Wine, geology mapping and the value of place in McLaren Vale

Skinner, William

doi:10.1111/taja.12346

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Data-driven approaches offer an unbiased route towards that understanding. They also provide a more rigorous basis for using terroir as a platform for both viticultural manipulation and wine marketing than 'imagining place and quality' (Skinner, 2020).…”

Section: Comparison Of Figuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making sense of a sense of place: precision viticulture approaches to the analysis of terroir at different scales

Bramley

Ouzman

Trought³

2020

OENO One

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Traditional ‘terroir zoning’ has largely relied on heuristic ‘expert’ opinion coupled with approaches to land classification based on thematic mapping to describe the influence of soil conditions and climate on wine composition. Recent advances in geographical information systems (GIS) and digital mapping have enabled more robust quantitative methods to be developed, but with few exceptions recent terroir research has remained reliant on heuristic opinion and conformity to previously defined terroir units, rather than employing data-driven approaches. Using two case studies at regional scale, the aim of this paper is to illustrate how the use of methods of quantitative spatial analysis, as used to guide understanding of production system variability and to underpin precision viticulture (PV), may assist in better understanding terroir at a range of scales. In the Barossa region of Australia, cluster analysis of indices of soil physical and chemical fertility (available water capacity and cation exchange capacity), with critical climate variables (growing season rainfall, mean January temperature and growing degree days), clearly delineates differences between the Barossa and Eden Valleys but does not robustly promote further sub-division. Meanwhile, in the Marlborough region of New Zealand, interpolation of data supplied by wine companies from over 450 vineyards over several seasons suggests a consistent and characteristic regional ‘terroir’ in terms of vine yield and harvest date. Similarly consistent results were obtained for sub-regions of the Wairau Valley and a comparison of the Wairau and Awatere valleys. Thus, with scale-dependent modification, the methods of spatial analysis used to underpin PV and studies of within-vineyard variability offer much potential for terroir analysis and the identification of terroir zones. Importantly, these methods are unbiased, data-driven, and not reliant on heuristic opinion.

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Section: Comparison Of Figuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making sense of a sense of place: precision viticulture approaches to the analysis of terroir at different scales

Bramley

Ouzman

Trought³

2020

OENO One

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“…More broadly, a focus on the premium end of the market has been tied to the notion of the ‘uniqueness’ of Australian terroirs (Wine Australia 2015). Associated with this, there have been efforts in some regions to explore the idea of ‘subregionalisation’ as a means of enhancing perceptions of distinctiveness and, in one example, using just a single attribute (geology), for ‘strategic imaginings of the viticultural space’ (Skinner 2020). Of course, terroir is a multivariate concept, reflecting the many biophysical and social factors which, at any particular location, impact on grapegrowing and winemaking (Seguin 1986, van Leeuwen et al 2004, van Leeuwen and Seguin 2006, Dry 2017) and so give a wine its ‘sense of place’ (Goode 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underpinning terroir with data: a quantitative analysis of biophysical variation in the Margaret River region of Western Australia

Bramley

Gardiner²

2021

Aust J Grape and Wine Res

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Background and Aims The wine producers of Margaret River, as in many Australian wine regions, are interested in gaining a better understanding of the terroir of their region. Our aim was to determine whether the variation in soils and climate suggests that subdivision of the region may have merit. Methods and Results Clustering of digital map layers describing a range of climatic indices and soil properties of viticultural importance, using k‐means, enabled exploration of regional scale patterns of spatial variation. These methods are the same as those that have been successfully used at within‐vineyard scale in support of the development of Precision Viticulture. Whilst there is marked soil and climatic variation within the Margaret River geographical indication (GI), the results obtained from this analysis do not lend weight to previously proposed subdivisions of the Margaret River GI but rather, provide a guide for future targeted sensory analysis within the region. This was especially the case when the analysis was confined to just the 2.8% of the GI land area that is under vineyard. Conclusions Whilst the Margaret River GI shows marked biophysical variation, the data used in this analysis were not sufficiently strongly spatially structured at regional scale to indicate a basis for splitting the GI into subregions. However, some separation based solely on temperature and rainfall might form a useful basis for chemical and sensory analysis of wines and pursuit of understanding of the regional terroir. From both terroir and viticultural management perspectives, soil variation is likely of much greater importance at the within‐vineyard and whole of property scales, than at regional scale. Significance of the Study This is one of the first studies which uses purely data driven methods to examine biophysical variation within a wine region. Aside from being free of the bias that is introduced by heuristics, or examination of historically delineated terroirs, the work highlights the importance of focussing solely on the land which is under vine in evaluating terroir, rather than all of the land within a GI.

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“…Other answers on what characteristics a good wine should have answered us: softness, velvety quality, and balance in the mouth (Casadó-Marín and Anzil, 2022;Gracia, 1986). The moment in which the wine is consumed is also important (Poulain, 2019;Skinner, 2020). common consumption habits vary according to the people involved.…”

Section: Gulf Of Castellammarementioning

confidence: 99%

Qualitative determinants of wine demand: an exploratory analysis of two Sicilian wines “Catarratto” and “Nero d’Avola”

Sgroi¹,

Modica²

2023

JMIC

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This article analyzed the socio-cultural representations associated with two Sicilian wines, Catarratto, and Nero d’Avola. The study was carried out in the area of western Sicily, where most of the wine growing is concentrated. In particular, for ‘Catarratto’, the research was conducted in the area of the Gulf of Castellammare in the province of Trapani, an area particularly suited to the cultivation of the ‘Catarratto’ vine from which the white wine is obtained; for ‘Nero d’Avola’, the research was conducted in the area of Menfi in the province of Agrigento, an area particularly suited to this black vine. Our objective was to determine how the players in the wine chain, and who indirectly deal with wine, construct their mental model relating to wine to suggest to companies the appropriate wine marketing actions to take to increase their competitive advantage. To achieve the objective of the research, ten focus groups consisting of wine consumers, teetotalers, wine opinion leaders, wine merchants, wine shop owners, medical doctors, and food experts were conducted. During the focus group, we gave these subjects a document in which they had to explain what wine evokes in them. The results of the research confirm that wine is a complex food product whose consumption evokes sensations, memories, and pleasures. The study provides an important source of knowledge on the current cultural significance of wine and its consumption in these two areas of Sicily. Therefore, the study highlighted the quality of these two Sicilian wines can guarantee competitiveness at the company and sector levels.

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Wine, geology mapping and the value of place in McLaren Vale

Cited by 8 publications

References 23 publications

Making sense of a sense of place: precision viticulture approaches to the analysis of terroir at different scales

Making sense of a sense of place: precision viticulture approaches to the analysis of terroir at different scales

Underpinning terroir with data: a quantitative analysis of biophysical variation in the Margaret River region of Western Australia

Qualitative determinants of wine demand: an exploratory analysis of two Sicilian wines “Catarratto” and “Nero d’Avola”

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