canopy of leaves is grown, vine has enough water to switch glucose resources from shoots growth to grape ripening. This has advantage in reducing the impact of shading.

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Transpiration

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vine process to transport (drawn up) water from roots to leaves.

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Precipitation

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time as amount of rainfall is very important. Heavy rainfall in time of flowering and set fruit can significant reduce the number of grape.
Damp condition can affect encourage fungal infection. In time of harvest berries can split and open possibility for fungal disease. Wine can be dilute.

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Irrigation

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in insufficient conditions of rainfall we can supplement with irrigation if local laws permit.
Drip irrigation - the best but expensive, every vine have own drip who can be control by computer.
Sprinkler irrigation - imitate rainfall and can encourage damp environment.
Flood irrigation - very cheap but need permanent supplying of water and flat or very low slope of vineyard. (Chile Argentina)

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Water Hazards

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Water shortage - vine temporarily stop transpiration and preserves its resources. In drought, vines suffer form water stress and stop photosynthesis, leaves wilt, on a long term vine can die.
To much water - in growing season it will promote excessive vegetative growth, using glucose from grape ripening, delay ripening period, increase risk of shading. In the end of growing season can produce damp condition-infections, burst berries, diluting flavor ...
Summer hail can damage vineyard. Protection nets and rocketry.

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Climate Classification

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average temperature during the growing season for northern hemisphere April to October for southern hemisphere October to April:
Cool - 16.5 C below
Moderate - 16.5 C-18.5 C
Warm - up to 21 C
Hot - over 21 C (unsuitable for viticulture).
Combination of average temperature, continentality, diurnal range, level and timing of sunlight and rainfalls leading us to three Climate Classifications.

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Continental Climate

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Continentality - High
Rainfall - usually Low
GS Temperature - cool, moderate, warm or hot
GS Sunlight - usually Very Sunny

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Maritime Climate

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Continentality - Low to Medium
Rainfall - medium to high
GS Temperature - cool or moderate
GS Sunlight - usually cloudy

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Mediterranean Climate

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Continentality - Low to Medium
Rainfall - low to medium (mostly falling in winter)
GS Temperature - moderate, warm
GS Sunlight - usually sunny (except local fog)

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Soil Composition

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made up from different sizes of stones, rocks, humus and nutrients. Can be deep from a few centimeters to several meters.

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Soil Particles, Stones and Rocks

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underlying deposits on rocks give name of soil as limestone. It can be with sand particles, (largest particles, can't keep water) or clay (small particles, hold water and nutrients). The best soil is made up of a mixture of a different particle sizes.

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Humus

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are made up from decomposing plant and animal materials, reach in plant nutrients and have water retaining properties.

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Plant Nutrients

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key elements is nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, they are dissolved in water as result of decaying plants materials (manure) and dissolved mineral salts. Every part of vine is made from products of photosynthesis and plant nutrients. Ideal soil has few nutrients, well drained but able to store enough water.

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Soil and Water

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Ideally vineyard's soil needs to provide a good supply of water early in the season in order to support strong growth, then reduce a supply after veraison encourage mild water stress in the vine to switch from shoot growth to grape ripening.

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Soil and Nutrients

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Key nutrients is nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. High level of nitrogen encourage vigorously growth and produce leafy canopy that shades fruit to much. Chlorosis - most common nutrition deficiency, leaves turn yellow and affect to reduce photosynthesis process. Losing chlorophyll is result of insufficient quantity of iron in soil. Best solution for this is to chose right rootstock for limestone soil.

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TERROIR

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is ensemble of environmental influences that give a vine sense of place. In most narrow usage its refer to different soil structure and unvarying climate, but in fact taking effect by combined with aspect, slope, climate, weather and grape variety sometimes can change dramatic flavor, tannin, acids in wine. The limits of how the wine style of one region can be copied in another are sill being explored. Not all wines express their geographical origins. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay can be made almost everywhere . Coonawarra Cabernet and Chablis cannot.