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Tasmanian Vineyard Soils

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posted on 2023-05-25, 04:05 authored by Grose, C, Richard DoyleRichard Doyle, Farquhar, D

Terrior is the interaction of the elements of the Vineyard Habitat. To understand Terroir is to understand environmental influences on wine quality. This compilation is intended as a resource for people wishing to understand something of the soil aspects of the Tasmanian vineyard Terroir.

Tasmania is now a widely acclaimed cool-climate wine region. The island has a maritime climate and is cooled by fresh westerly winds from the southern ocean. Characters of freshness and elegance could be said to define the Tasmanian style. The wines of Tasmania express the geography of the vineyard and climate of the season in terms of flavour and style.

There is much detail to understand of the influence of climate on wine flavours. Vineyard yield and bunch exposure interact with the temperature, light and transpiration as the grape berry is engusting. There are many questions yet to be answered about the environmental influences on flavour biochemistry during this process of engustation.

Similarly there is much to understand about the influences of soil on wine quality. The profiles in this collection were assembled for an industry forum conducted by interstate vineyard water management specialists from the Co-operative Research Centre for Viticulture. They were displayed at this workshop to help give Tasmanian relevance to the water management technologies developed interstate. The workshop included a focus on timing water stress as a factor in managing toward wine quality.

The amounts of water supplied by a soil at different tensions is an important component of the influence of soil in Terroir. Structural measures detailed in this collection of profiles allow us to deduce some aspects of this component.

Soil also influences Terroir in its thermal characteristics. These include influences on frost, springtime root warming and autumn cooling. Nutrition exerts its major influences on vigour and fruit set. Perhaps the finer influences of nutrition on quality will be discerned in the future. Aeration, pH and salinity can all exert stresses on vines in different ways.

The influences of soil are amplified in the Tasmanian environment where an important seasonal difference may be just a few day degrees. We hope that by describing these soils in relation to vines, progress on detailing these influences is encouraged. Above all this collection shows the diversity of the Tasmanian vineyard Terroir and the wide adaptability of wine grapes to these soil types.

History

Commissioning body

Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment

Pagination

43

Department/School

Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA)

Publisher

Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment

Place of publication

Tasmania

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Evaluation, allocation, and impacts of land use

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