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See more from this Division: C03 Crop Ecology, Management & Quality
See more from this Session: Crop Ecology, Management and Quality: I
Tuesday, November 4, 2014: 1:25 PM
Long Beach Convention Center, Room 202A
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ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN

Keywords: quality, soil, climate, viticultural practices.

Quality wines are typically the product of soil, climate, and wine production practices, and most importantly grape quality at harvest time. Grape quality at harvest is generally linked to soil and climate characteristics. Viticultural practices are rarely taken into account but are also important in the quality of grapes used to produce high quality wines. This study examines five combinations of viticultural practices and soil units, within an area with a homogeneous oceanic climate, Cfb, in the Köppen classification. The study was set in the Loire Valley region of France and lasted three years from 2007 to 2009. The area produces high quality red wines with the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) label. Several vintage characteristics were measured, assessed, or calculated each year. Veraison (day of veraison and veraison kinetics), plot harvest date, leaf surface area, yield (hL.Ha-1), berry sugar (g.L-1), juice total acidity (TA in g.L-1), maturity index (MI in g.L-1), pH, anthocyanins (g.L-1), tanins index (IFC), polyphenolic index (IPT), and malic acidity (AMA in g.L-1). Sugar concentration, AT, IM, pH, anthocyanins, IC, IPT, AMA, ATA measurements and calculations were done for each plot and each year. Phenology of the vines was studied for each plot at veraison and harvest period on twenty vines on each plot. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using Statbox software version 6.0. Veraison kinetics, yield and must analysis revealed differences between specific combinations of soil and viticultural practices during the three years studied. The results indicate that the proper combination of viticultural practices and soil characteristics allows a reduction of the vintage effect. Among the factors that most strongly impacted grape quality were: harvest date, cultural practices and grape varietal, which affected berry sugar content, must acidity and tannins.

See more from this Division: C03 Crop Ecology, Management & Quality
See more from this Session: Crop Ecology, Management and Quality: I