Abstract
The concept of terroir is widely used in the wine industry, and many studies are undertaken to better understand the influence of local terrain features on produced wines. In this context, this study monitored nine Chardonnay plots in the Fruili wine region of Italy to gather information on grapevine growth and berry ripening. The study objective was to define viticulture potentialities allowing to identify future strategies for the production of a “single vineyard” Chardonnay wine at the Vie di Romans estate, Italy. During the growing season of 2017, relations were studied between terrain features and field observations on vine phenology and grape ripening. Stem water potential and gas exchange measurements were also effectuated. Results show that there are significant differences between the studied plots. Earliness of the grapevine cycle between the plots has been less evident to determine than the variation in berry characteristics. The latter were linked with identified pedoclimatic units, but the effect of the cultural practices should not be overlooked. The study should be perceived as a first monitoring campaign, highlighting the important differences between study plots. Further investigation in the following seasons should give a more accurate perception of individual plot characteristics and their impacts.
Highlights
In wine producing regions, the concept of terroir is highly important as it relates wine quality and style with the geographical origin in which the grapes are grown
As it has been observed in numerous northern hemisphere viticulture areas, the 2017 climate conditions were quite particular
The present study has permitted to gather a large amount of data regarding vine behaviour, berry characteristics and soil attributes of nine Chardonnay plots, located in the Friulan region (Italy)
Summary
The concept of terroir is highly important as it relates wine quality and style with the geographical origin in which the grapes are grown. The particular characteristics are given by the climate (i.e. including both spatial and temporal variability), the soil and the vine water uptake conditions which are key factors in understanding the terroir effect on grape and wine quality. The importance of the vine water status in the determination of the terroir perception in the final product has been shown in many studies [2, 3]. These studies highlight its importance on vine vigour, berry weight and the sensorial characteristics of wines
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