 Sometimes the shortcomings of a
wine originate from certain practises in the vineyard or in vineyard
management. In the winery, these problems require time and expense to
correct.
To minimize
potential problems before grapes arrive at the winery, it is imperative to have
good communication between the winemaking team and the vineyard
personnel.
Many problems
created in the vineyard can be reduced by practicing:
| 1. Proper vineyard siting: matching the varietal to the
micro-climate in order to minimize the amount of immature harvests. |
| 2.
Appropriate canopy and vine management (proper trellising,
irrigation and fertilization). |
| 3.
Adequate, but not excessive, disease control practises. |
Canopy management is important in controlling
vegetal character. Too much shading can lead to the fruit retaining
concentrations which are too high in isobutyl-methoxy pyrazine (bell pepper)
and related compounds, as well as other types of green compounds such as
cis-3-hexenol.
Overdoing disease control or late application of
dusting or wettable sulfur can lead to the overproduction of hydrogen sulfide
in the fermentation. There is a direct correlation between the µg of
elemental sulfur carried on berries into the winery and the production of
H2S. While a winemaker can control H2S to a degree, overproduction of H2S
can lead to the development of mercaptans, which are often difficult to
eliminate. |
|
