Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
vigour variability within blocks. As a result, precision vineyard management allows
for the moderation of canopy variability via differential fertilisation, differential
spray volumes and in some case differential irrigation. Multispectral imagery is
also important for precision vineyard management as it permits the capture of large
amount of data using land based or aerial (manned or unmanned) equipment. In
particular, the specific surface properties of foliage and fruits allows for the rapid
capture of plant based information (such as canopy volumes, canopy health, canopy
temperature and fruit quality) allowing the manager to respond to changes in grow-
ing conditions.
Vineyard mechanisation and precision vineyard management suffer from the tra-
ditional problems associated with new technologies. They are relatively expensive,
require new skills and may not carry out a task as accurately as a trained worker.
Nevertheless, in line with much of current technologies and practices, those that
will demonstrate a sustained positive contribution towards the triple bottom line of
businesses or increase the resilience of vineyards against climatic challenges will
be adopted.
Wine Making
Figure 7.3 shows the normal production steps in red and white winemaking. There
are obviously similarities between red and white winemaking, particularly in the
early and later stages, but the major difference is that red wine production requires
the extraction of red pigments (anthocyanins) and phenolic materials from the skins.
This generally necessitates fermentation to be carried out “on skins”. In many white
wine styles, extraction of phenolic material is often regarded as undesirable (eg
crisp, aromatic wines such as Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling), however winemakers
aiming to produce wine with a complex, textural mouthfeel may ferment with high
amounts of solid material to obtain the desired phenolic level (Fig. 7.8 ).
Grape Receival
Generally grape receival bins take the form of a V-shaped, stainless steel or epoxy-
coated steel bin, with an augur in the bottom to deliver the grapes to the crusher. In
larger wineries they are often constructed with the top of the bin at ground level to
accommodate tip-trucks whilst smaller wineries typically utilise forklifts to empty
individual fruit bins into a smaller receival or 'hopper' bin.
Wine styles that require low phenolic extraction (eg sparkling wine production)
can be loaded directly into the press (discussed below) without being crushed or
destemmed. Quality conscious wineries may also use grape sorting tables or auto-
mated sorting machines to help prevent diseased, unripe or matter other than grapes
(MOG)
Search WWH ::




Custom Search